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View Full Version : Question on fragging toad stool leather?



clownfish4me
09-16-2009, 01:25 PM
I read the post about fragging the leather coral, but i have one question. It mentions cutting the fringe of the cap to make the frags. I have a large toadstool that looks like salt creep dropped onto it possibly burning the coral(there is a half dollar size white spot in the center that is bare of flesh) i am wanting to cut the whole cap off the base or stalk. The stalk is about 5.5-6 inches around and 7-8 inches tall. The cap opens up to about 10 inches or more. Will the stalk be ok and grow a new cap? I would get a gang of frags from the cap but don't think it will be worth it if the base does not heal . Any questions, ideas or suggestions will be more than welcomed !:d

Phurst
09-16-2009, 01:30 PM
It "should" regrow it's cap, but I've never decapitated one that big. I'd hate to give you the go-ahead and then have the thing die...

lReef lKeeper
09-16-2009, 06:59 PM
i have never cut the cap either, but everything i have read says that the cap will regrow.

bonzai
09-19-2009, 09:21 AM
I cut a cap off a smaller one because when I moved tanks the rock it was on was not getting enough light. It was just a tiny sliver of toadstool on the rock after I cut it off, it now has grown to about 3/4" tall and has the little finger projections. It it really amazing that it grew actually, but it taught me that it will grow just about anywhere under the right conditions.

On a side note, I am having an issue with my large toadstool as well, but it seems to be constantly fragging itself and there is actually the start of a fissure going down the center of the stalk like it is going to split into 2. It has fragged itself 4 times where it almost cut a piece of itself off, I cut the little tag that was left off and mounted it. All of the frags are doing wonderful and growing really fast, is there anything wrong with my large toadstool or is this a natural progression? Thanks guys and good luck clownfish4me if you decide to "decapitate" your toadstool.

CarmieJo
09-19-2009, 06:30 PM
Joe, we cut the cap of of a large one for a fragging demo leaving about a 1/2" fringe and the cap regrew just fine.

Tom, I have never experienced this but I have heard of others having the toadstools develop fissures and split.

clownfish4me
09-21-2009, 04:32 AM
Carmie's, is that demo avaliable to view on the internet? if so do you have the link, i am sure it will be helpful. i have fraged several, but only using the outer pieces of the cap, never a whole top...... thanks

CarmieJo
09-26-2009, 05:34 PM
No, it was one I did for my club's big show a couple years ago. One of the LFS donated a big toadstool. I used scissors, cut through the cap towards the stem, then cut all the way around the cap about 1/2" back from the stem and cut the cap up into chunks. I gave away all the cap pieces and never heard how they did but the stem went back to the LFS and the cap grew back out just fine.