Fragging a Toadstool leather

[lReef lKeeper]

Fragging a Toadstool Leather

First, I would like to thank everyone at talkingreef.com and reefreaders.com for asking me to do this and future articles (this is my first one so bear with me … they WILL get better with time) !!

In the articles I am planning on writing, I am going to start with the more popular and easier corals to frag. This way … even the new guys and girls will not feel so lost (like I did at first) when we get into the good stuff … ranging from Lobophyllia (lobos) to Catalaphyllia (elegance) corals !!
In this article I would like to go through the process of fragging a Toadstool leather. It is not a hard coral to frag, but a little harder than say … Montipora Capricornus (just snap a piece off in most cases).

So here is what we are going to need for this little adventure … a very sharp razor blade knife or scalpel, a sewing needle, fishing line (I prefer “spiderwire” but whatever you have will do), a piece of live rock rubble, and of course … a Toadstool Leather (of fraggable size).






Cutting the Toadstool


Now for the fun part !! This is the way that I prefer to frag MY toadstools, although I have seen it done MANY other ways, because it seems to be less stressful on the animals.


I prefer to cut the “cap” of the coral, and not the base or “stalk” of the coral. When you cut the cap you can get many more frags than if you cut the base. For example, if you cut the base into four sections, how many frags would you have ?? That’s right four. When you cut the cap around the entire perimeter you can get many more if you cut it right. I have gotten as many as twelve frags, from one leather doing it this way.

Video of toadstool cutting - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

After cutting the “ring” off of the cap of the leather, you are going to want to cut the “ring” into smaller pieces (I cut them into 1”-1 ½” pieces) using the same razor or scalpel as before.





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[lReef lKeeper]

Securing the frags


Now that we have the loose frags, what are we going to do with them ?? Well this is where another preference of mine comes in. I prefer 1 of 2 ways, either by piercing the frag with a sewing needle and a piece of fishing line OR using the “toothpick method”. Either way we will end up with the same result. Both of these ways work very well for me and a few of the other members of my local club that also do some fragging (see special thanks for a list of those who ship frags).
So here is how I pierce MY frags … I thread the needle with fishing line, and pierce the frag between 1/8” and ¼” above the spot where I made the cut.




Then I wrap the fishing line around the rubble and tie in a SNUG knot. If you tie the line to tight, it will cut through the frag and you will have to re-pierce the frag and try again.




Or you can try the “toothpick method” …

Here is what is needed for this method … a rubberband, a toothpick (REALLY !!), a piece of rubble, and the frag.



This method is much like the fishing line method, but you will use the toothpick to pierce the frag at about 1/8” – ¼” above the cut area.




Then you are going to place the frag where you want it on the rock, then wrap the rubberband around the rubble, and stick the toothpick through the loops at each end of the rubberband, securing the frag in place.




Placement in the tank is very important with these frags. If they are placed in an area with too much flow, the flow may tear them off of the mounts. So you want to place them in an area of low to moderate flow. The mounted frags should attach within a week or two, and you will be able to either cut the fishing line loose and throw in away or remove the rubberband and toothpick and throw them away.

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[lReef lKeeper]

Finished Toadstool frags






Remember, that it is always beneficial to the coral to give it a quick dip in a coral disinfectant solution. This will help to keep the cut site disease free and fight off any infections that my arise. I prefer to use Seachem’s REEF Dip because it is a reasonable price, and I can get it at my LFS.


Now you have fragged Toadstool Leather and hopefully use this and future articles to trade with friends or sells to local fish stores (I do this to offset some of the expenses of the hobby). Either way … you now have a start to helping save the worlds reefs. Good luck and happy fragging.

Reef-Keeper (Bobby)


Special thanks have to go out to Mike Miller (ellisz at Louisville Marine Aquarium Society :: Louisville Marine Aquarium Society) for all the help with pics and videos.
You can check out his selection at My Website