Best way to frag duncan

[pammy]

Hi. I have a duncan that I'd like to frag to trade a head with another reefer. What is the best method of fragging it? I fragged it several months ago, but lost 2 heads in the process because I used wire cutters from home depot that someone suggested would be just as good as bone cutters. I ended up crushing two heads in the process of trying to frag off one. The 3rd head did beautifully after I fragged it. The whole colony looked very unhappy after I fragged it, but recovered quickly in a day or two. That was my first attempt at fragging anything.

My duncan colony is now attached to my live rock with aquamend. Should I buy specific bone cutters and try to frag it underwater inside my display, or should I detatch the colony off of the rock and use a dremel outside of the tank to frag off a head?

Any specific type of attachement that works best on a dremel to frag a hard LPS like a duncan?

Once you pull a coral off of live rock, how do you remove the hardened aquamend? I have a few LPS frags that didn't do well, and it seems impossible to remove the left over aquamend now from the rock.

Thanks, Pam

[Reefbaby]

I'd be interested in knowing how to frag a Duncan as well...my LFS has one that costs about 300 USD, because it's a huge colony and he doesn't want to frag it! It seems that they're quite sensitive, especially since the tissue completely surrounds the skeleton, unlike Euphyllia sp.

[Phurst]

I have seen them fragged locally with a wet saw for cutting tile. I'd guess a Dremel with a diamond cutting wheel would work as well, but I'd go slower with the Dremel to keep heat from building up too much.

[rroselavy]

Page 318 of Calfo's Book of Coral Propagation (Second Edition) is on Duncanopsammia axifuga fragmentation. He suggests using a dremel blade to cut the Duncan at the base of the branches. Small Duncans can be scored with the blade and then broken with a flathead screwdriver.

Funny thing. I just bought that book on Amazon 2-3 weeks ago for $39. Now I see that the price is back up to $60. Anyhow, really good and dense book aimed at professional propagators, but with scads of useful info (including many photos of coral fragmentation) and tank construction ideas for that the hobbyist can learn from.

[Phurst]

D'oh! Somehow I read Duncan as Acan. A tile saw would still work, but I think the Dremel is your best bet here.