Fragging Mushrooms

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Mr Miagi

Veins are flowing with SW, now going back to FW!
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Fragging Actinodiscus sp. or Mushroom Corals

Mushrooms are one of the easiest beginner corals, tolerating low light levels and varied water conditions, a truly bullet proof coral. To top it off, Morphs or Mushrooms can have truly awesome colour variants and can grow rapidly.

Manual propagation techniques include Cutting, Slicing, or placing the coral in a high flow area.

Example #1: Manual Slicing

Tools:

- Sharp Scissors OR Blade
- Cutting Board
- Extra Jug of tank water


Method:

Take the specimen, and allow it to expel water (you can disturb the mushroom prior to removal, by simply running your finger over it firmly).

Use a sharp blade to slice the mushroom into segments. Make sure a piece of foot makes it into every slice, mouth is not so necessary.

Place the rock into your spare water tub, and allow the mushrooms to expel their excess slime coat. When done, shake the rock well to remove any more. Place back into similar water conditions.

You have the choice of whether to slice the mushroom into two, or into multiple slices. IME a mushroom cut in half recovers faster, and has a higher survival rate than those cut multiple times.

Top left Green Mushroom, before slicing:
DSC05312.jpg


After:
DSC05804.jpg


Example #2: Cutting

Tools:

- Onion bag, Fishing Line, or Superglue/Superglue Gel.
- Sharp Scissors OR Blade
- Tub
- Coarse crushed coral (+2mm) r finely crushed LR rubble
- LR rubble


Method:

Cutting involves loose Mushrooms. Cut the Mushroom in half or multiple cuts as explained above. Place the loose specimens, each with their own portion of foot into a small tub, covered in onion bag, filled at the base with coarse aragonite or large pieces of crushed LR rubble. The pieces will attach over the course of days to weeks. Monitor their progress. Onion bag netting allows water flow into the container, but prevents mushroom pieces escaping. You may need to use a finer netting, IE. Bridal Veil if Onion bag netting has too big holes.

After the mushrooms have attached to the coarse crushed LR rubble or aragonite, attach them to normal sized LR rubble. You can do this using Bridal Veil, Onion bag netting, Fishing line, or Super Glue (Super Glue Gel is beneficial, but not necessary).

Tools:

DSC05793.jpg


Note this fluffy mushroom attached to Noodle. The Noodle is then glued to a larger piece of LR rubble.

DSC05797.jpg


Note Mushrooms in tub until attached to small cockle shell, coarse aragonite, or finely crushed LR.

DSC05571.jpg


Onion Bag netting to hold larger Mushroom:

DSC05802.jpg


Reverse Side using cable tie:

DSC05801.jpg



Natural Propagation:

Many will find the natural propagation of mushroom coral overwhelming, and wont need to frag. When a mushroom travels across LR to reach a better position, they can leave trails of offspring. These grow from pieces of foot which detach from the mother colony. It is therefore easy to place the mushroom rock into higher flow, forcing it to move position to find more desirable conditions. They can also divide themselves into two halves if they grow larger.
 
Thanks guys. Its all pretty simple, Id love to see some more fragging on TFF! Hopefully Ill write my Leather coral article soon too. :good: Ive never had any luck with Zoa's, so someone else can write that article! :crazy:

:lol:
 

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