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Fragging like a Pro - by PSX (& DIESEL) .........I watched fragging my $1,000 Frag (1 Viewer)

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PSXerholic

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Fragging like a Pro - by PSX (& DIESEL) .........I watched fragging my $1,000 Frag

Hey guys,

fragging like a pro ?

Here are a few pictures of my frags ............................... as well I wanted to share the professional fragging of a RR Rainbow blossom frag with an official market value of $1,000 !!!


So I took the "RISK" to take my 1k frag home right after the cut!
Many will call this crazy, well I have fragged in the last years several hundred frags of my collection and learned how to careful frag and transport our sensible beauties.

A few things are to be considered while fragging and offering it for sale or share it with others.

IMG_3135_zpstrv4lx3v.jpg



1.) Cut an glue
I usually prepare a large clean plastic bin and fill it with tank water and throw in the ceramic plugs and frag racks that fit in perfectly.
Then I cut or break off branches from healthy corals and drop them asap into the bin.

Do not cut off too many.......usually I do not cut more then 10 minutes. Otherwise I repeat on another round.
Also not more then 15 frags to avoid slime in the bin.

Then I start putting a nice large bean of IC Gel on the plug in one hand, quickly grab the coral frag and cover the entire cut with glue asap and place it back into the water on the frag rack and align the frag straight on the plug under water!!!
So the frag is nicely sealed.

When all frags are glued on, let them harden for like 10 minutes after the last frag.
Bring them back to the tank and bring over the frag rack with all frags, not each frag individually in an ideal case.
The temp shock and PH drop is mostly what can cause issues while fragging.
After the fragging, clean your frag bin very well and rinse it.
Don't use this bin for anything over then fragging.

As cleaner your procedure is as better the results !!!!
I have not lost any of my frags since a long long time while doing it this way ;-)

2.) Break n' go (Coral to go)

See below some pictures from my friend Ben how he cuts off even expensive frags off a very dense grown colony !!!!
He made a long metallic (likely SS) rod, and shaped the end like a screwdriver, so it actually becomes the DIESEL Chisel (lol, sorry for the rhyme Ben ;-).....)
Also he carries a variety of different lengths to be able to knock off the branches precisely via DIESEL-Chisel and bonecutter as a hammer above water.
Short and quick flaps above the water surface take the piece off very nicely.
If you notice, he also uses for "targeting" a top down viewer ;-)

So that part is what you can do for #1 as well, instead just a bonecutter, when you frag off dense grown colonies!

Here is the interesting part while you take a Coral to go to make sure it survives:
Have your ducks and tank in a row !
The Coral will have to remain submerged under water after the knock off. (To avoid sliming in the container/bag which can kill the coral during transport)
Do not take it out of the water, to place it in container or a bag.
Do not let any air into the container where you put the frag in. Either a plastic container or plastic bag has to be filled underwater and no air is suppose to be in there.
And again......Do not take it out of the water, to place it in container or a bag.

When the coral arrives your tank you can continue your dip after temperature acclimating is completed.
Seal the coral with glue or glue it on a plug prior you put it in your tank, to be on the safe side.
This is to avoid infection by bacteria from your tank, not the other!!!!







The Chisel



DONT'S WHILE FRAGGING !!!!

Do not work in a room with a fan on !
Do not cut and glue when you have a cold, an infection, or you have taken medicines !
Wash your hands well prior fragging !
Do not frag while you have injuries on hands or fingers !
Keep your plastic bin always clean after fragging and wash it out with tap water and rinse it well !


Happy Reefing,

PSX (THX to the support from DIESEL)
 

Cody

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Nice write up! Out of curiosity, are the $1000 frags any different than just any other acro when it comes to fragging? Obviously, the price tag is enough to make you clench a lot more, but my understanding is that they're just acros all the same as what we trade daily. I don't have a point of reference because I've never had the fun of dealing with the high end stuff! Haha
 

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Can we get a pic of the RR rainbow? Really want to see what it looks like. Nice write up.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk
 
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PSXerholic

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Nice write up! Out of curiosity, are the $1000 frags any different than just any other acro when it comes to fragging? Obviously, the price tag is enough to make you clench a lot more, but my understanding is that they're just acros all the same as what we trade daily. I don't have a point of reference because I've never had the fun of dealing with the high end stuff! Haha

Cody, there are some of the really rare ones, that are expensive and hard to get at the same time very sensitive to water parameter and changes, but not always.

It's not always the price that makes it more sensible, but a few ones are. Also, if you spend a fortune on a rare exotic coral, then you do not want to loose that by stupidity.

Always be a bit careful when a frag comes out of a low nutrient system, and your tank for whatever reason has high CA (460 and up) or high ALK (8.5 and up) since this can easily cause tip or tissue burn or worse case RTN depending on your system and method of nutrient reduction you apply.

Corals that slime a lot, are delicate to frag since the slime when touching the coral can be an issue.
That can be a Green slimer Stag or a Red Strazzleberry Stag.

-Andre
 
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PSXerholic

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Can we get a pic of the RR rainbow? Really want to see what it looks like. Nice write up.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

THX, yeah let me get some of it and post it.

-Andre
 
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PSXerholic

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Can we get a pic of the RR rainbow? Really want to see what it looks like. Nice write up.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

Honestly, in real, it looks even nicer.
The Red fluorescence does not appear on pictures.

DSC_0006-L.jpg


CSC_0008-L.jpg


-Andre
 

fq600

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Very nice! I would like to have a frag. :)

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Very nice! I would like to have a frag. :)

Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

Who wouldn't, lol.

This Coral is truly red and I needed that to see how I can improve my Red in Acroporas.
It looks incredible under LED/T5 but I mostly run Metal Halide during the day and I'm in the process of figuring out, what factors contribute to nice Red vibrant Acros.

Getting close..........;-)
This was my second frag from DIESEL.
So I can also have them in different spots in the tank to see potential differences.

-Andre
 
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Another nice selection of costly frags..........................

TCK Plutonium Pikachu
Crayola Plana
IF Echinata
Tri Color Valida
Reef Ready Grape juice
Blue Staghorn (Dark piece hasn't seen much light yet)



-Andre
 
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