40 replies to this topic

[Gouldian]

Hi bros,

After establishng tank for 1 year and recent removal of some coral "unfriendly" fishes, I decided to start my own collection of "candy sticks".

As most of the SPS now a days are aquaculture hence comes with unsightly base, I wonder what you guys do? Do you remove them or cut them down or do you just leave it as it is?

If you remove or cut the bases:

1) How you do it?
2) What tools you use to ensure smooth cut without breaking the corals into pieces?
3) When you do it? Straight from the bag or acclimate in the tank for a few days before doing it?
4) Where? Underwater or on your table top?

TIA.

[scarab]

Hi bros,

After establishng tank for 1 year and recent removal of some coral "unfriendly" fishes, I decided to start my own collection of "candy sticks".

As most of the SPS now a days are aquaculture hence comes with unsightly base, I wonder what you guys do? Do you remove them or cut them down or do you just leave it as it is?

If you remove or cut the bases:

1) How you do it?
2) What tools you use to ensure smooth cut without breaking the corals into pieces?
3) When you do it? Straight from the bag or acclimate in the tank for a few days before doing it?
4) Where? Underwater or on your table top?

TIA.

Remove it wherever possible, coz the bases have a lot of hitch hiking algae which might infest your tank. And they are darn unsightly.

You can frag the coral at the base hence discarding the encrusted portion.
If the coral doesn't have a position that you can frag, slowly chip away at the plug with a plier (I used the bone shear cutter). The material is quite soft and pliable. Work around the plug until you remove most of it and until you can safely attach you coral to the LR.
If the base is not encrusted, use a screw driver to dig into the base where the coral is attached. Normally these are fairly new attached pieces where the culturing hasn't been done long, hence no encrusting. Dig into the silicone inside (normally there is some) and remove the entire coral.
Try not to use chisel and hammer to knock the base, you will end up with multiple pieces of the coral...

Try to acclimatise them for a few days to a week before you perform this procedure. The coral could end up quite stress especially if you are chipping away at the plug. A lot of the loose debris and stuff from the plug will affect the coral.

Do it outside the tank in a small tub of your tank water..........

[Vanquish]

I find that at different times, different tools are required... A flat-tip screwdriver is useful to pry the coral out of the plug... or sometimes, I use a long-nose plier to break the entire frag off the base, usually very effective...

The most headache ones are those that that encrusted around the plug... sometimes you just have to forgo the encrusted areas and hack them off to access the base of the frag....

As I prefer not to have those plugs in my tank, I try to avoid those corals that has encrusted alot over the plug when buying also...

[weisoon]

Use a screw driver and start digging. Have to forgo those that encrusted over the plug. It is just a small lost.

[Vanquish]

Use a screw driver and start digging. Have to forgo those that encrusted over the plug. It is just a small lost.

The worst is when the whole coral is growing on the plug.... I had a tenuis like that, no choice but to place the entire plug in tne tank...

[jamomatt]

I only know how to ply off those non encrusted ones...

The last time I tried breaking the plug... so hard... even hammer oso dun break

[Chris]

For those that have encrusted over the plug, frag off the SPS and keep the plug in the tank. Every few months, the plug will give you another piece( provided it is still alive)

[Gouldian]

Wow! Looks like you guys are all well verse in removing the base!!!

Actually was considering dremel but was afraid the replacement cost of the cutting blades may be prohibitive.

Btw, wonder what kind of material are the bases made of, seems liake cement to me, very dense.

[reefplayer]

Well said guys.

It actually depends on what base comes with it. Using different methods and tools for different plugs.

But always acclimatise them for a few days before you remove the plugs. Place them on the sandbed as the plugs is stable. And of course provided you have spaces.....

I know Francis do not have.

[Gouldian]

Remove it wherever possible, coz the bases have a lot of hitch hiking algae which might infest your tank. And they are darn unsightly.

You can frag the coral at the base hence discarding the encrusted portion.
If the coral doesn't have a position that you can frag, slowly chip away at the plug with a plier (I used the bone shear cutter). The material is quite soft and pliable. Work around the plug until you remove most of it and until you can safely attach you coral to the LR.
If the base is not encrusted, use a screw driver to dig into the base where the coral is attached. Normally these are fairly new attached pieces where the culturing hasn't been done long, hence no encrusting. Dig into the silicone inside (normally there is some) and remove the entire coral.
Try not to use chisel and hammer to knock the base, you will end up with multiple pieces of the coral...

Try to acclimatise them for a few days to a week before you perform this procedure. The coral could end up quite stress especially if you are chipping away at the plug. A lot of the loose debris and stuff from the plug will affect the coral.

Do it outside the tank in a small tub of your tank water..........

Very detailed! Thanks Francis!

[scarab]

Well said guys.

It actually depends on what base comes with it. Using different methods and tools for different plugs.

But always acclimatise them for a few days before you remove the plugs. Place them on the sandbed as the plugs is stable. And of course provided you have spaces.....

I know Francis do not have.

You are wrong bro ....I have sand space, lots of it, which I don't intend to clog up.

[decentkid]

nv, i repeat NV attempt to chiseal the sps off.... i tried it once, and was left with 7 pieces of frags

[Vanquish]

nv, i repeat NV attempt to chiseal the sps off.... i tried it once, and was left with 7 pieces of frags

There will always be another 6 nice bros who are ready to pick up those frag... in case you dun like the SPS anymore as it's no longer a colony, call me, I'll be the 7th!

[Vanquish]

You are wrong bro ....I have sand space, lots of it, which I don't intend to clog up.

Lay them across the sandbed like the legendary 兵马勇... reminds me of a reefer's tank that I saw before which looked like a cemetary with all the "tombstones" laid out in neat rows!!!

[scarab]

nv, i repeat NV attempt to chiseal the sps off.... i tried it once, and was left with 7 pieces of frags

I see that you had gone thru the same experience that I had..........