Fraggin’ and Fraggin’ Tools, part 2

Now that you know why we frag, continuing from part 1, I am going to touch up on some tools that we pros use. They are grouped in obvious categories; SPS, LPS, Soft/Zoa.

SPS

• Wave Coral Clippers : Has a long grip for those hard to reach areas. The blades are made from stainless steel (which don’t rust), and can cut through bone (calcium). They can cut that thick branched A. abrotanoides without a problem.
• Dremel: Is a very versatile tool that you can use to cut your corals. I use nothing but a diamond blade to slice through hard skeleton. Montiporas are best cut with a dremel. You cut it like a drywall sheet. Cut the underside, and then snap it right off.
• Krazy Glue:   You can get this type of adhesive, or you can get one with Cyanoacrylate (and nothing else). This glue, once cured in waer, will hold any frag that you may have. It doesn’t pollute the water as much as an epoxy putty, and doesn’t make the skimmer go crazy. To apply, you squirt out a small gob of glue onto a surface. You place your frag onto it, and gently twist the frag against the glue. Immediately submerge it and let it cure. Works every time for a solid bond.
• Frag Plugs:  You can make your own (which is labor intensive), or you can buy ready to use plugs. For SPS, you want plugs that have a hole in the center. This will allow you to place a frag stick in it at a 45 degree angle (which you want).  These are fairly inexpensive, and can be found in many different shapes and sizes.

LPS

• Dremel: As I said, this tool is very versatile. It can cut just about any coral. When it comes to LPS, it is used for cutting euphyllia (Hammer, Torch, Frogspawn, etc), acanthastrea/micromussa, blastomussa, caulastrea, duncanopsammia, and more. usually you cut the part where skeleton shows, but in a case where you are cutting a micromoussa, you score it from the underside to prevent major tissue loss.
• Table Saw (any brand):  Say what? Yes you can use a table saw to cut your big meaty LPS. I am talking about the scolymia, cynarina, favia, and alike. Just place it on a piece of plywood (scrap). Run it as you would cut the plywood, and voila.. you fragged your LPS. Just be sure to wear protective goggles.
• Frag Plugs:  With LPS, you want to have the plugs with a larger radius than those for SPS. This will allow the coral to expand more, as most LPS (aside for a few) grow in a mat form.

Soft/Zoa

• Scalpel: Yes, you can use them. In fact, many zoa collectors only use them. The fine point on the scalpel allows one to scrape the zoa from the mat that they grow on. You cut where you want the frag to come from, and then scrape the mat away from the rock. It is a fairly novice task that all zoa fraggers should practise. As for other soft corals, this is the only tool that fraggers use. You can use scissors, but they don’t give you the flexibility that a scalpel can.
• Chisel: If you have no access to a scalpel, this is your backup plan. Using a hammer/mallet, you can cut your frags by chiseling the rock into smaller pieces. You have to be careful with the pointed edge as not to damage a lot of zoanthids while you hammer away. With time, you can get really good at it, so practise.. practise.  
• Frag Plugs: Plugs for zoas could be anything. You can use old rock, or chips from a rock. You can use PVC, or already made discs.

So get these tools, and start fraggin’ already! Soon I will be doing some demos on how to cut and frag SPS coral. Stay tuned!