quick question regarding toadstool

[reeves2k2]

right i have a toadstool which ive had for around 3 months now which seem to be thriving and growing like crazy

it has now become massive and really tall (the stalk is huge) which has recently caused the TS to bend over
its always open and tenticles (whatever they are) are always out

so i have been doing a bit of reading up on cutting the stalk and the reatatchment methods with toothpicks & rubber bands which i will be capable of doing

my question or couple of questions are:

1. whats the best instrument to use for cutting the stalk, sharp scissors? as its quite big

2. can u cut the stalk twice ie in 3 sections 1 with head on already and attach to new rock, 1 already attached to LR which new head will grow and one middle section which i would attatch to new LR and a new head grow thus making it 3 TS, or can u only cut it once in the middle leaving you with 2

3. are there any cons with regard doing any of the above

thanks

[Macca]

personally a straight cut below the head would be my choice. Sharp scissors or scarpel.

run carbon and make sure skimmer is working well and if you can even do the surgery outside main tank then better.

I would not cut the stalk more than once but if you must you can cut the top more. The more cuts = more stress = more pollution = more chance of infection.

James

[johnl69]

just cut the top straight of in one go, then turn the top upside down on a plate and cut it up like a pizza, attach all these slices to individual pieces of rock with an elastic band loosely wrapped around it, thay should attach after a week or 2.

Try and do this OUT of the tank as when you cut them they release ALOT of toxins, best way to do it is to do a water change and save the old water and transfer the coral into this you will find that the water will turn pink, once the frags are back in the tank run carbon and change it every 24hrs for about 3 days and depending on your size of tank you may need to do a another water change,

If you have other corals in your tank then will sulk like mad for a few days,
A trick I did was to add an Amino Acid tablet available from health food shops, I found that the corals would attach alot quicker (2 days was the shortest time) and the polyps where extended constantly:D

[fishie]

just cut the top straight of in one go, then turn the top upside down on a plate and cut it up like a pizza, attach all these slices to individual pieces of rock with an elastic band loosely wrapped around it, thay should attach after a week or 2.

Try and do this OUT of the tank as when you cut them they release ALOT of toxins, best way to do it is to do a water change and save the old water and transfer the coral into this you will find that the water will turn pink, once the frags are back in the tank run carbon and change it every 24hrs for about 3 days and depending on your size of tank you may need to do a another water change,

If you have other corals in your tank then will sulk like mad for a few days,
A trick I did was to add an Amino Acid tablet available from health food shops, I found that the corals would attach alot quicker (2 days was the shortest time) and the polyps where extended constantly:D

echo above and do use amino acid tablets it makes it a lot more simple

[reeves2k2]

thanks for the quick resonse much appriciated ill see if i can get hold of some amino acid tabs before

i don't run carbon at the mo but u reccomend i should one i have chopped TS, also doing the cutting out of the tank is not a problem i have a couple of ample sized containers available to me skimmer working well and params good and stable so hopefully nice and smooth

think maybe 1 cut for time being will be better for both me and the TS so i get 2 know what im doing and see how things develop

thanks guys EDIT: & Girls

[johnl69]

Yeah you need to run carbon when fragging as it takes out the toxins that are released.
Good luck the first one is always the hardest:D

[reeves2k2]

thanks ill have to find my steady hand out lol
will it be ok to but a media bag in the sump and change after 24 hrs for 3 days as advised above

one last thing: do you cut whilst TS is in water like in a container with tank water from water change or out of water:confused:
as i said no probs with a container just want to get things right first time and don't want any hickups

[Aquandy]

Could I just butt in and ask why use Amino Acid tablets?

[reeves2k2]

must help when attaching to rock in some form they know more than me lol

[johnl69]

Could I just butt in and ask why use Amino Acid tablets?


This is just from my experience but it seemed to act as a growth stimulant the corals repaired quicker and grew faster in the tank with the aminos then they did in an identical setup,

try googleing "amino acid requirements of corals" there is alot og research done on the subject, Ill explain more when I get home fri night

[sinaarrgghh]

With my toadstool I just took a few clean cuts from the top, did'nt take long to re-anchor and start to grow a new stem. I did'nt know about the amino acid thing though. I will have to try that sometime.

[stevec]

I will definitely give the amino a go too.

I used to find the best way to minimise stress to the animal was a quick, clean cut with a scalpel (I use the disposable ones you can get in packs of 3 in B&Q), preferably out of the main tank as loads of mucus is released when you cut a large animal.

For attaching the frags I generally used plastic tooth picks or elastic bands (with a small piece of polystyrene to prevent the band cutting into the animal if it is one of the softer leather species or you are using small and therefore very tight fitting elastic bands). In ideal conditions most soft corals attach very quickly, leathers in particular, but to be safe don't position them in areas of very strong water flow.

Steve

[johnl69]

The only problem with using amino acid tablets is that your skimmer goes absolutaly mad for a few days. Ill dig up all the research I have on my other comp and post it