Pipe Organ - Help, getting to large!?

[Instar]

What do I do with this thing? Its getting too big! This pic is from 2 months ago and its nearly doubled in size since then. Its running into things. Got two frags from it that are growing like wild fire too.

Should I move it and see how large I can grow it or start fraggin' it???

The picture doesn't do it justice. Its a blinding neon electric green.

[malofish]

If you find someone who's willing to help you frag it, I'm willing to take a piece and get any other frags sold in san antnio and deliver them in S.A. fo you???

[Nano_Steve]

hey larry, i say u give out some frags at the next meeting for either door gifts or give them to the club to sell??? that would get a little bit more money for the club im sure! that is of course after you give me a small frag for coming up with such an awesome idea!!! :D

take kare, steve

[Henry]

Man Larry How big is that thing? I'll take it. j/k

[lax]

you could always donate to the help make my nano fill fund

[prof]

Frag and sell, or frag and donate.

You could probably get some credit from LFS if you take it to them.

[MikeP]

Nice, these are hard to get to thrive in captivity. Although you can break up the skeleton fairly easily you may end up with a lot of dead polyps at the periphery where you break the existing calices. Personally I would not frag it if it's doing well - these are magnificent corals especially when large.

I have one similar to yours that I got about 6 weeks ago, about 3" under waters surface right near overflow so it gets constant , steady flow. So far so good and nearly 100% polyp extension.

[Instar]

I have two frags growing in the same tank. I accidently broke some pieces off while moving it a few months ago. This colony has been in this tank from the beginning days of the tank and for over a year now. I had another colony and with all that has gone on between the two, I think I have figured out why they don't do well.

Anyway, I could frag it without messing up the size right now as its making a new plate. But, I need a special tool to do that. Something like cuticle scissors - a one inch, sharp pointed blade set with about an 8 or 10 inch handle. Where can I get such a thing?
Its got to be strong as well as small to get in between the pipes. The plate is soft when its growing new polyps, so now is a great fragging time.

[kaiser]

Try a utility knife or a painters knife with a small blade like You would use for cutting wallpaper.

[Instar]

It needs to be scissors cause I have to cut thru the pipes below too and they are made of calcium.

[brewercm]

Go check out a Sallys Beauty supply. They have all kinds of things that make really cool tools for small detail stuff like that.

[matt]

Medical supply store wil have them.

[adaminaustin]

I like to use cheap PVC pipe cutters. I got mine @ Freight harbor tools for less than $5.
Home Depot has some, but are not nearly as cheap.

[Instar]

LoL -- yeah, that would make some frags outta the thing for sure. I might use those to frag pipes, but not pipe organs.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll check those places.

[Instar]

MikeP, watch out for worms in it at night. Those calice channels harbor a lot of parasites that feed at dusk and at night. You may need a fish that will feed on them at dusk too. I used to sit there with little forceps and pick the worms off mine, sometimes till late into the night. As soon as all the little worms and sometimes crabs get large enough, then start doing damage during the night. They harbor so many pests its amazing. I no longer tend mine for worms since I have the six lined wrasses and copperband to do that for me. the copperband checks it whenever it withdraws in the evening. It doesn't do that much anymore though. I guess there aren't many worms left in it now.

[dan]

i'd say frag em and bring them to the meeting and sell them. i'd buy one or two. don't take them to lps. somebody will try to buy it to put in their 3 day old tank!!!! sell them to the club. people that would care for the animal, and one would look good in my tank. he! he!

[MikeP]

MikeP, watch out for worms in it at night. Those calice channels harbor a lot of parasites that feed at dusk and at night. You may need a fish that will feed on them at dusk too. I used to sit there with little forceps and pick the worms off mine, sometimes till late into the night. As soon as all the little worms and sometimes crabs get large enough, then start doing damage during the night. They harbor so many pests its amazing. I no longer tend mine for worms since I have the six lined wrasses and copperband to do that for me. the copperband checks it whenever it withdraws in the evening. It doesn't do that much anymore though. I guess there aren't many worms left in it now.

Good point Larry. I have a very active and inquisitive copperband , hopefully he will clean off any pests but I'll inspect the colony periodically when the the polyps are retracted. I was just thrilled to get such a healthy colony from a LFS.

Not keeping any wrasses atm since I have an open top tank and last resident (6 line) turned out to be a bully.