tmac

[jc]

Anyone care to discuss some of the techniques for propagation from the TMAC presentation?
As soon as my frag tank clears up I'm going to try dividing some acros length wise.

[Troutmasters02]

They said to lay acros that are cut length wise flat, that way there is more surface area for the frag to take hold, and also, if you take a mid section of the coral, it will grow in both axial directions and up as well. This will give you roughly twice as many branches later on.

[phrog]

I was intrigued by the discussion about anemones. One of the reasons I joined this hobby was because of my love for oceans. Shortly after somebody gave me a tank I was reading about propagation. The idea that we could eventually be able to keep amazing tanks and have no need for most wild collection, well, that sounds great to me.

I'd like to hear from some of our LFS sponsors. I know we are not the majority of their business but, what sources do they know of for captive bred stock? I know of GARF for aquacultured corals but their website is terrible when it comes to knowing what they have available for purchase.

[cpreefguy]

I really, really want to do anemone prop.
Researching as I type...

[princer7]

I just split my anemone. :bigsmile: Pics will be coming soon.

[princer7]

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b116/princer7/IMG_7186-Web.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b116/princer7/IMG_7242-Web.jpg

[Mr Cob]

Cool. Can you share the process with us
?

[princer7]

Well, I missed the fragging one but from what I was able to pick up from word of mouth... I took the anemone and laid it out flat. Cut the anemone lenghtwise across the mouth. Placed both halves into some clean water to rinse. Once rinsed, placed them back into the tank. I am waiting for the process to complete. It is interesting to watch as different areas start to reinflate. :bigsmile:

Crossing my fingers all goes well.... I did get a little happy with one of the two anemone halves and split it in half as well. Now I have 3 (if they all make it)

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b116/princer7/IMG_7268-Web.jpg

[mama]

oh Jen!! they look like they are perking up already!! they did point out to run some carbon to knock out any toxins :-)

[cpreefguy]

Awesome Jennifer! Are they all spoken for? :D

[princer7]

Wondered what all that spaghetti looking stuff was inside. Found this interesting illustration of the anatomy of an anemone:

http://www.nhm.ku.edu/tol/glossary/whole/diagram.JPG
http://www.nhm.ku.edu/tol/glossary/whole/diagram.JPG

[jc]

What about feeding newly split anemones? Will it help them heal faster? I got one of the fragged anemones from the demonstration.

[Texreefer]

You want them to be well fed before you split them. they will not eat for a while after because they have no way to ingest the food.. they are generally recovered in a day or two but then take up to a month or so to FULLY heal
Looks like you did a great Job Jenniffer

[MRSBIGBIRD123]

This was one of the Conferences that I did not want to miss, and unfortunately did.

[Jonthefishguy]

They said to lay acros that are cut length wise flat, that way there is more surface area for the frag to take hold, and also, if you take a mid section of the coral, it will grow in both axial directions and up as well. This will give you roughly twice as many branches later on.

This practice of acro and anemone propagation has been around for years. I have been fragging out acros like that for at least 8 years. I surprised that not many of you have been already doing this.

[Bill S]

I've done this with my RBTAs. Frankly, my success with them splitting on their own, has been better. I've lost 50% of the halves I've cut (2 anems, with 4 pieces) - leaving me with the same number of anemones I've had before.

[aggman]

wow jennifer that anemone is a beauty, i think i would have been to chicken to try it. but it seems as though you did a nice clean job and they look great. as sean asked...are they spoken for...:wub::wub::wub:...lol.

~alex

[moe]

Hey princer7 how long did take for them to heal?

[princer7]

The largest one is back on the glass and will be fine. The smaller 2 are still healing. I cut them shortly before I posted the photos.

[princer7]

Not sure what the plans will be for the babies. Right now, I am crossing my fingers they all make it.

[princer7]

So far so good. Everything is still alive this morning. :bigsmile:

[chark]

I can't wait to hear how it comes out. Gutsy! ! !

[moe]

jennifer, how many did u propagate already?

[cpreefguy]

Good to hear Jennifer!

[seatrueblue]

Cool, I hope they do well too. Just to let everyone know, this cannot be attempted on all anemones.

Hosting anemones that reproduce asexually is:
H. Magnificas
E. Quadricolors
If you attempt to cut an magnifica, make sure it is healthy and has been with you for years.( oh and make sure your meds are up to date, because you're crazy)..lol kidding

Anemones that bud off a baby is : ( people have attempted to cut these guys but the anemones ended up dead in the end)
S. Haddoni
S. Gigantea
S. Mertensii

Host anemones that only reproduce sexually are (these cannot be cut, you will kill it)
H. Crispa
H. Malu
M. Doreensis

[cpreefguy]

Good info Christina, thanks.
I fed my quadricolor today. Fattening it up for the cut :)

[princer7]

Moe, this was my first attempt. Thinking about cutting my green bubble tip too after the next carbon & water change. It is too big - about half its current size would be perfect.

[Kristy]

Ours are all firmly attached to rocks too big to remove and I would not want to try to cut them up while attached, if at all. I wonder if they feel the pain, since they react to it. Not to be a negative nanny, but just wondering... Mike

[cpreefguy]

I was wondering about that, too.
But in the end, you are saving an exponential number of wild anemones by cutting a few, so I feel that it's well worth it.

[Jonthefishguy]

In answer to your question, no they do not feel pain. They have no central nervous system so they don't sense pain like we would.

[cpreefguy]

Didn't think so, but good to know.

[princer7]

All three anemones are doing great so far. I am keeping the flow really low right now until they get a little stronger.

[Troutmasters02]

Thats really cool. They more we can make in captivity, the less we buy wild caught. Good stuff!

[Bill S]

As I posted earlier...

Cutting anemones up is all great... But I've NOT had as much luck:

Removing an anemone from it's home will likely damage it. If it's flat on the glass, or buried in the sand, fine. But, if it's on a rock, and you have to remove it, you have a good chance of one or both of your frags of not making it. You have to be VERY careful about removing them.

If you are 50% successful, you aren't making ANY progress - and are likely going to end up behind vs. normal splitting. 50% is my success rate - or lack thereof.

I've had about 20 of these clones so far. I've found if they are fed well for a couple of weeks, then a large water change is made, they often split. These clones tend to be very healthy. I've never lost one that didn't have something else happen to it (ride an overflow, find a seio, etc.). Most of the time, one 1/2 stays put - pretty much insuring its survival.

If you lose both of your clones, you are really behind. When they split naturally, they rarely both die.

[stoneroller]

I would think if you planned to prop anemones "to make a difference", you'd need a dedicated tank, no sand, no rock, avoiding the removal issue. You have to be prepared for the consequences too.

Re: acro propping. I've seen lots of frags laid on their side. That's cool. What Anthony and Eric were talking about was more than just that. Splitting them lengthwise and using center sections and alternatively, making thin wafers to prop out. That would be dedication... and high risk fragging (I am not losing fingers over this!!)

[d3rryc]

Bill, can you elaborate on the "large water change" you mentioned that often entices your 'nems to split? My GBTA split when I added a couple of koralias and it was getting more flow than it liked, but that was probably six months ago, and it's shown no sign of splitting again since.

[brewercm]

Ours are all firmly attached to rocks too big to remove and I would not want to try to cut them up while attached, if at all. I wonder if they feel the pain, since they react to it. Not to be a negative nanny, but just wondering... Mike

After looking at the breakdown of the Anemone on that picture I'd feel the pain if you cut through my Gonad.:sick:

[princer7]

:rofl: I cut through it with ease.

(yes, I am female)

[brewercm]

:rofl: I cut through it with ease.

(yes, I am female)


I knew that. Maybe a change of screen name to Bobbit is appropriate.

[DrMark]

I am sorry, but personally, no way I would cut up my mine. I have had my RBTA split a couple of times. All clones survive and do well. Hope it works out, but I favor letting them split on their own.
mark

[princer7]

I spoke with Dustin about how to get them to split on their own. He has great success with inducing them to split by having the new water from a water change added with a -4 degree difference in temp. The water should be added directly over the anemone. I will try this method next time. Up to now, I have been careful about water changes being made at the same temperature.

Everyone is still hanging in there. Not sure when the threshold is over when I know they will make it for sure. So far so good...

[brewercm]

Sounds good. Interested in seeing how this turns out. Have you gotten any new pics of them and how the tissue is starting to heal up.

If anyone is splitting theirs and has success with the process let me know if you need to get rid of one of the clones. I'd be more than happy to adopt one.:wink_smile:

[princer7]

The clones have moved to a location that is hard to photograph. All 3 are still doing well and have mounted themselves to the rock and glass. Nice extension during the day too. I'll try and get some updated pictures without moving them - don't want to cause any further stress.

[d3rryc]

Got any updates on your clones for us?

[princer7]

All 3 are doing great! Very plump and healthy looking. They have worked their way into some rock that is in the back side of the tank though. :confused:

[kkiel02]

Any updates? Did they all make it? Mine is finally big enough for the cut. The flow in my tank is what bothers me. Might unplug the koralias for a day or two and just use the return pump for flow. Btw I talked with Anthony after the meeting and he suggests waiting until tennis ball size before cutting. He also mentioned during the presentation that they should be fed as they can take up nutrients even though their stomach was cut in two. Gonna feed him once more tomorrow and probably cut sunday as saturday is gonna be a busy day. Wish me luck and any advice is surely welcome.
Kevin

[princer7]

All 4 are now doing well. I went ahead and cut the larger one in half again. I agree about the size as the last one I cut was really hard to handle when deciding where to cut. Just be sure to have a new straight edge blade. I used the corner of the blade and it did a nice clean cut. Have a separate bowl of water to let the anemones rest in right after cutting. Also, be sure to run carbon in your tank to pick up any toxins they may release.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b116/princer7/IMG_7640-Web-1.jpg

[kkiel02]

Well now I have two rbta. We will see if they make it. I got mine off it's rock by using a zip tie instead of a credit card since the space was so small. After a long time of this I then just sliced it in two using a new razor blade. One is already 75% closed but the other one hasn't begun to close yet. Very suprised how quick the one is closing up. I will keep yall updated.

[Sherri]

NICE pic Jennifer! As usual! You guys are braver than me. Glad to hear all is well with yours Jennifer.

[princer7]

I removed my Green BTA from the main display last night, fragged it and put it in the frag tank. It had become too large.

In it's place, I added one of the yellow tipped anemones. All I can say is .... Sweeeett! Looks so beautiful. Cannot wait for everyone to see it at the meeting next month. My pair of picasso clownfish are loving it - hopefully not to death. :)

[princer7]

Here is a pic of my new addition to the main display.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b116/princer7/Indo-Yellow-Tip-Rose-Anemone.jpg

[kkiel02]

I really like the look of that anemone. Well I snapped a few shots last night after it reattached. How do you get yours to release from the rock? It took me a long time last night and was hoping there is a guicker way I prolly sat there for 20-30 minutes massaging the foot and directing a powerhead at it. Well the only problem thus far is that my clowns finally decided they wanted to play in them. Now there is egg crate protecting the anemone. Here is a blurry picture of mine.

[Sherri]

Oh Jennifer...what a beauty! :bigsmile:

[princer7]

Thanks Sherri!! MrsBigBird will be the first to get a clone. :wink_smile: The photo does not do it justice. Everytime I walk by the tank, it makes me smile. So much more vibrant in person.

[Robb_in_Austin]

Hey! What about me? I asked first!

[princer7]

Sorry :angel: Cheri is quicker than lightning.

[hobogato]

hmmm.... i seem to remember talking about clones when you ordered that beauty to begin with..... :) :wink_smile:

[princer7]

I have a lot of clones to make :bigsmile:

[MRSBIGBIRD123]

Making room for her as we speak, cannot wait she is a beaut! :wink_smile: And Cliff, just for you, I am naming her Lorena!
Thanks Jennifer :)

[Texreefer]

Hmm I think I'm the one that gave advice on how to cut them, maybe I should be first:angel::D

[kkiel02]

Well so everything went well this time around. In about two weeks I will cut again. They seem pretty small at this point, only about an inch or so diameter. So hopefully they will really start growing by then to reach my targeted size. Also side note the white specks seem to have gone away as of now. Now they just look bright red.
Kevin