fragging mushrooms in a mixed tank

[tommyp]

Hi I need to frag some mushrooms. But I have read all about their chemical warfare. I am hesitant to frag them in my tank. I have my nano but I don't want to have put the mushrooms rocks in there before fraging. Should I just frag away and run carbon? or should I be worried at all? Or should I set up a separate mushroom frag tank?

Thanks

Tom

 

[BoomerD]

I just frag em, attach them to a rock with wedding veil & rubberbands until they attach. New ones usually grow back from where I cut the old ones from anyway.
I know a couple of people who (cringe) just toss a couple of the mushrooms in a blender with some tank water, coarse blend them, then pour the whole thing back in the tank. They get about a 90% re-growth rate from all the small pieces from the slurry. I've never done it, seems a bit brutal to me, not to mention the mess & potential for chemical spikes, but they have had great luck with it, and do it frequently.

 

[tommyp]

Do you see any problems with chemicals?

I should try the blender method sounds fun. I have heard of people doing that sucessfully.

Openbrain (Don) has a half joking saying that you can frag them with a hammer.

Tom

 

[BoomerD]

I don't notice any problems when Ifrag em. I take out the rock, cut them below the body, leaving a bit of stem, and attach to a new rock. Back in the tank.

 

[zy112]

do you cut them in halves or fourths? i'm a beginner to the frag world

 

[BoomerD]

The "best" way is to cut them like a pizza, making sure that as many cuts as possible go thru the mouth of the shroom. Then, use a piece of fine cloth mesh, (I use wedding veil material) and a couple of rubber bands, and attach them to a rock. In a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on the mushroom & your tank, you can remove the veil, and the mushroom will have attached.

 

[Michael_Lambert]

LOL,

I frag them all the time..

Run Carbon.. and i use a knife cut them.. then use "Loctite" Superglue and Glue them to a rock!.. I have used the vail stuff and elestics.. but have had no issues with Glue.

 

[reefshadow]

I frag them all the time too, but remove them from the tank in a tupperware- besides any chemical issues it just makes it easier to see what i'm doing. I also favor the bridal veil method over any other, just make sure you use nylon material. I put the shroom in any crevice or hole in the rock and wrap it loosly with the veiling, then use rubber bands or toothpicks to secure the edges of the veil. I like to use a razor blade to carefully cut the mushroom from the rock. I've had the best success with the "pizza" method w/ ricordeas only. My other mushrooms seem to kind of dissolve if I try to cut them up too much.
Other folks really like the method of throwing a bunch of tiny rubble in a tupperware in a low flow area and then throw the cut shrooms in and letting them attach where they may. Then you can glue the rubble to a larger rock after they attach if you wish.

Good luck!
Becca

 

[middletonmark]

I'm a tupperware with mushroom fragging guy too.
Figure I can empty old tank water to tupperware ... refill with new water - incorporate it into a water change.

Mine seem to slime/`bleed' a little around cutting, and I figure why put that gunk/snot in the tank? I don't stress out about it - but why add that stuff?

For a first time propagation - I'd consider just lopping the `heads' off for a majority ... IMO the larger the piece, the faster they grow back ... and for a couple do the `pizza slice'.
Actually, for re-attachment I prefer a shallow tupperware cup with cc/rubble in it ... then bridal veil across the top. It keeps the flow down around them ... and once they attach then I can glue the rubble/cc they've attached to wherever I want on the structure without trying to wrap bridal veil all over my tank.

[oops, shoulda read Becca's post that said this

Anyway, here's a little visual thread I wrote somewhere else on it ... that I almost want to re-do as I've done this a number of times since and see a few little imperfections ... but anyway:

http://www.reeffreaks.com/viewtopic.php?t=1332&highlight=propagation+hack