I was wondering if anyone had experiences propagating LPS’s ? Here are a few starting point tips from my experience. Propagating LPS is a bit more complex and risky than SPS. I’d say it’s best to start with less difficult species and work your way up. A good starter may be a colony of Caulastrea. Looking over your colony you will notice the polyps have grown from single branches, and the mature branches then split after the polyp splits through fission. Glancing at the colony like a 3-D puzzle and visualize multiple cuts that will yield you a second colony. You can use a cutting tool like a Dremel, or small hack saw. You could also turn to breaking the branches with two pair of pointy nose pliers.
Blastomussa Merleti is another LPS that welcomes propagation. The colony is a collection of calcareous tubular colonies, a mature specimen can almost be fractured along these vertical tubes as though they were perforations. In this case I have always used a chisel and small hammer, prior to striking I etch the line I wish the colony to separate on with either a dremel or small hacksaw blade.
Blastomussa Wellsi is perhaps a step forward in the more advanced area. Wellsi grows is various sometimes convoluted patterns. Along with the unpredictability of the skeletal structure the Welsi is often grown onto rock. Your first step (like the other LPS) is to gently wave your hand above or to the side of the coral encouraging the polyps to close. Take a look at the underside of the colony analyzing a place where you could cut or fracture the specimen. In some cases you may be able to gently pry a portion of the colony off if it has grown off the rock base. You can make small incisions top side as to outline the polyps with a tiny hammer and jewelers screwdriver this will aid the polyps in a clean break around the perimeter.
In some case no matter how you cut the specimen you will be down to a single polyp then needs to be cut down the middle. This is tricky business and best left to happen naturally. Make certain you cut the underside almost completely then gently set the two pieces down joined by this single polyp in a low flow place in the Aquarium, in a short time the polyp should split on its own.
Blane
Blastomussa Merleti is another LPS that welcomes propagation. The colony is a collection of calcareous tubular colonies, a mature specimen can almost be fractured along these vertical tubes as though they were perforations. In this case I have always used a chisel and small hammer, prior to striking I etch the line I wish the colony to separate on with either a dremel or small hacksaw blade.
Blastomussa Wellsi is perhaps a step forward in the more advanced area. Wellsi grows is various sometimes convoluted patterns. Along with the unpredictability of the skeletal structure the Welsi is often grown onto rock. Your first step (like the other LPS) is to gently wave your hand above or to the side of the coral encouraging the polyps to close. Take a look at the underside of the colony analyzing a place where you could cut or fracture the specimen. In some cases you may be able to gently pry a portion of the colony off if it has grown off the rock base. You can make small incisions top side as to outline the polyps with a tiny hammer and jewelers screwdriver this will aid the polyps in a clean break around the perimeter.
In some case no matter how you cut the specimen you will be down to a single polyp then needs to be cut down the middle. This is tricky business and best left to happen naturally. Make certain you cut the underside almost completely then gently set the two pieces down joined by this single polyp in a low flow place in the Aquarium, in a short time the polyp should split on its own.
Blane
