Recently cutting coral has become a popular hobby for salt water aquarists. It can be accomplished relatively easily provided you are cutting the proper type of coral and have the correct tools. Here is a simplified version of the coral cutting process for those who are interested.
First things first, you’ll need to gather your materials. The easiest corals to propagate are the LPS (Large Polyped Stony) corals because they are extremely resilient and fast growing. You’ll need a branch of some species of LPS to begin cutting. You’ll also need wire cutters, epoxy (or superglue; they work in much the same way), and latex gloves. The gloves aren’t really necessary, but they’ll reduce the chances of you damaging the coral with oils from your hands.
You’ll next want to take your coral branch out of the aquarium and ascertain where you’d like to make the cutting. Choose a coral branch that has several different “limbs” to choose from. This way you can cut new corals without horribly damaging the parent branch. You’ll then clip the “limbs” off as close to the skeleton as possible. You can then mix your epoxy or grab your superglue and attach a glob of it to your “plug,” which is most likely going to be a rock.
Attach the cut end of the coral to the plug by placing it on the epoxy. Make sure the epoxy mixture doesn’t touch the flesh or polyps of the coral as that can cause major damage. You’ll then want to return both pieces of the coral to your aquarium immediately.
Most species of LPS coral will begin to open up less than an hour after placing them in the water. You should conceivably be able to turn your coral cutting over to its new owner within 24-48 hours of making the cutting. Pretty easy, eh?
Have you had some coral cutting experience? Well, let me know by posting a comment today.