From 1998 to 2005 I ran my own Coral Farming business, called The Other World. As well as propagating a large variety of coral species, part of my 'mission' was to encourage other fishkeepers to have a go at propagating their own corals. One of the most popular parts of The Other World's website was my coral propagation guide, parts of which are reproduced on Gabooch.co.uk. Below is a brief description of my method for propagating Gorgonians.

What you need:

Scissors

Superglue

Milliput

Method

Step 1 - Select a healthy parent gorgonian (or similar animal) to propagate from. You should look for an animal that is growing well, showing good polyp extension, displaying good colouration and is generally in an all round healthy condition.

Step 2 - Select the branch you wish to remove, and cut it cleanly with the scissors. Some gorgonians are quite hard to cut through, due to the tough axis (the inner 'core' which supports the animal's tissue, rather like a human skeleton does) - make sure your scissors are up to the job!

Step 3 - Remove the cutting from the water, making sure you note which end is the 'top' and which is the 'bottom' (it can be hard to tell when the polyps close up...). At the bottom end, carefully cut through, and remove, approximately 1.5cm of tissue, leaving the axis in place. This is rather like stripping the protective plastic coating off an electrical wire, and the 'stripped' cutting should look something like the illustration below.

Drop the bits of tissue you have removed onto the sand bed of your aquarium - they will usually survive, and eventually grow into new animals!

Step 4 - The cutting can be mounted into Milliput, which it will eventually encrust as it grows. You can fill a small hole in your rockwork with 'wet' Milliput, and push the axis into the Milliput and wait for it to set - keep an eye on the cutting's orientation as the Milliput sets, in case the frag falls forwards and ends up fixed in the wrong position!

Alternatively you can prepare some 'dry' Milliput "plugs" in advance - I have previously "punched" a hole down the centre of the plug with a thin bit of wire, and then left to set as normal. Attach gorgonian cuttings to these "plugs" by placing a drop of superglue in the hole, and pushing the cutting's axis into the hole. The superglue normally sets within a minute or so.

Step 5 - Place the new frag in a suitable position in the tank - preferably with the same amount of water movement and light as the parent animal was in. The frag, and the parent, should extend their polyps within half an hour or so.

Step 6 - Rinse any equipment you have used in freshwater, to remove any coral mucus and saltwater. Wash your hands thoroughly!

The above picture shows a Pterogorgia sp. parent animal extending it's polyps in the current.

I have used this technique on several species, including: Rumphella sp., Pterogorgia sp., and Swiftia exserta.

Please bear in mind that many Gorgonian-type animals rely to some degree on 'filter-feeding', rather than "just" photosynthesis. Non-photosynthetic gorgonians are often difficult to feed and maintain for long periods of time - please only purchase animals you are capable of keeping alive and healthy.