Propagating SPS Corals

Introduction

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 SPS (Small Polyp Stony) corals.

What you need:

Method

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

Step 2 - Select the branch / section of coral you wish to remove, and snap it from the parent animal cleanly and quickly. For thick-branched corals, such as Acropora, use strong pliers. For thin-branched corals, such as Seriatopora, you may find strong tweezers easier to use. You may find it easier to remove the parent coral from the water while you propagate it, but be aware that it will produce a lot of mucous! If you have removed the parent coral from the water, return it to the exact position it was in, after you have taken your cutting.

Step 3 - Carefully blot the base of the cutting dry with a towel, or kitchen roll. Pour a small 'blob' of superglue on the substrate you are using, and push the base of the cutting firmly onto the glue 'blob'. Superglue should set securely within 2 or 3 minutes out of the water. Alternatively you may wish to 'embed' the branch in Milliput (which will set underwater, but takes a few hours). This is useful for Seriatopora frags which have small branches, which can be difficult to glue.

Step 4 - Place the new frag in a suitable position in the tank - preferably with the same amount of water movement and light as the parent coral was in. The frag, and the parent, should extend their polyps within an hour or so. Both may release some 'mucous nets', but these should disappear fairly rapidly.

Step 5 - Rinse any equipment you have used in freshwater, to remove any coral mucus and saltwater. Wash your hands thoroughly!

Most SPS coral frags (with the exception of Seriatopora sp.) will begin to encrust their new substrate within a few days, and will often completely encrust the substrate within 4 weeks or so. Rather than mounting SPS frags in the usual vertical position, try attaching them horizontally. They tend to grow more rapidly when oriented this way, as growth can occur along the entire length of the cutting, rather than from the tip only.

The above picture shows Montipora digitata frags "growing out" in my home coral farming system- some are mounted horizontally and some vertically.

I have used this technique on many species of Acropora, Montipora ('branching' varieties), Porites and Pocillipora.