Best Tools for Fragging Coral

The ability to grow and propagate coral at home adds another interesting level to the marine aquarium hobby. Fragging coral as it’s known in the hobby is the process of creating a small separate coral from an established mother colony. The process usually entails cutting a coral into a frag, gluing it to a frag plug, and growing out the frag somewhere else in the system or transferring it to a different system.

Like a gardener tending to a garden, I frequently have to trim back coral in my tanks when they start growing into each other or shading out themselves or other corals. I find coral fragging to be a fun and fruitful part of the hobby. When you have frags of beautiful coral available it is considered currency in the hobby. Frags of sought-after coral can be traded or sold to fellow reefers or even given local fish stores for store credit and even cash sometimes. When you trade or sell your coral it’s like spreading a piece of your tank to the rest of the world.  

Over the years I’ve fragged hundreds of corals from my tank and have used many coral fragging tools to frag corals. In this article, I’ll go over some of the tools available to frag coral. 

Safety Items to Use When Fragging Coral

Some corals are poisonous and some can cause stings and irritation when handled with bare skin. Corals like certain Zoas and Palys are highly toxic and you do not want any of their slime getting in your mouth, eyes, or cuts. When certain corals are cut they can also sometimes spray liquid. 

It’s always a good idea to put safety first by using personal protective equipment when handling and fragging corals. Safety glasses and nitrile gloves should be utilized when fragging zoas, palys, or anything you do not if it is toxic or not. When you have finished your fragging session thoroughly wash your hands and arms with soap and water.  

Cutting Board for Cutting Coral

A dedicated coral cutting board is nice to have on hand when cutting corals. Keeping your home surfaces clean and separate from fragging is a good practice. You’ll want to have a cutting board that is non-porous and can be easily cleaned. Boards made of polypropylene work well for this. A non-porous board will keep any fragging mess off of surfaces like tables and countertops. Another feature to look for is slip resistance. Boards with rubber non-slip edges are desirable when fragging coral. 

Another nice to have feature is a drip lip around the edge of your cutting board to catch any liquid coming off the cutting process. The OXO Good Grips Utility Cutting Board would make a great coral fragging board.

Strainer for Dipping Coral

It’s always a good idea to dip any corals that are coming in from an external system. I like to use Coral Rx to dip new corals. When possible I like to remove the coral from its original frag plug, dip the coral, and remount it on a new frag plug. These extra precautions will help keep your tank pest-free. The use of a dedicated coral dipping strainer is another nice to have item for when dipping is part of your fragging process. Having a strainer allows you to place your coral in the strainer, into the solution, and then into the rinse process all without having to get your hands wet. The OXO Good Grips Silicone Steamer is an excellent strainer option for dipping corals. It has long handles and is bendable to fit in many dipping containers.    

Bone Cutters for Cutting Coral

Bone cutters are probably the most versatile and most used fragging tool that I personally utilize. When something needs to be cut I usually will reach for my bone cutters. Bone cutters are great for cutting SPS coral and other hard corals. Bone cutters are not good for fragging soft corals as they tend to rip the coral flesh of soft corals. Bone cutters work on branching Euphilias like torches, hammers, and frogspawns but for these I find I get a cleaner cut with a rotary Dremmel tool. Another great use for bone cutters is to cut the post off of frag plugs when needed. When I mount frags with posts to live rock I usually need to cut the post off for a clean mount and the bone cutters make quick work of this task. I like to use bone cutters that are large enough 7 inches or greater, to get around most corals and have straight blades to help with clean cuts.  

There are various sizes and types of bone cutters available. The general coral bone cutters are available in three sizes small, medium, and large ranging in size from 5.5” – 7.5.” 

I mostly use the large-sized bone cutters as they can cut both small and larger corals and you get more power leverage in the larger size. Smaller sizes come in handy when getting in tight spaces like in nano tanks. Another version of bone cutters has curved tips to help get in tight spots and under corals to make cuts.

Coral Cutting Scissors 

Probably my second most used tool for cutting coral is a pair of sharp stainless steel scissors. A sharp pair of scissors can be used to quickly and with precision cut soft corals. 

They also come in handy for opening packages and cutting pieces of epoxy when needed. Like bone cutters, scissors come in various sizes and curved versions.

Razor Blades and Scalpels for Cutting Coral

Having some regular razor blades and some scalpels come in handy when you need to scrap coral off of surfaces. I often turn to the scalpel when trying to scrape Zoas off of frag plugs. There are different sizes of scalpels and having a few options can help when scraping is needed. Straight razor blades can also be used to cut soft coral.  

Forceps Tweezers for Coral Fragging

Forceps tweezers are great for grabbing frags out of tanks and for the precision placing of coral onto frag plugs. I have three pairs of forceps. A long version for grabbing things out of my tanks, a regular pair for general use, and curved pair for placing coral onto frag plugs. In the past, I had a pet Chameleon and used a long 10” pair of forceps to feed him crickets. Years later I regularly use these forceps for grabbing things out of my tank. They allow me to grab frags out of my lowboy frag tank without putting my hand in. Here is a link to the Zoo Med 10″ Forceps on Amazon.

Another type of forceps is holding forceps. Holding forceps are more of a specialized tool for fragging. Holding forceps can be used to grip a soft coral or a mushroom to a rock, and the hole at the end of the forceps allows you to run a line through it to secure the mushroom to the rock. 

Aquarium Tongs

Aquarium tongs are another nice tool to have on hand that will allow you to reach deep into a tank without getting your hands or arms wet to grab things. If you’re doing any in-tank fragging, inevitably after you make a cut, the frag will fall into the tank landing in a spot just out of easy reach. Aquarium tongs help make it easier to retrieve your fresh frag. You don’t the tightest grip with these but they work well for grabbing light items from the bottom of a tank and I also use them to stir the sand bed of my aquariums. 

Coral Hemostat for Fragging Coral

Coral hemostats are similar to holding forceps but have a smaller closed tip. These allow you to securely grasp coral and the also work well for breaking off small pieces of coral.   

Dremel Tool for Cutting Coral

Dremel is a brand of rotary tool that has many attachments. For coral fragging, cutoff wheels work well to cut coral out of the tank only. The speed and power of the Dremel make cuts quick and clean. The circular wheel can sometimes make it hard to get into tight spaces, but it isn’t usually an issue. I use a battery-powered Dremel and diamond cutoff wheel when I use the Dremel for cutting coral. The diamond wheels can be pricey, but they cut quickly and last a very long time.  

Wet Saws for Cutting Coral

If you are serious about coral fragging and have a lot of propagation to do, the use of a wet saw makes the job so much easier. There are two types of saws that are generally used for fragging, wet tile saws, and wet bandsaws. Wet tile saws use a diamond-coated blade and are generally cheaper than a wet band saw. The drawback to the wet tile saw is that the blades are thicker making them not as precise as a wet band saw. The Gryphon Aquasaw is the Cadillac of fragging saws.

Wet band saws allow you to make precise clean cuts and even allow you to easily shape your cuts as needed. When using a wet saw use saltwater in the reservoir and make sure to thoroughly rinse with fresh water after your coral fragging session.     

Complete Kits for Fragging Coral

Buying a complete kit is a great way to get most of the tools you would ever need to frag most types of coral. You can always add individual pieces as needed in the future. The Dissekt-Rite Ultimate Coral Fragging Kit is a good option for fragging most types of corals.  

Maintaining and Storing Your Coral Frag Tools 

Constant exposure to saltwater can be highly corrosive to your tools so I usually use stainless steel tools. After your tools come in contact with saltwater it is important to rinse them thoroughly with freshwater or they will rust. 

I also like to dry my tools with a towel or paper towel right after cleaning to keep them fresh and dry. You’ll want to try to store your tools in a way that they don’t clang together frequently. Try to keep them in separate sections of a toolbox or case if possible.