Cultured corals are corals that have been grown from a cutting of another coral to produce a clone of its ‘Mother’. Our cultured coral facility is based in Bali where the corals are grown in the beautifully clear and nutrient rich waters around the Balinese coast.


 
Coral fragmentation, or “fragging” as it is commonly known, is the name of the process in which a coral is grown from a single coral ‘cutting’ harvested from a more mature coral. In essence it is a form of underwater gardening.   
 
 
The white areas on this Acropora (above) show where the coral has been fragged
 
Corals have evolved to be able to re-generate and recover from being damaged during storms and predation from coral eating animals, so the coral fragging process causes no lasting damage and corals soon recover ready to be re-fragged at a later date. 
 
The simple fragging process is the key to helping ensure that our hobby is sustainable. It helps to protect the world’s coral reefs whilst employing local people who learn the importance of looking after the natural environment of the corals - and fish that depend on them.
 
 
Corals are grown on metal trays which sit around 30cm off of the seabed.
 
The newly cultured corals sit alongside their ‘Mothers’ until they have reached a suitable size for export. For SPS corals this is usually around 3 months however LPS corals can take far longer than this.
 
 
Our coral trays are cared for by local villagers and employees of the exporters. General care duties include checking coral health, clearing algaes that grow on the trays and coral bases and ensuring corals are attached to the trays securely. 
 
Corals are secured to the trays by elastic straps to keep them upright and protected from the potentially damaging tide.
 
Many varieties of coral can be ‘fragged’ including SPS, LPS and soft corals.
 
 
 
Fragging corals is relatively simple and requires a minimal number of tools. Fragging kits are available to purchase from Maidenhead Aquatics with basic kits generally comprising of coral cutting pliers, soft coral tissue-cutting scissors, a scalpel and reef gel for adhering the frag to your coral base rock. ‘Gel type’ super glues are recommended for attaching frags as the standard glue formulations tend to have a very thin consistency which struggles to stick to the frag after you have cut it from the mother coral. Live rock rubble makes a great base for your coral frags and instantly blends in with the rest of your reef.
  
For more videos of these coral facilities (plus loads of other aquatic videos) please visit our YouTube site.
 
Please ask in your local Maidenhead Aquatics store for more information on our extensive range of cultured corals and how to start fragging yourself at home.
 
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