Nem Vs. Leather

[CarmenH]

My amemone started moving around last week and now finally seems to have found a spot he likes. Unfortunately, he is touching a really nice finger leather and the leather is getting stung I got the nem to move briefly by aiming the pump at him but he came back to that spot...and I really like him there! But the leather is attached to 3 different large, heavy support rocks so he can't easily be moved. My only options seem to be letting him get stung (and I don't want to do that!) or cutting him off (about 1/2 way up the"trunk") and hoping he reattaches to new rock so I can put him somwhere else.
Any ideas?

[jdak]

hmmm.... though decisions. If you do cut successfully, wouldn't the finger start to grow back in it's original spot?

[CarmenH]

I'm not sure But the original is quite large and it's the top being stung; even if it grew back, a smaller one would be safe in this spot for quite some time, then I could cut it again? These are supposed to be quite easy to frag from what I've read...I've just never cut one before...and it makes me a little nervous..

[jdak]

If it's anything like my colt coral, you will just have to cut it like a steak:) You could fit a loose rubberband around it and it should attach to a new rock within weeks. I would definitely say moving something is the right choice. I dunno if the nem or leather is the better choice. Good luck:)

[Pufferpunk]

You know--right after you chop it off, the nem's gonna move...

[CarmenH]

Oh, I know But he's stayed in that general area for quite a while now and I didn't want the leather to keep getting stung and die! Besides, I got the leather for 7 bucks at an auction, if my attempts to move him kill him, as much as I value life, I'll live with it rather than have his demise crash my tank!

I did it last night. OMG it was awful. I'm one of the least squeamish people I know but when I started cutting, I thought I was gonna hurl! I used a brand new utility knife blade, it was the sharpest thing I could find that was long enough, and it was not sharp enough. The rocks all got in the way more than expected, (the stalk had glued itself to the rocks on 3 sides!) so I ended up having to do what everyone said NOT to do, saw back and forth. But after the carnage was done, I was able to salvage 2 nice frags that are clean cut and should "take". If they both do well, I'll have an extra to sell, trade, or Freecycle, or to try in Zephyr's tank...

You know--right after you chop it off, the nem's gonna move...

[Mek0ng]

Try scissors or for big stuff, poultry shears. I would never use a knife. Corals like that can be hacked up! I hacked a yellow toadstool, kenyan tree and green sinularia in my tank many times. I created a forest of them from one frag each. Just super glue the base and stick to some rubble or just cram into a rock, never have I had one die after cutting.

Good luck.

[SammyDee]

Id lie to see pics of this and your tank too mekong

[Mek0ng]

Id lie to see pics of this and your tank too mekong

This is what it used to look like 3 years ago ('07), I had recently moved the tank from a 80g to a 90g reef ready. You can see the beginning of the kenya forest in the lower right. About 1.5 years later I went to costa rica for two months and the guy I had look over my tank failed to do so. I came home to 95* water and way off the chart salinity, not to mention my arrowhead puffer belly up and was probably rotting for a week.

The reef managed to make a some what of a come back, but it was the start of the decline. Between work, school and travel I had no time to maintenance it for over a year, calupera got into it and I let aptasia get out of control, I sold all my LPS and SPS. I was constantly traveling for work down to Los Angeles, and many more long trips to Costa Rica, and full time school with part time work. It got to the point where water changes were a about every 3-4 months apart... So currently the tank is tore down so I can finish my home remodel, I have the remaining softies in a frag tank and the rock is getting cooked. I had to tear down the tank anyways to paint and install flooring.

Just before the tear down:



rather embarrassing, but we live and learn.

[jdak]

I am dealing with caulerpa now. 5 years with all the same LR and it just shows up one day.

[Pufferpunk]

I have taken entire giant leathers, cut up the entire thing into 1" squares & every one grew into a baby leather. Had over 100 frags from just one coral.

[CarmenH]

Here's the evil nem

[Troender]

Dangerously beautiful though.

[Mek0ng]

Here's the evil nem

very nice, I wouldn't care about the leather if I had a nem like that!

[CarmenH]

Thanks!