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I am a big fan of coral propagation in aquaria. It is ecologically scalable and it ensures the survival of the species (and saves you a lot of money!). At set up, I stocked my aquarium fairly well. Some of these corals were trades or tank-raised, but most were not. Since that time, I have propagated and swapped 5 species of acropora, anthelia glauca (woods polyps), two species of xenia (the weed that it is!), 4 types of mushrooms, green star polyps, huge cladiella, 2 types of sarcophyton, 2 montipora, 2 porites, 2 hydnophora, galaxea, caulastrea, turbinaria, and some others I've forgotten. The easiest to propagate are the SPS corals; simply break off a branch and superglue it to a new location. Presto! Check out the growth on this acropora and montipora, both started as frags. The acropora on the left was started as a single branch in epoxy putty. The montipora I found neglected under the rock, struggling to survive in the shadow - a piece no bigger than a child's finger. Note also the color change over time in the porites in the upper right background as it grows and adjusts to my lighting. This acropora is really beautiful blue - unfortunately, my cheapo digital camera doesn't capture the blue on the growth areas very well.
Believe it or not, this three-picture sequence spans only 5 months - March 2001 to August 2001. I propagated sarcophyton according to the method advocated by Leroy Headlee of GARF. Cut a small portion from the edge of the disk part ( about 1/2 inch wide), and attach to a rock with a rubber band. In a few short weeks the frag should begin to resemble a miniature version of the adult! Here is one I propagated as well as a picture of the mother ship. Note how the rubber band pushed down through the cutting and actually divided it into twins!
Below is a picture of a sarcophyton cutting I received from the WMAS meeting last April as a simple chunk of flesh cut from the disk part of the mushroom shape on the parent. I again used a rubber band to attach it to a rock. The left side picture was taken about 6 weeks later. Already the flesh chunk had grown into the recognizable mushroom shape. The right picture was taken after an additional 6 weeks. Propagate coral! The reef you save may be your own!
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