fragging coral

Question
Hi i have a piece of kenya tree coral and some other coral i would like to frag and i was thinking if it is better for you to setup a different tank specifically for fragged corals and i have a 5 gal and a 3gal which would be better and can you filter it just with live rock. thanks.

Answer
Hi Marcus. There is no reason why you would have to move the coral frags to a separate tank unless space is at a minimum in your main tank. When doing cuttings on your soft corals they often won't open up for a little while afterwards. These corals do not like to be moved around allot and the stress from fragging is enough for them to take. If you then move them into a separate tank with a change in water and a change in lighting this will often stress them out more. You would be better off leaving them in the tank they are in until they are firmly attached to the new rock and have been opening up for at least two weeks before moving them. You can not filter a tank with just live rock. While live rock may contain all the needed good bacteria, the water flowing through the rocks is an essential part of keeping the bacteria alive. It is also necessary for the corals. I always recommend at least having a protein skimmer on any tank that has corals in it. If water quality deteriorates the corals will fail to thrive rather quickly so why chance it?