LPS are a particular concern of mine, as I feel the US Coral Reef Task Force has
no other option but to ban their importation.
Caulastrea (Candy Cane Coral) are
a token LPS for division and growth, and they're rewarding coral to keep. In
Figure 1, you can see that I clearly have the colony *out* of the water ready
for division. Some folks still believe that you'll kill a coral by exposing it to
air. If particular attention is paid to assuring that all polyps are retracted and
supported by the attachment base on the skeleton, there will be no problems.
Figure 1
Another issue I hear frequently is the concern the colony will die if cut. This
is total nonsense, the skeleton is just calcium deposit. And, it disturbs me
that some folks will actually allow polyps to die from shading, because they're afraid
to cut. In Figure 2, you can see how I take cable cutters to make the division.
It’s very simple to do.
