How will the coral and cutting react after the cut has been made?
This depends on the species but all corals will show some reaction, usually withdrawing their polyps and retracting to the size at which they spend most of the night or when disturbed. It is possible for the coral to react and shrivel up to an even smaller size and this is where worry can set in. Please be assured any signs of distress will only be temporary, lasting in some corals no more than an hour or so. For example, a finger coral when cut may retract to less than a third of its normal size and stays this way for a couple of hours but over a period of roughly another hour or so it expands, the polyps come out and the coral looks like its never been touched. On the other hand a Cabbage Coral can shut down and may look very sick indeed. It may stay this way for three or four days before it sheds its skin and expands to it former size. Until you have cut the coral you have no real idea how it will react. Patience is the key. Do not keep prodding the coral to see if it reacts, just l
