Whats the best tool to use to take a cutting?
In most cases we recommend sharp scissors as this negates the need to actually hold onto the cutting or parent coral. After a branch has been selected a single smooth cut should be made approx half inch away from where the branch joins with the parent. Once the cutting has been taken it can be transferred to a small container of tank water and prepared for attachment to a rock. It is also possible to use a scalpel to take cuttings, but this may require the holding of the coral with one hand and cutting it with the other causing it to retract and make the cutting harder to take. Some corals such as mushroom corals, xenia, star polyps etc. propagate themselves by budding new colonies off and spreading across rocks. Obviously in this case, you do not need any tools apart from maybe the odd small piece of rock to place near the corals base.
