Frags are how coral livestock moves through the hobby. What it is: a 1-3 inch portion of a parent colony, attached to a ceramic frag plug or piece of rock. Cutting methods: bone cutters (for branching SPS like Acropora), tile saw (for solid colonies + chalice), banding saw (specialty). Always rinse fresh fragments in iodine + dip in CoralRx or Bayer to disinfect. Mounting: superglue gel (most common), epoxy putty (for heavy frags), thread + frag plug (for delicate corals like leathers). Frag plug: 1-inch ceramic disc with a 0.5-inch stem. Stem fits standard frag rack holes. Frag tank: a separate display dedicated to growing out frags before sale or transfer to display. Often heavily lit + low rock for max grow-out. Frag swap: in-person event where reef hobbyists trade/sell frags - common at local reef clubs. Pricing tiers: common $5-15, named morph $30-150, designer $150-3000+. Sources: Battle Corals, Tidal Gardens, Top Shelf Aquatics, ORA, World Wide Corals (WWC), Vivid Aquariums, Premium Aquatics.
Reviewed by the Fast Aquatics husbandry team · Updated May 2026
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