Hey guys,

               I have a cup coral that wasn't doing too hot so I've decided to save the parts that still look good.  Here's my question.  Do I mount the pieces on their backs (opposite side of polyps), or on their edge?  Any one want to swap a cup coral frag for a ???

Kirk

Probably best to ask Jim Perry or Jake, but I would say mount the back (opposite of the polyps).  That way, with time it would be able to grow back to its current shape.  That is usually the philosophy when artificially propogating corals.  But, I don't have much experience with cups.

Adam

I'll trade you - let me know!  As for mounting it, I would say along the break that you made.  The underside on the cup wasn't touching anything before you broke it, so why make it touch anything now.  But I have never done it before.  Good luck!

The problem with mounting the cutting on its back is that there is a layer of skin that will most likely start to receed and usually kill the coral if mounted on its back.

The best way in my opinion is to mount it along the break or another part without living flesh.

I'm confused 

I trust Jake on this but it still doesn't make sense to me.  I don't see how attaching rock on the "cut" end avoids contact to the flesh??? Isn't the newly cut area fleshy?  And the cut end (getting a little in depth here) should be the side closest to the source of high water flow to prevent bacterial build up, and to assist in sloughing off of mucas coatings.  Isn't that right?  I wouldn't normally think that you should put the cut side against the new substrate (rock). 

But Jake has probably had more experience with cups than I have, so I guess go with that.

No need to write back to me, unless you want to. 

Adam

The newly cut area of a cup coral in not fleshy.  The only part of the cup coral that is alive is the outer skin.  The cut area is just dead skeleton.