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A transparent look at the materials, design principles, and reef-keeping philosophy behind every Artisan Frag Plugs product.
Coral fragging is more than simply cutting a piece of coral and putting it on a plug. Done well, fragging is a practical way to propagate healthy corals, share them with other reefkeepers, and grow more coral from the colonies already thriving in your aquarium.
At Artisan Frag Plugs, we believe successful coral propagation starts with the right tools, materials, and practices. That's why we make frag plugs, magnetic frag rocks, and mounting products specifically for reefkeepers who want to propagate coral with long-term growth in mind.
Our products are designed around sustainable coral fragging—supporting healthy propagation rather than simply maximizing the number of frags produced today.
Coral fragging is the process of propagating coral by separating a portion of an established colony and encouraging it to develop as a new colony.
The exact process depends on the type of coral. Fragging might involve cutting a branch from a branching SPS coral, separating a section of soft coral, dividing a mushroom, removing polyps from an encrusting colony, or breaking a branching LPS coral into individual pieces.
The goal is simple: take healthy coral growth and give it the opportunity to become something new.
A successful frag can eventually become a mature colony of its own while the original colony continues growing and producing additional frags.
That makes coral propagation one of the most rewarding parts of the reef aquarium hobby.
Every coral colony in a reef aquarium represents time, resources, and growth.
Fragging allows reefkeepers to multiply that growth rather than continually relying on new wild-collected colonies. A single healthy captive-grown coral can become dozens of new colonies over time.
Those frags can be grown, traded, sold, or shared with other hobbyists, helping desirable corals move through the captive reef community.
This is where we believe sustainable coral fragging has its greatest potential.
Rather than treating coral propagation as simply a way to produce more frags, sustainable coral fragging focuses on building a cycle where healthy captive-grown corals can be propagated and shared while reducing unnecessary dependence on wild collection.
Sustainability in reefkeeping isn't just about what material a frag plug is made from.
It starts with the decision to propagate healthy captive corals and extends through the equipment, materials, husbandry, and practices used throughout the process.
For us, sustainable coral fragging means thinking about the entire propagation cycle.
The foundation of responsible fragging is a healthy parent colony.
Fragging should be used to propagate established, healthy coral—not as a substitute for addressing poor water quality, disease, pests, or other underlying problems.
Healthy colonies produce healthier frags, and healthier frags have a better chance of becoming successful long-term colonies.
One of the most compelling things about coral propagation is that you don't necessarily need to acquire another wild colony to add more coral to your aquarium.
A healthy captive-grown colony can become the source of future generations of coral.
One successful coral purchase can potentially become many future colonies through careful propagation.
Fragging also creates opportunities for reefkeepers to trade and share corals with one another.
A coral that started in one aquarium can eventually make its way through an entire community of reefkeepers.
That cycle of captive propagation is one of the reasons coral fragging is so exciting.
The right tools depend on the type of coral you're propagating.
Soft corals, mushrooms, zoanthids, LPS, and SPS corals all require different approaches, and the equipment that works well for one type may be completely inappropriate for another.
Common coral fragging tools and supplies include:
Scalpels and sharp cutting tools
Coral cutters and bone cutters
Tweezers and forceps
Reef-safe cyanoacrylate glue
Frag plugs and frag discs
Small pieces of rubble or rock
Containers for working in aquarium water
Gloves and eye protection
Mounting systems for permanent or removable placement
Good fragging equipment isn't about having the biggest collection of tools. It's about having the right tool for the coral you're working with and using it carefully.
For species-specific techniques, see our coral fragging guides for detailed instructions on cutting, mounting, and healing different types of coral.
Not all frag plugs are created with the same priorities.
At Artisan Frag Plugs, we design our products specifically for reefkeepers who care about both the appearance of their aquarium and the long-term growth of their corals.
Our frag plugs are made using aragonite throughout the plug material, rather than relying entirely on conventional ceramic or cement formulations.
Aragonite is a naturally occurring form of calcium carbonate and is the same fundamental mineral found throughout many natural reef structures.
We chose it because we wanted our plugs to feel more at home in a reef aquarium—not simply function as disposable holders for coral frags.
The material a coral grows onto becomes part of the physical foundation of that colony.
Our aragonite-based frag plugs provide a textured surface designed to give corals a natural-looking substrate on which to establish themselves.
That texture also helps disguise the transition between the manufactured plug and the growing coral as the colony encrusts and expands.
For reefkeepers who intend to grow their frags into long-term colonies, that matters.
A frag plug shouldn't have to remain visually obvious forever.
We don't believe a frag plug should simply hold a coral in place.
It should provide a practical foundation for the coral to establish itself.
Our textured surfaces are designed with coral attachment and encrustation in mind, while the shape of each plug is intended to make handling, mounting, and placement straightforward.
Whether you're propagating a single coral in your home aquarium or producing frags to share with other reefkeepers, the goal is the same:
Give the coral a better place to start.
Coral is the star of the aquarium.
The plug is there to support it.
That's why we put so much emphasis on creating frag plugs that look natural once they're established in a reef.
As coral grows across the surface, the artificial appearance of the original plug should gradually become less important.
We want the end result to look like coral growing on reef material—not coral sitting on a brightly colored piece of plastic.
Different propagation setups call for different mounting solutions. We make several products to support reefkeepers throughout the fragging and grow-out process.
Our aragonite-based frag plugs provide a textured foundation for propagating corals and growing them toward mature colonies.
Our magnetic frag rocks combine coral-growing surfaces with removable magnetic mounting.
They can make it easier to position frags on vertical surfaces, create isolated growing areas, or rearrange coral placement without permanently attaching another piece of rock to the aquascape.
Our coral fragging kits include the same premium bone cutters we use when fragging our own corals, as well as 25 of our frag plugs, 1 of our magnetic frag rocks, & 2 single-use tubes of reef-safe glue.
This kit is designed to provide all the essentials to frag most beginner corals, making learning to frag corals easier than ever.
A good fragging product is used for much longer than the moment a coral is first attached.
Ideally, the plug or mounting surface becomes the foundation for months or years of growth.
A successful frag may eventually encrust the plug, grow beyond it, and become a mature colony of its own.
That's what we design for.
We aren't interested in making products that simply look good on day one.
We want to make products that continue to make sense as your coral grows.
We use the phrase sustainable coral fragging because we believe the future of reefkeeping should involve more successful captive propagation and more thoughtful use of the resources already available to hobbyists.
That doesn't mean pretending every part of reefkeeping is perfectly sustainable.
It means looking for practical ways to improve the process.
Propagate healthy colonies.
Grow captive corals.
Share them with other reefkeepers.
Choose tools and materials designed to support long-term growth.
And whenever possible, build more reef from the reef you already have.
That's the idea behind Artisan Frag Plugs.
The best coral fragging tool is only as useful as the technique behind it.
That's why we're building a growing library of species-specific coral fragging guides covering everything from choosing a healthy colony to cutting, mounting, and healing new frags.
Whether you're learning how to frag your first coral or developing a larger propagation system, our goal is to make the process easier to understand and easier to do well.
Explore our coral fragging guides to learn more about propagating the corals already growing in your reef.
Whether you're making your first coral frag or maintaining a growing collection of captive-grown colonies, the right foundation can make the process easier.
Explore our coral fragging products and find the mounting solution that fits your reef.
Build more coral. Grow what you already have. Frag responsibly.
Check out our frag plugs, frag discs, and other fragging substrates in our shop.
