Sinularia mollis: Fragging and Propagation
Propagating the soft thin-stalked Sinularia mollis by cutting lobes and reattaching frags, with notes on its terpene chemistry, encrusting spread and wild spawning.
Overview
Sinularia mollis is a soft, thinner-stalked leather coral of the family Alcyoniidae. Like other Sinularia its small polyps sit on the surface of the lobes without prominent dimorphism, the tissue is supported by sclerites, and the colony depends mainly on symbiotic zooxanthellae for energy.
Reproductive Mode
Home propagation is asexual: lobes are fragged and heal into new colonies, and the base can encrust and spread across rock. Sexual spawning occurs in the wild but is not the route used by hobbyists.
Fragging / Asexual Propagation
Cut a lobe or a piece of one with a clean, sharp blade. Because the slick body resists glue, frags are banded, set in mesh or an onion bag, or laid on rubble in low flow until they attach; gluing can follow once anchored. A short iodine dip and a seawater rinse after cutting reduce infection and clear slime.
Conditions for Propagation
- Lighting: 75-200 PAR (medium)
- Flow: moderate, increased after attachment
- Temperature: 24-26 C
- Mature tank: at least about 3 months old
- Net out shed mucus that can irritate neighbours
Sexual Reproduction
Gonochoric octocoral colonies broadcast eggs or sperm; fertilised eggs develop into planula larvae that drift, settle and bud into new colonies. This natural pathway is not used for home propagation.
Common Challenges
These leathers periodically close and form a shiny waxy film that is shed within a few days as the polyps reopen. Sinularia produces diverse terpene-based secondary metabolites and toxic, allelopathic compounds that can inhibit competitors, so slime expelled during fragging should be removed from the system.