Here at iQuatics we are always on the lookout for ways to make readily available products more functional, when one of our managers were looking for a frag tray (not a frag rack!) to grow out a few frags he has on small pieces of live rock, to our surprise there wasn’t anything on the market after a quick online search that was fit for purpose, so we set about designing and talking to a few contacts for advice before having a frag tray manufactured.

Why not just a frag rack?
Well this bit is easy, the one negative of a frag rack is that they come with pre-drilled holes to place “frag plugs” into. We are not big fans of frag plugs as they stick out like a sore thumb when first added to the aquarium and although over time the frag will overgrow the plug and the plug will colour up this process can take months if not years, during this time you have a bright white plug sitting amongst your reef!.  We much prefer the method of using a little coral glue and attaching the frags to a small piece of live rock, this allows for a more natural look when the frag is added to the display as well as easier, more natural placement.

So what did we change?
As mentioned earlier a traditional frag rack is pre-drilled with holes to sit the plugs in (see below)

This creates all sorts of problems when you try and place bits of rock into them, mainly due to the fact unless the rock is bigger than the hole it just falls straight through.
So what we did was have the tray with sides to stop the frags form being knocked off and we cut the bottom with very thin slits to allow the water to flow freely around the frag tray. By doing it this way we are now able to place any size frag or piece of rock we wish into the tray and have full confidence in it staying there!
We also added some very strong, waterproof magnets to the tray so that it can be attached in almost any location in the aquarium. These magnets are safe for use in all types of aquaria so there is no risk of contamination.
We feel that the overall result is a frag tray that is more versatile than your ordinary frag rack; this tray allows you to select the media for attaching corals and provides a safe stable environment for them to grow out in.
What do you think of the frag tray? Would you use something similar?
Your thoughts and feedback as ever are much appreciated.
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