Micro-fragmentation - what’s your thoughts?

Rob's seen a lot of images floating around claiming to show freshly cut micro-fragments of coral, but when I look at them, they’d be classed as a large frag in the aquarium trade.

Take this image - On the left a micro-fragment: a small disc just a few millimetres across, beginning to encrust and spread laterally. That’s the kind of growth you expect from a micro-fragmented coral, cut into tiny pieces to accelerate healing and tissue fusion.

But the right-hand coral? Typical of what I’ve seen branded as micro-fragmentation by high profile reef restoration projects.

Why is it important we pull them up?

Micro-fragmentation is a powerful tool for reef restoration, especially those that naturally take decades to grow. But if we start calling every plugged coral “micro-fragmented,” we dilute the method and confuse the science.

Let’s keep the terminology accurate, the technique intentional, and the conversation focused on what truly accelerates reef recovery.

Would love to hear your thoughts. Are we being too loose with our definitions? Or are splitting hairs?