Ability to remove corals from tank easily

[SaltyWaitress]

Many reefers glue frags onto rock while others drill holes in the rock/use longer plugs so they can easily remove corals for dipping or repositioning if needed.

How important is it to be able to do this removal, dipping or repositioning? Eventually they get encrusted anyway so the benefit is if before that something like acropora flatworms take hold, you can keep dipping but once they are in there even with dipping most they are tough to get rid of.

If I dip all my corals well to start then it seems like I dont need to make my plugs easily removable but convince me I am wrong or agree

 

[Uncle99]

I only keep mine down temporarily until I am sure this place is the best place.

Then they are attached and left alone.

 

[Zoa_Fanatic]

You’re wrong lol. Sometimes you need to move a coral because of the way it interacts with something else or when you get a new frag and need a place to put it you need to move your current stock.

edit: At least until your tank is matured and you know where you want everything: then they get the super glue

 

[PicassoClown04]

I just plop a new frag down where I think it’ll be happy. If it does well for a couple weeks I epoxy it down. I can easily free the frag from the epoxy at any point to re-arrange due to growth or aggression so no worries there. Some of my corals I just wedge securely into the rocks and they don’t need epoxy so I can always move them if I need to. I haven’t had a problem with pests yet so I’m not too worried about that, if you’re concerned about flatworms most wrasse will take care of them

 

[mindme]

I rarely if ever put a plug in my tank. They get glued to the rocks and that's the end of it.

In my 180g, there are currently a total of 2 plugs...sort of. 1 of the plugs is just a piece of a plug that had a monti on it. But you can't tell it's a plug because I used bone cutters and cut the parts of the plug not encrusted by the monti. Then I glued it on the rock in a little "hole" and the end result is you can't really see or tell it's on a plug at all.

The only full plug in my tank is what my gorgonian is on. I won't be removing it, it's on the sand bed in the back of the tank and I'd be doing about the same thing with a rock anyway.

I hate plugs in general.

 

[SaltyWaitress]

I rarely if ever put a plug in my tank. They get glued to the rocks and that's the end of it.

In my 180g, there are currently a total of 2 plugs...sort of. 1 of the plugs is just a piece of a plug that had a monti on it. But you can't tell it's a plug because I used bone cutters and cut the parts of the plug not encrusted by the monti. Then I glued it on the rock in a little "hole" and the end result is you can't really see or tell it's on a plug at all.

The only full plug in my tank is what my gorgonian is on. I won't be removing it, it's on the sand bed in the back of the tank and I'd be doing about the same thing with a rock anyway.

I hate plugs in general.

so you clip acros off the plug then glue them to the rock?

 

[artieg1]

I have found that in a healthy tank, where your existing corals are healthy, the number one issue that a new coral may not be happy is positioning. That solves 50% of issues right there. So it is counterproductive to glue down the coral until you know it is happy with flow, light, neighbors, etc.

 

[Uncle99]

You’re wrong lol. Sometimes you need to move a coral because of the way it interacts with something else or when you get a new frag and need a place to put it you need to move your current stock.

edit: At least until your tank is matured and you know where you want everything: then they get the super glue

Naw, I let them spread however they want, it’s interesting to see what corals will do to avoid others.

Once set, they thrive or die there.