Attaching Frags
- Thread starter Rothgar
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Rothgar
Active Member
You have a glue preference?
ChrisKey
Well-Known Member
As long as it is superglue GEL it should work. The only thing with that is the glue sets fast and you may have to set it a few times to get it on the rock. Make sure you put ALOT of glue on the plug before you set it so you know enough makes contact with the rock. If you use putty you can work a little slower and get it to attach right.
TrishW
Well-Known Member
Am I the only one that has trouble with the putty adhering when I use it under water? I sometimes have trouble with glue too, but find it easier than the putty.
PS - Dollar Tree is the place to get your superglue. The tubes are bigger and you get two for a buck!
PS - Dollar Tree is the place to get your superglue. The tubes are bigger and you get two for a buck!
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Rothgar
Active Member
Trish that is why i'm asking. I got some of the IO putty and as soon as it hit the water it lost of tack. The site says it works under water but the box says the area has to be dry.
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Velodog2
Well-Known Member
The putty isn't sticky underwater at all. It attaches by physically locking into a rock crevice and if you are lucky around the base of your coral. The superglue forms a skin immediately upon touching water which then has to be broken to get it to attach. Messy. The superglue also doesn't take up gaps between the coral and the rock.
I try to attach with putty first. If I can get the putty to attach to the rock but not the coral (such as if the coral has a big smooth base, or I'm trying to attach the base of an encrusted plug) then I make a "bed" of putty on the rock by pressing the coral into it, then removing it. Then I put superglue on the coral and attach it to the customized bed with perfect fit. I refuse to have plugs in my tank.
I try to attach with putty first. If I can get the putty to attach to the rock but not the coral (such as if the coral has a big smooth base, or I'm trying to attach the base of an encrusted plug) then I make a "bed" of putty on the rock by pressing the coral into it, then removing it. Then I put superglue on the coral and attach it to the customized bed with perfect fit. I refuse to have plugs in my tank.
TrishW
Well-Known Member
I use Oatey epoxy from Lowes or maybe I had to go to HD. It is called Fix-it Stick. What I have done is to use a larger clump and like glue it will harden on the exterior when it hits the water but I can then stick the stem of my coral into the clump which is still soft on the inside. But I still have better luck just putting a wad of superglue on the end of the frag and then putting it in a hole in the rock.
Thanks to you I am sitting here looking at my tank and seeing all the stuff I need to pop off of plugs and attach to my rock. I struggle with that. I buy a frag and it takes a week or six for it to look great again and then I don't want to rip it off the plug to glue it because it will look bad again and my fear is always that it won't bounce back at all and will just wither and die. This is especially true with zoas.
Thanks to you I am sitting here looking at my tank and seeing all the stuff I need to pop off of plugs and attach to my rock. I struggle with that. I buy a frag and it takes a week or six for it to look great again and then I don't want to rip it off the plug to glue it because it will look bad again and my fear is always that it won't bounce back at all and will just wither and die. This is especially true with zoas.
nhago
Active Member
i'm the same way. As a matter of fact, i have mini sps colonies that are still on plugs. I just found a way to wedge the plugs between rocks so they don't show.
I struggle to take frags off of plugs and glue them to the rocks!
I struggle to take frags off of plugs and glue them to the rocks!
Velodog2
Well-Known Member
I've never lost a coral from taking it off the plug. The ORA plastic plugs are a danged PITA and sometimes I have to be ok with just reducing it as much as I can with a dremel, but often the coral will just pop off the plug while I'm in the process of cutting it. Getting my delicate Hawkins off was probably the most nerve-wracking but it popped off and is now encrusting it's new bed of epoxy nicely.
If the coral is thickly encrusted on the plug I may cut the post off the plug and try to conceal the disk as best I can.
If the coral is thickly encrusted on the plug I may cut the post off the plug and try to conceal the disk as best I can.
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Mr. Microscope
Active Member
sigh..I feel like I've typed this a thousand times already:
Coral -> super glue -> epoxy/putty -> super glue -> rock
It's sort of a sandwich if that helps you remember. Works every time. Solid as a rock (though it is possible to remove it if necessary).
Coral -> super glue -> epoxy/putty -> super glue -> rock
It's sort of a sandwich if that helps you remember. Works every time. Solid as a rock (though it is possible to remove it if necessary).
OP
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Rothgar
Active Member
Sorry... I have researched this I just wanted to see what my local reefers do.
+1. This is how we made our first frags.
joker295
Well-Known Member
I usually would make the putty make an impression of the frag glue the area of the impression adhere the frag ... Glue the bottom of the putty and mount the whole piece ..and would rotate the frag on the area of the mount so the glue sets
HumanMachine
Community Member
I stand by this method 100%
How To Glue Coral Frags - Livestock Articles - Articles - Nano Reef Articles - Nano-Reef.com Forums
How To Glue Coral Frags - Livestock Articles - Articles - Nano Reef Articles - Nano-Reef.com Forums
Anyone know if they have appropriate putty at Lowe's? It's on my route home. HD is not. And where is it? Plumbing section? I'm a home improvement imbecile.
Tylermacdonald15
Active Member
I actually like frags that aren't encrusted on the plugs. It does show good health but plugs are ugly and if there encrusted your stuck with the plug. what I usually do is break them off the plug and glue them to a small rock. Then glue the small rock to a bigger rock. This way I can easily snap the smaller rock off in the future to frag, move or dip a coral. I usually use common gel superglue from a dollar store. It's cheap and works the same as name brand aquarium glue.
