Attaching Leather Corals?

[Zakary2003]

I have a green capnella leather coral that has been dropping a few branches every couple of weeks. However, I cannot get them to attach to the rocks or frag plugs in my tank. I've tried drying them off and gluing them but that seems to kill the coral. I've also tried tying them to the frag plug with rubber bands, but that seems to split them in half leaving me with two smaller branches that are even harder to find when they fall off. Out of the dozen branches that have dropped so far, I was only able to get four of them to attach, and the others either died or are currently floating around the tank. Can anyone give me some advice for attaching them?

 

[Cthulukelele]

Get a little basket and fill it with rock rubble. Put that basket in a very low flow area of your tank. Place the leathers in the basket. They'll attach themselves.

 

[Zakary2003]

Get a little basket and fill it with rock rubble. Put that basket in a very low flow area of your tank. Place the leathers in the basket. They'll attach themselves.

My tank is only a 20 cube. I don't have a ton of space to work with but I guess that might work.

 

[Cthulukelele]

My tank is only a 20 cube. I don't have a ton of space to work with but I guess that might work.

They're pretty hard to glue and some melt when you flue them. Some people attach them to rocks with twine to grow on, but by FAR the best way to do it is with a small container in a low flow area. Doesn't need to be huge

 

[Zakary2003]

They're pretty hard to glue and some melt when you flue them. Some people attach them to rocks with twine to grow on, but by FAR the best way to do it is with a small container in a low flow area. Doesn't need to be huge

Do you think a deli cup with some holes for flow would work?

 

[Cthulukelele]

Do you think a deli cup with some holes for flow would work?

Yeah probably, but wider and shallower is usually better. Also be sure to put some rubble rock in there to have them attach to

 

[paragrouper]

Do you think a deli cup with some holes for flow would work?

I used a little cup that I bore holes in for an unattached mushroom. I cut the top portion off so it wasn’t too tall. Worked fine

 

[Fishgeek88]

I always used hypodermic needles. Get a piece of tufa rock or some type of soft rock. Break it into small chunks. Cut a rubberband into squares and slide that on before the coral.

 

[Fish Fan]

My lights were already off this evening, I turned them back on for this pic, so the coral is a bit deflated. But if your leather is anything like my Green Nephthea, I was able to secure a cutting to a piece of rubble with dental floss. I used waxed and the non-mint kind. I tried rubber bands, but they were too tight and cut through the coral flesh. The dental floss seems to be working for me, it's been a little over a week now. I expect by three weeks it will be solidly adhered.

Good luck!

 

[DIYreefer]

My tank is only a 20 cube. I don't have a ton of space to work with but I guess that might work.

It will 100% work. After you place it in a low flow area with some substrate to attach to check it in a few days and it should be good to go, firmly attached to something that can then be glued down anywhere you want it.

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

Don't glue softies, that will cut off circulation and cause necrosis, get a small cup/basket with small holes for flow, add some pieces of rubble to the bottom and add the piece, they should attach in a week or so