Beat coral putty?

RussC · Oct 19, 2020

I’ve lost one frag too many. The putty/glue has either let go or it’s possible the frag has been knocked off. I need the strongest bond out there! What’s available?

PicassoClown04 · Oct 19, 2020

I really like coralcrete because it comes in red, purple, and grey so you don’t see it too much. I really like the purple color. I do superglue gel on the coral, wad of putty on the glue, glue again on the putty, push against rock. Glue sticks putty to rock, other glue sticks putty to coral

schuby · Oct 19, 2020

10-15 years ago, I used two-part, colored epoxy meant for reefs. Now I use a cyanoacrylate super glue such as IC-Gel. Takes much less and hold much better. You still need a blob on the bottom-sides of the frag, but not near as large as the old two-part.

RussC · Oct 20, 2020

Sounds like we do about the same thing. I've been using a two part putty with some IC gel on the coral and the putty. But for some reason over the last month, I've had two frags come lose. I will say, its one of the smoother areas of the rock and its not vertical. And I've got me a long spine urchin that parades his butt around that tank like no other. So there are a lot of reasons that could play a part in all this. But both these frags have dropped off recently. I just happen to catch the most recent one in time to save it. That got me thinking about alternatives.

blitzkragz · Oct 20, 2020

I have had the same issue, despite using the coral-->icgel-->putty-->icgel-->rock method. I found that using a toothbrush to scrub the rock at the spot I intend to stick the coral helped a lot. Maybe getting rid of an invisible layer of bacteria on the rock helps.

schuby · Oct 20, 2020

Brandon at Vivid Aquariums showed me how to glue a frag using super glue in one of the tanks in the store. Something like this:

Brush off rock where frag will go
Put small blob of super glue on bottom of frag
Hold frag under water for a 5-10 seconds
1. Salt water is like an accelerator
Rub/smear super glue on rock where frag will go
Put a bigger blob of super glue on frag
Hold frag under water for 5-10 seconds
Place frag on rock and previous super glue application
1. Twist back and forth a few times. You should feel the glue grabbing more and more.
Make sure bottom 1/4" to 1/2" of frag has super glue around it (not just bottom of frag)
1. Press super glue against all sides of frag with your finger to ensure no voids under glue

I turn my wave-makers/powerheads off for about 10-15 minutes so as not to push any freshly glued frags over. I've only had a frag get knocked off when I used too little glue. I recommend looking at finished product from the side as the top-down view doesn't let you discern where a blob of glue has popped up (looking sloppy).

My super glue jobs get covered in coralline in a few weeks so it doesn't stay white for very long. After the frag encrusts, any uneven super glue is hidden forever.

Besides holding extremely well, it takes much less glue than the two-part putty to place a frag. I don't have massive mounds around my frags like 10+ years ago.