Frags and Urchins

[MTsquared]

Please advise if this is not the correct forum for this post. I have a mixed reef and I am starting to become a stick head. I’ve accumulated multiple SPS frags on plugs from the LFS, online sales, and other hobbyists. Here is the question/ issue: I’ve superglued the SPS frags in the various locations at the top of my rock work. I have a purple pincushion urchin that has successfully ripped the glued frags off the rock work on multiple occasions. I find them scattered around the tank, touching other corals, upside down etc. What do you guys suggest or how do you handle this? I don’t want to get rid of the urchin if not necessary as I view it as a valuable part of the CUC. Thanks!

 

[Gtinnel]

I handled this by putting my urchin in my sump. I honestly figured it would kill it but he is still going strong. I got tired of playing find the frag.

The only thing I could suggest is to try to find a stronger way to attach the coral. I use layered superglue and epoxy (glue-epoxy-glue) and that seems to hold really well. How do you attach your corals down now?

 

[attiland]

I handled this by putting my urchin in my sump. I honestly figured it would kill it but he is still going strong. I got tired of playing find the frag.

The only thing I could suggest is to try to find a stronger way to attach the coral. I use layered superglue and epoxy (glue-epoxy-glue) and that seems to hold really well. How do you attach your corals down now?

I simply don’t use plugs. I don’t have an urchin though.

 

[Gtinnel]

I simply don’t use plugs. I don’t have an urchin though.

I have a bad habit of letting my frags sit on my frag rack for too long before moving them to my rock, so most of the time I don't want to remove the frag from the plug because I'd be cutting of some growth. So I just remove the stem and keep the disc part. I know you said you don't have an urchin, but would attaching the frag directly to the rock keep the urchin from picking up the coral?

 

[MTsquared]

I have a bad habit of letting my frags sit on my frag rack for too long before moving them to my rock, so most of the time I don't want to remove the frag from the plug because I'd be cutting of some growth. So I just remove the stem and keep the disc part. I know you said you don't have an urchin, but would attaching the frag directly to the rock keep the urchin from picking up the coral?

Thanks I did the same thing. Most of the frags sat on the rack too long so I simply cut off the “plug” part leaving a flat disc which I’ve attached to the rock with superglue. Some have stayed better than others with the urchin. May just need more glue or move him to the sump.

 

[Gtinnel]

Thanks I did the same thing. Most of the frags sat on the rack too long so I simply cut off the “plug” part leaving a flat disc which I’ve attached to the rock with superglue. Some have stayed better than others with the urchin. May just need more glue or move him to the sump.

I have tried using just superglue in the past with little success. I usually put a layer of superglue gel on the bottom of the disk, then place a little ball of 2 part epoxy (I use jb waterweld which is cheap and available almost everywhere), then I cover that in more superglue gel. I then shove that down on my rock work hard enough that the epoxy squishes into the rock. It holds much better than just superglue IME.

If you really want to keep the urchin then I would try that to see if see if frags will stay in place. My issue was that he would pull the frags off of my frag rack he never moved any that were mounted to the rock.

 

[attiland]

I have a bad habit of letting my frags sit on my frag rack for too long before moving them to my rock, so most of the time I don't want to remove the frag from the plug because I'd be cutting of some growth. So I just remove the stem and keep the disc part. I know you said you don't have an urchin, but would attaching the frag directly to the rock keep the urchin from picking up the coral?

Hard to say to be honest. I would assume 2part epoxy keeps it better.

 

[G Santana]

I have a purple urchin as well, he's a menace and a bulldozer but I like him.
I just used super glue on the few frags that I have glued and it's held. He has taken a few off the rack for a joy ride but that's just part of urchin ownership lol

 

[MTsquared]

I have tried using just superglue in the past with little success. I usually put a layer of superglue gel on the bottom of the disk, then place a little ball of 2 part epoxy (I use jb waterweld which is cheap and available almost everywhere), then I cover that in more superglue gel. I then shove that down on my rock work hard enough that the epoxy squishes into the rock. It holds much better than just superglue IME.

If you really want to keep the urchin then I would try that to see if see if frags will stay in place. My issue was that he would pull the frags off of my frag rack he never moved any that were mounted to the rock.

Thanks this is a good idea to use the glue with the epoxy. I will give this a go and see how it works out

 

[homer1475]

I have a pink short spine pincushion and he/she is a major bulldozer and frag stealer. Lost my WD because I like most reefers tend to leave my plugs in the racks a little too long, and the urchin takes them for a ride. I can't tell you how much $$ that little guy has cost me in dead frags. And it's never the goni's or lobos, or acans. He has a taste for expensive sticks.

Love my coral, but love my urchins even more. When mounting to rock, I cut the stem of the plug off, and use a super glue/epoxy sandwich. Once mounted have never had an issue with him stealing them.

 

[Holst]

I don't know if this will work for you, but it did for me.
When I was gluing the plugs directly to the rock with "Superglue", then the Urchin was able to tage it along for a ride. I saw a BRSTV where he was using Super glue and epoxy and then Super glue again.
Superglue on frag, Epoxy on Superglue and again Superglue on epoxy and pushing this into the rock..

 

[MTsquared]

Going to try regluing first since that’s fairly easy and just really get a ton of glue on there. If that doesn’t work I do have some epoxy I can use I think from Seachem.

 

[MTsquared]

Thanks everyone this is very helpful. Seems like the consensus is glue with epoxy combo. From there just a waiting game to let the growth of the coral further cement it to the LR.

 

[OldRed1]

I have a purple urchin as well, he's a menace and a bulldozer but I like him.
I just used super glue on the few frags that I have glued and it's held. He has taken a few off the rack for a joy ride but that's just part of urchin ownership lol

A year late on this post, but our purple pincushion Ursula is the definition of a bulldozer. I adore her to death, but she looked so much smaller at the LFS, I swear! I’ve learned if I target feed her algae and shrimp I can motivate her to stay in one place. I am amazed how much she eats, though!

 

[G Santana]

A year late on this post, but our purple pincushion Ursula is the definition of a bulldozer. I adore her to death, but she looked so much smaller at the LFS, I swear! I’ve learned if I target feed her algae and shrimp I can motivate her to stay in one place. I am amazed how much she eats, though!

Lol I know what you mean, my Meatball hunts down the nori clip and it's history