frag attachment

[Orvis]

How do you attach frags to the live rock to build a reef?

[chimmike]

I've been told super glue gel works well. Put a glob on the frag, then when you stick it in the water, it's going to glaze over. I've been told to press it down on the rock, then pull up just a tad and twist the frag back down into place, to pop that glaze and secure the glue to both the rock and frag again, and just hold for a minute.

it's likely that if it's in a flow area you'll have to stop the flow for a few minutes or more to allow it to fully secure.

I'm sure others with experience will chime in with better advice!

[backfish]

The supergule gel works great for small SPS frags and some zoas, for larger frags and bulky lps try a reef epoxy. I like the aquarium systems brand best out of those marketed for the hobby- I have heard you can get it from HomeDepot for cheaper too but we dont have one here so I never followed up on that.

[tomphot1]

If possible, pull the rock out and dry it in the area you want the frag. Then dry the bottom of the frag a bit then use super glue gel. You do all this underwater but you will have better results if you can do it out of the water

[Bonneville08]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13457244#post13457244 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tomphot1
If possible, pull the rock out and dry it in the area you want the frag. Then dry the bottom of the frag a bit then use super glue gel. You do all this underwater but you will have better results if you can do it out of the water
+1 on drying if you can, I've used superglue and reef epoxy putty both with success.

[Orvis]

Don't any of these methods foul the water with using glue or epoxy?

[jayco5]

Personally, I never had much luck with super glue. I use a tray of rubble rock and simply put the frag in the tray and let it attach naturally. Then, you can place the frag and rock wherever you like, or use some epoxy to attach the rubble rock to a bigger rock. Just keep your frag in a low flow area so it doesn't get blown away.

[Orvis]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13461180#post13461180 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jayco5
Personally, I never had much luck with super glue. I use a tray of rubble rock and simply put the frag in the tray and let it attach naturally. Then, you can place the frag and rock wherever you like, or use some epoxy to attach the rubble rock to a bigger rock. Just keep your frag in a low flow area so it doesn't get blown away.

On the average, if I would put the frag directly in the tank, how long does it take for it to attach naturally?

[IslandCrow]

It really depends on what type of coral you're talking about. Corals with a hard skeleton can be superglued or epoxied just as stated. Superglue really doesn't have any significant effects on water chemistry. I've heard of epoxy affecting people's skimmers, but that's about it. It also heats up as it cures, and can potentially damage coral flesh, so keep that in mind as well.

Soft corals can be a bit trickier, and I think that's the problem jayco5 was running into. Superglue probably won't work, and epoxy definitely will not. Basically, you need a way to otherwise secure the coral to the substrate where you want it attached. Different methods work better for different people. I've used rubber bands, needle and thread, needle and fishing line, toothpicks and even methods as simple as lining my sump with rock rubble and throwing the frags in there, allowing them to settle where they may. I've also used the tray of rock rubble method. One way you can keep the frag from floating away is to cover it with bridal veil secured over the tray with a rubber band. I usually use one of those small disposable Tupperware-type containers.

As far as how long it takes, it depends on the coral. Most soft corals will attach in about 1 week if secured properly. Hard corals will take much longer to attach naturally, since they'll need to actually encrust over the rock (assuming they even have the ability to do so). That's why we tend to use some sort of adhesive to secure them.

[Orvis]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13462071#post13462071 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by IslandCrow
It really depends on what type of coral you're talking about. Corals with a hard skeleton can be superglued or epoxied just as stated. Superglue really doesn't have any significant effects on water chemistry. I've heard of epoxy affecting people's skimmers, but that's about it. It also heats up as it cures, and can potentially damage coral flesh, so keep that in mind as well.

Soft corals can be a bit trickier, and I think that's the problem jayco5 was running into. Superglue probably won't work, and epoxy definitely will not. Basically, you need a way to otherwise secure the coral to the substrate where you want it attached. Different methods work better for different people. I've used rubber bands, needle and thread, needle and fishing line, toothpicks and even methods as simple as lining my sump with rock rubble and throwing the frags in there, allowing them to settle where they may. I've also used the tray of rock rubble method. One way you can keep the frag from floating away is to cover it with bridal veil secured over the tray with a rubber band. I usually use one of those small disposable Tupperware-type containers.

As far as how long it takes, it depends on the coral. Most soft corals will attach in about 1 week if secured properly. Hard corals will take much longer to attach naturally, since they'll need to actually encrust over the rock (assuming they even have the ability to do so). That's why we tend to use some sort of adhesive to secure them.

Thanks, that's a great help. I think I will be more inclined to used monofilament than anything as I'm not crazy about adding foreign substances to the tank. The monofilament will probably also be easy to blend into the rockwork once the frag has taken hold. I can see on down the road though when your adding to a smaller niche in the reef that it will become more difficult to do this.

[IslandCrow]

Normally I'll attach the frag to a piece of rock rubble and then use epoxy and/or superglue to attach the frag+rubble where I want it. Epoxy putty is much easier to work with underwater than superglue, so if I can find a way to use it instead for the final placement, that's what I do.