Epoxy

[Allmost]

Hello all,
so what do you guys use to glue corals to LR ? or glue LR to another LR ?


how do you do it ? what are the steps ? lets say to connect a colony of SPS to a LR ... do you apply epoxy to frag, then wait then place it in water and hold it down ?

for some reason, I have a hard time with Epoxy in water .... any recommendations ?

thank you all

also, for the new tank, I am planning to epoxy rocks together to make an Island and arc.... any recommendations ?

[chimmike]

coral to live rock? superglue. just plain old super glue gel. preferably apply to the rock out of water, and wear gloves so as to not damage the SPS.

[Allmost]

coral to live rock? superglue. just plain old super glue gel. preferably apply to the rock out of water, and wear gloves so as to not damage the SPS.

SPS is attached to a base usually ...

not possible to lift live rock out of tank everytime I want to attach a coral lol there are 100 more corals attached to it ...

gloves dont do anything to not damage SPS.

[Sisterlimonpot]

superglue gel and you can also use reefsafe epoxies like aquamend, waterweld etc...

[Allmost]

okay thank you all :)

but the info like use Epoxy or use gel glue is on the net already, I am hoping someone with Experience could help me out here, and actually post how he/she would connect a coral colony to LR. lets say on an angle ...

I really appreciate all the replies and the help provided :)

for example, I usually put Epoxy on the base on coral, then wait like 10 mins with coral out of water. then place it on the rock, sit there for half an hour holding the colony in place with my hands in the water, and then let go ...
sometimes it holds, sometimes it does not. :S

so must be a better way ?

further more, I want to know WHAT is working for you ? not what I CAN use ... .

I have been reefing and keeping fish for many years and been fragging for many years as well ... so want to get your opinion on how you do it and what you have found over the years.

[greech]

If I am simply gluing a small frag or rock plug to my existing rock, I use a good glob of Loctite SG Gel, stick it under water on the rock give it a little twist to break the skin of the glue and hold it in place for maybe 30 seconds. If it is a bigger frag/colony or a medium-ish size rock I will use the epoxy puddy with a dab of SG Gel on both sides of the puddy ball to help it stick while the puddy sets.

If at all possible I will glue/epoxy out of the water just because it is easier but that isn't that common now that my scape is how I like it.

Basically the trick is to use enough SG and/or epoxy to fill in the cracks and crevices but not have soo much that it is unsightly. You typically need to use more glue than you think when used with the puddy though.

[m2434]

There is no waiting with super glue, but that is sort of why I don't like it. It dries instantly and gives you no time to shift things. Epoxy should be fairly dry within about 5-10 minutes. I don't take the coral out of water personally. I put some epoxy on the rock wait about 5 minutes until the epoxy is starting to dry then place the coral. Usually it will stick on all but the steepest slopes. When aquascaping I avoid those really steep slopes anyway. Even if you get the coral to stay, I find they still tend to eventually fall off. Moderate slopes <45 degrees are really the best way to go IMO.

[Toddrtrex]

For really large colonies (( I have never done it with LR, but assume it would work the same )) I use epoxy (( just the stuff I pick up at Ace )), to secure it and then use some PVC pipes to hold it stable until the epoxy cures.

Old picture, but you can see what I am getting at -- after a couple of days (( longer then needed, to be safe )) the milli stayed in place.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/toddrtrex/Fish%20stuff/FTS25_17_9.jpg

[Allmost]

Amazing info guys, thanks :)

going to try every single method mentioned here to see which works the best for me :)

nice note on SG drying fast :) makes the superglue and epoxy combo more attractive :)

Tod, thank you for the PVC Idea ... sounds really good !

[syrinx]

Remember that epoxy will make skimmer go nuts for a while. Also epoxy is not safe to use on bare tissue of sps frags- but it fine away from tissue. A last note is- epoxy and super glue both can lose strength over time- I saw you mention a arch and such- these I would use drilling and pegs as well as other more physical structures rather than bonding agents.

[PROTECHAUTO1]

This is the only thing I have found to stick underwater.

http://www.marinedepot.com/D_D_AquaScape_Aquarium_Epoxy_4oz_Reef_Glue_Epoxy_Putty_for_Saltwater_Aquariums-ROWA_USA-RW2111-FIMTEP-4-vi.html

[Servillius]

SG gel, small epoxy pellet, then a bit more SG gel. After a bit of practice, this makes sticking frags to rock easy.

[oscarslr]

+1 on the method Servillus uses, found it the most effective. I have also tried many epoxy sticks. I recommend this: http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=epoxy+putty&hl=en&biw=924&bih=518&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=1365251035183929681&ei=Uh4cTdiyNYv6sAOwl6DgCg&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CH0Q8wIwBDgo# it can be found at home depot for about 5 bucks