how do you mount your frags? epoxy or glue?

[reefer on a budget]

just curious how everyone mounts their frags.

using epoxy alone usually leaves this ball of mess that tends to just surround the base/or cover much of the frag without getting a secure bond. super glue is near impossible to use if you plan on mounting frags under water. ive used my share of epoxy and super glue and find that the best method of mounting frags is using a combination of both. using both saves you money in that you'll end up using less epoxy/glue and you can virtually mount frags off walls/overhangs all underwater instantly
i usually start off with a small bit of epoxy and coat it on the parts that will contact the frag/mounting surface with super glue gel. place the frag on the epoxy coated with glue and then place the frag on the rock of choice. the frag mounts instantly and you dont have to worry about holding the frag waiting for the epoxy to cure.
ive mounted some caps right off the vertical planes with no problems and barely have frags unmounted. the good thing also is that you eliminate the mess of glue and epoxy off your finger tips
just thought i'd pass this info to those who havent tried doing this.

[cal3v]

Good tips, I'll probably use them to mount sps previously not possible in areas where the superglue just isn't strong enough by itself. Oh for those who have clams and don't want a thick rock or shell to have your clam attatch to, I like using epoxy to make either a flat thin pancake if I am putting the clam on the sand or if in the rockwork I shape it to the rock so I can take the clam out easily if necessary without having to take out the base rock it would have attatched to otherwise.

[skeletor]

hey ROAB,

What sort of epoxy are you using ? is it that green/white stuff in the tube ?

thanks,
-skeletor-

[reefer on a budget]

i used aquamend from home depot and it is green/white. other brands ive tried tend to breakdown and crumble in water.

[loui]

I have always used you super glue gel and it has always worked and it is cheap and since it comes in small amounts I don't end up wasting a lot.

[AgentSPS]

I used to use epoxy but stopped after several RTN experiences. The issue I have with epoxy is that certain corals do not react well with it and it also can leach chemicals into the tank (evidence is in the way your skimmer reacts when you use it). As we all know, epoxy putties are two part. The curing agent needs to be mixed in order for the putty to cure. Being that the epoxy is in a putty form it makes it difficult for ALL the curing agent to be mixed in with the putty. Whatever is left over in the end and is exposed to water will dissolve into the water column. I have pulled out pieces of epoxy months after placing it in the tank and it still smelled. Crack it in half and the smell is even stronger. The curing agent is volatile and that is what you are smelling.

So I personally will limit my use of epoxy to only the most difficult mounting situations. Super glue works well enough for most jobs. Another benefit is that it is not toxic. The exact same super glue we us is used in surgery as a substitute for stitches.

[AgentSPS]

Oh...one other thing...during the curing process epoxy putty generates a lot of heat. Use too much and it might burn the coral tissue

[Znut Reefer]

I have tried the epoxy, My vote goes to supergel. So much easier. And I've never had a frag to come loose. And after two weeks you can't see the glue because the frag has encrusted over it. :)

[Sand Dollar]

i find an ideal size rock for the position in the tank and the frag that i am glueing to it. I like to use Scotch Super Glue Gel by 3M because it is actually a gel and not runny like the stuff at HD. Take the dried rock and then dab some super glue gel to where you want it, dab dry the broken off end of the frag and then mount it in the gel and hold in place approx. 1-2 minutes (usually takes hold alot faster). This is a little harder to do with frags that slime a bunch, just need to dab dry them more.

Then i use holdfast epoxy to mount it in the desired tank position. I find it easier to get frags where you want them this way.

[reefkeeper1]

It all depends on the frag I have. I received a frag from agentsps as thanks for looking after his tank, and because it had a nice wide base, and I was sticking it on a nice flat surface, I used superglue gel. With thinner and longer frags that I'm sticking to an irregular service, epoxy is the only sure bet for me to keep the the frag in place - especially if you have urchins and large snails. After using the Two Little Fishies AquaStik (caused my skimmer to go crazy) and Holdfast (didn't stick well enough) epoxy sticks, my favorite is the epoxy that Reefdream gets from Polymeric Systems. I like the Repairitquick over the Instacrete - they also make Aquamend. It's easy to work, sticks well, and doesn't cause my skimmer to go crazy. Another thing I do is stick a frag in a flower stem holder (you can get them at florists - wash out the liquid in them if they have any before you store or use them) and let it encrust the rubbery top of the stem holder. This is really low stress on the frag since no epoxy or superglue is touching the tissue. After the frag has encrusted, you can stick the whole holder in a crevice in your live rock, or you can pop off the top and epoxy it somewhere. David Cripe demonstrated how easy it was to do at a SeaBay meeting and it's also shown in Calfo's propagation book:

http://www.reeftank.com/150g20030820/images/IMG_8788.jpg

I almost forgot - I always put on nitrile gloves before I mix epoxy so that I don't develop an allergic reaction to it in the future.

[kelhuffman]

I use blue chewing gum. That way it looks like all my frags have encrusted a beautiful shiny blue base. awesome.

OK, really. epoxy is a PIA. But I use a fair amount of it after using gel super glue to mount the frag to a tiny piece of rock. literally wrap the rock in epoxy to get a firm hold. This works..most of the time. My epoxy tends to work itself loose over time. I might try reefer's method next.

Not sure about the toxicity part. I'm sure its not completely benign but I've never had the skimmers react even when I went crazy with epoxy in the tank one time.

I tried those plastic plugs for a while but there just isn't enough perfectly situated holes to stick them in. Great for propagating though.

[reefer on a budget]

im a bit surprised so few of you have tried using epoxy and glue together. been doing it for years and its far superior to the other methods listed above. i also have never had frags bleach due to glue or epoxy. that perhaps may be due to the extra handling required when using only epoxy.
everyone try the glue+epoxy next time you mount frags and you'll thank me.:D

kelly,
i still gotta see your tank when you're available. come by sometime and you'll see a whole set of new corals that you didnt see in my 120.

[rendeyxu]

that means the side which touch the rock doesn't have super glue or the side which touch the frag don't have super glue?

thx

[reefer on a budget]

hey rendey,
read directions
:lol: :cool:

[rendeyxu]

excuse my shabby english. just tell me , man

[rendeyxu]

got it.

[smiller]

Good tip. Thanks.

[JB NY]

OK I tried the epoxy/superglue combo yesterday. Awesome! Very easy to do it that way. I'll try it on more frags in the future, but everything stuck together very solid on this one.

Thanks for the great tip ROAB!

[reefer on a budget]

joe,
im glad someone took notice of this better way of mounting frags. you wouldnt believe how i mounted some of the frags in my tank. even colonies mounted on small rocks, im able to mount securely on other rocks.
so everyone uve heard it so now try it.
you'll all thank me.
:D

[kozmo02]

gel based super glue for me

[reefer on a budget]

kozmo,
let me know if u can mount large frags off overhangs/walls with that glue of yours underwater? :smokin:
i use that glue as well and it does not work as good as the mixture i suggest. trust me once you try it you wont mount any other way.

i guess the saying " you cant teach an old dog new tricks" applies here. :smokin:

just pulling your leg

[justletmein]

Wow, I lost several nice purple acro frags to RTN when mounting them with epoxy. I always wondered what happened. These were such nice frags that I wanted them in the perfect spot and probably over-used epoxy to position them perfectly. I didn't realize anyone had had any problems with it before.

[reefer on a budget]

justletmein

i think more than ever the handling required to mount frags using epoxy is what stresses out the coral the most, subsequently causing it to rtn. i remember using epoxy and having to attempt to mount the piece several times b4 the frag would stay put.

[justletmein]

Could be. I've been scared of it ever since so I haven't tried again. I'd used epoxy in the past without problems. I may try your method, or the other method of super-glueing to a small rock and then using epoxy on the rock. That epoxy I had never dried either. After a coupld days when I removed the frags it was still pliable and mushy, only a little firmer than it was to begin with. I threw the whole tube away thinking it might have been the epoxy, which was made by Two Little Fishies.

[deansreef]

SUPERGLUE BABY!!!!!!!

[JB NY]

Superglue just plain stinks when you have to mount it underwater though. I have had many times when the frag was fairly large and I was trying to get the piece mounted to a flat piece of rock. I would stick it underwater and it looks good, only to have it fall off a week later. The combo that ROAB uses it awesome, by far the best way I have tried to mount frags when doing it completely underwater. I'll try it on more pieces this week. But the first time I did it I was amazed at how well I was able to securely get the frag to stay.

[AcroSteve]

Still a little fuzzy.

So, if the superglue attaches the frag to the epoxy, and the superglue on the other side of the epoxy blob attaches the epoxy to the rock, what purpose does the epoxy serve?

Is it just for "gap filling"?

[AcroSteve]

Bump

[JB NY]

Gluing a frag with superglue underwater results in a poor bond. I find that snails frequently still are able to still knock them over, unless you have the thing superglued in that perfect hole in the rock. By using the epoxy the glue is able to bond to the rock much better with the epoxy behind it and the frag is securely attached to the epoxy as well.

[snelson]

So if I want to mount some frags to the back of the glass I put epoxy on the glass first? Then put glue on the frag and attatch together?

[JB NY]

no.

take a piece of epoxy. glue on one end, stick frag into the glue and epoxy. Glue other end of epoxy, stick that against the glass.

Glass|glue|epoxy|glue|frag

[snelson]

Will try it! Thanks! Also do you use the epoxy from Home Depot?

[JB NY]

no. I use Two Little Fishes epoxy it cost me like $8 at the LFS.

[yikan]

JB NY:

It sounds like a good idea. I used to use superglue to attach the frag to a small LR, and then use HoldFast (good stuff) to attach the small LR to the place I wanted. However it costs me both the LR rubble and the larger amout of Epoxy.

I have one concern though: If you put the glue in the mouting surface, and later you decide to change the location of the frag (which happens to us all the time), are you able to remove it easily with no mess with all the glue attached to the LR?

Thanks!
yikan

[Znut Reefer]

I was wondering this same thing. Anybody have any experience?

[reefer on a budget]

you're able to remove the mounted rubble quite easily. a lot of times i just do it by hand or with more stubborn pieces, just use a butter knife to pry it off. it does not not leave much mess as all once everything cures.

[Znut Reefer]

okay, thanks. I need to try this because I got two 6100's streams
and they will blow the frags off the rocks

[reefer on a budget]

i have plenty of flow in my tank with a am3k on a closed loop and a mag 18 for return. nothing gets dismounted by the current rather my hands do most of the damage when messing w/ the tank.:D

even with the 6100s, im sure ur frags will stay put.

[Malcolm_C]

"What sort of epoxy are you using ? is it that green/white stuff in the tube ?"

I use the tube stuff for large frags, and crazy glue for little frags.

[Mantis]

For very large frags I use the green epoxy. For everything else I use Borden's Super glue gell. It works very well even underwater. My sister in law gets it for me, she works for Bordens/Elmers. I have never seen this brand in a store. I'm sure she gets tired of me asking for more.

[Znut Reefer]

I tried ROAB method on a few of my frags. I know how I'll be attaching frags from now on. :)
It works great. Thanks ROAB for the great tip.

[reefer on a budget]

znut,
glad it worked out for u. im a bit surprised more people on here havent tried this method.
if they think mounting w/ only glue or epoxy works really well, they'd be shocked if they discovered this way of mounting.
u wouldnt believe the size frgs/small colonies ive mounted and they never come loose even with huge turbo snails in my tank

[Znut Reefer]

I'll have to admit, I wasn't sure about your method until I got in the streams and knew If I was going to have the full advantage of their flow. I was going to have to find a way to keep them from getting blown over . And, not to mention I got Turbos coming in Fri. My only thought is I wished I'd known sooner. The people who wonder if it works needs to try a couple frags this way. Then they will never try it any other way. I'm very pleased now I've got to do around 20 more and then I'm cranking up those streams.

[NuclearReefs]

im going to try glueing a frag to my glass magnet with this method,,,,:d...

[dbrown]

I'm about to glue my first frags. Can anyone give me the names of the epoxy and super glue gel to get at a Home depot?

Aquamend and any Gel super glue ok?

[NuclearReefs]

any superglue gel is okay, Just dry your rock off,, the right before you glue your frag to it,, dab the end of the coral grag to a paper towel,, connect the two then blow on it for about 30 seconds... not sniff,,,:D)

[mikeo1210]

Originally posted by dbrown
I'm about to glue my first frags. Can anyone give me the names of the epoxy and super glue gel to get at a Home depot?

Aquamend and any Gel super glue ok?

Aquamend and Super Glue brand gel (green tube). I've tried some other SG gels that were horrible.

[AcroSteve]

Originally posted by Mad_drama
"What sort of epoxy are you using ? is it that green/white stuff in the tube ?"

I have found that this is tackier than the grey epoxy and tends to stick a little better.

Also, the grey seems to get hotter when it is cureing.

[mikefish]

I've also been using this method for a couple years. It all depends on the situation. Sometimes I'll use just epoxy, sometimes just superglue, sometimes both. The problem with just epoxy is that it isn't actually appreciably sticky (underwater anyways), and it can only attach things by phyically locking them in place, such as in a hole in the rock. Superglue is of course sticky, but will not fill gaps, so the mating surfaces between the coral and the substrate have to be a very similar shape. So using both overcomes the shortcomings of each. The epoxy allows the formation of a perfect mating surface, and the superglue does the sticking. I usually press the epoxy against the rock surface to form it, then allow it to harden before I apply the superglue. Superglue doesn't work very well on a soft surface.

I use model plane builders superglue (much better quality and available in a range of viscosities and curing times) and plumbers gray epoxy from HD. I've never as far as I can tell had an RTN as a result of either glue. Sprung suggests that the epoxy can be used as a bandage for damaged areas of coral, in effect 'cauterizing' the wound. When mounting, I always make sure the the entire damaged/broken part of the frag is covered in whatever glue I'm using.
Mike

[MacnReef]

I used epoxy in the past but because of the ball it leaves and because it doesn't harden well to rock that has dirt on it. I now use Krazy Glue. I would recommend the gel type because I used the liquid and it ran alittle. I take small pieces of rock rubble and mount my frags to that. I use to mount to the man rock structure but now I realize that was extremely stupid because whenever I move thins, I usually have to move whole rocks...:(

Oh well, all is good now that I used rubble rock.:D

[SHOmuchFUN]

I use superglue to mount frags to liverock rubble... Then I use the epoxy to hold the rubble onto my main rockwork.

This allows me to break off the rubble down the road if I want to move my frags. Nothing is permanent, but I haven't ever really had a problem with frags falling.

[mikeo1210]

I used this method for the first time and happen to be very excited about it. Thanks ROAB. Gluing to rubble first is one idea but IMO can look pretty ugly.

[SHOmuchFUN]

I'd rather have it look like it's stuck to a piece of rubble, than to a piece of ghostly white epoxy... Eventually when it's overgrown with stag and acros, you won't see either ;)

[mikeo1210]

Originally posted by SHOmuchFUN
I'd rather have it look like it's stuck to a piece of rubble, than to a piece of ghostly white epoxy... Eventually when it's overgrown with stag and acros, you won't see either ;)

Point being.. I'm glad ROAB shared this I for one would never have tried this myself.

In order to glue that rubble on an overhang you may just need this method.

[SHOmuchFUN]

I agree, I'm going to try the method myself... I have a nice piece of A. Robusta coming from Reefermadness. Probably going to be my prized piece, want to hang it out right in the front for all to see :D

[john76]

I used this method last night to horizontally mount on one end a A. Aspera frag that has fallen twice with just superglue. Works like a charm. Thanks for the tip. Hopefully my frag will table out from the side of the rockwork now.

[New_Noob]

iv had frag of zoos on some tonga that woudl never stick to the rocks with glue or epoxy, but i put a little epoxy(aqua stick by Two Little Fishies) and a coated it with some super glue (Krazy glue) and just set it on the rock, it works great! i have yet to use it on an SPS frag, but it works great for small rocks.

[SHOmuchFUN]

So let me get this straight...

You do everything underwater, or outside until you place it???
1. Put superglue on bottom of frag
2. Attach epoxy
3. Put superglue on the open end of epoxy
4. Then place the frag on your rockwork?

[mikeo1210]

Originally posted by SHOmuchFUN
So let me get this straight...

You do everything underwater, or outside until you place it???
1. Put superglue on bottom of frag
2. Attach epoxy
3. Put superglue on the open end of epoxy
4. Then place the frag on your rockwork?

You got it.. do it outside tank before placing :thumbsup:

[Avi]

Hmmm...I've read this thread with a lot of interest and I see that there's a lot of experience with this here. I've never done this before but I'm interested in mounting some ricordea that are on small pieces of rock to the live rock in the tank....without taking the live rock out of the tank, if that's possible. I have the epoxy that's specifically for fish tank application, though I didn't yet buy the Super Glue Gel if that's needed.

Can anyone take the time to go through the steps, in order, that I'd need to go through to mount a piece of rock with the ricordea already attached to the live rock in the tank? THANKS

[SHOmuchFUN]

Originally posted by SHOmuchFUN
So let me get this straight...

You do everything underwater, or outside until you place it???
1. Put superglue on bottom of frag
2. Attach epoxy
3. Put superglue on the open end of epoxy
4. Then place the frag on your rockwork?

I just did I thought :confused:

I did it to attach some stag and also a piece of digitata... Worked like a charm! Stupid I've never thought of it before, nor have I really thought about doing it this way. So simple, yet so effective!

[reefer on a budget]

glad everyone is trying this out. its the best way of mounting everything whether its a frag or rubble.
a patent for an ingenuis way of mounting corals is in the work.:smokin:

[v10king]

I just used this method on some big frags I picked up from ORA. IT works great! Thanks.

[jim.l]

Get Califo's book "book of coral propogation". It provides methods for fragmenting and attaching many types of corals, plus it's a good read;; well worth the price.

[NuclearReefs]

This method here ensures that the exposed end of the coral is covered and will not RTN on you .. Originally posted by SHOmuchFUN
So let me get this straight...

You do everything underwater, or outside until you place it???
1. Put superglue on bottom of frag
2. Attach epoxy
3. Put superglue on the open end of epoxy
4. Then place the frag on your rockwork?

The coral will encrust over the epoxy in no time and will continue to grow.....

Nathan

[Avi]

I'm no expert and I learned this pretty much from this thread, but I've mounted two frags on the live rock so far and it worked out very well. You take the coral and the rock that it's on out of the water for a very brief time when you do this. It won't hurt the coral...well, not the Turbularia and not the toad stool leather that I've done so far, anyway.

Just make sure that you don't skimp with the epoxy and at the same time don't use so much that it looks like a mass of epoxy, because it stays somewhat white for a while. Also, hold it for about four to five minutes in the exact position that you want it after you've pressed the epoxy on which you've placed the coral into place on the rock, so that it doesn't shift out of place or fall off the live rock.

As mentioned above, after a while the coraline algae will cover the epoxy and you won't be able to tell that you mounted it yourself.

[SeanT]

Originally posted by NuclearReefs
This method here ensures that the exposed end of the coral is covered and will not RTN on you
ROAB didn't say that.
An SPS coral can RTN on you because it didn't like the score of a game, that it didn't see, on another planet, at night, Wednesday night.
;)

[NuclearReefs]

well,, this is personal exp.... ive never had one rtn on me after doing this..........

[SeanT]

That's cool.
Just didn't want some less experienced reefer to believe that this would prevent RTN no matter what. :)

[Hef]

Another vote that this is a Great way to mount frags. You can use such a small amount of epoxy...Please, let me explain how to do it this time. I make a small ball, smaller than the diameter of the frag. I put a little super gel on the epoxy(I like putting it on the epoxy not the frag, it cant drip on the frag this way) - then press the frag on - hold for 10 seconds - turn upside down - put glue on the other side of epxoy (a little extra glue on this side - then immediatly into the tank and press down on to the final resting place, the epoxy will squeeze out to the diameter of the frag, maybe a little wider, but not too much, I hate that - Hold for 20-30 seconds......Done. And it's done with confidence as opposed to just super Gel alone.
You can mount the smallest little pieces of Monti Dig this way or the biggest frags.

Thanks for the great tip Reefer Budget Dude.

Hef

[NuclearReefs]

Originally posted by SeanT
That's cool.
Just didn't want some less experienced reefer to believe that this would prevent RTN no matter what. :)

well,your right in saying that anything can cause RTN and STN. just moving a rock in a tank can stir up enough bad stuff to start a chain reaction ..... but touching the tissue with dirty hands is bad to,, especially if you just washed your hands with antibaterial soaps,,,, Its like watching a downdraft skimmer after you put your hands in the tank,, the foam dies ...... this is why you hear people harping on keeping your hands outta the tank!! You skin's oil do have an effect on water......

[SeanT]

Your telling ME about keeping your hands out of the tank!?!?!?!?!?!

ROFL.

Lemme' just dig up a thread for you.

[SeanT]

Ahhh here it is. ;)

Another...your tank can be dangerous thread. (http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=414029)

Trust me, I am Joe "Keep your Bare Hands Out of the Tank." :D

[NuclearReefs]

omg!!!...lol,,,okay that must have been horrific.....I swelled up like that from a brown hornet bite when i was about 12.. then my skin started cracking , etc,,,, anyway,,,,, LOL that was a trumping comment...

[SeanT]

;)

When I dug up that thread I saw that someone requested updated pics of my thumb...go check 'em out.

Oh the price we pay for our hobby. :D


BTW, wasn't this thread about glue or sumthin'? :)

[NuclearReefs]

yep,, have you tried to glue any frags to the back of your tank? I turned off my pumps and did this on a 75 I had,,,, it was really wild after about 6 months,,,,lol,, started growing over the suction cups on a maxijet...... it was a acrojet,,,lol

[SeanT]

Man, I grew out a monti on the end of my sea swirl once.
Started a thread in this forum awhile back.
Did pretty well too. :)

[SeanT]

Check it out.
http://bellsouthpwp.net/t/o/tobin_s/Animation.gif

[SeanT]

Here is the thread.
My Crazy SPS experiment. (http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=220036&highlight=swirl)

[NuclearReefs]

i know this is a little off thread ,, but I have a humilis frag hanging in my prop tank.....I wanna see what kinda growth i get from it...

[SeanT]

Sounds cool. I have read some thread...threads before. :)

[NuclearReefs]

lol,, okay ,, out with the dremel tommmorow,, Im going to " Thread" a frag and hang it,,

It on now,,,LOL!

[SeanT]

We both lose.
There is a person here (Fricks n Frags is what I believe his name is) who is just the Mack Daddy of Frag Hanging.

There is this awesome thread and he is the MAN!

[SeanT]

It's too bad a lot of the pics don't show anymore. :(
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=107664

[bigfishman]

I tried but it didnt work for you. NO know why.

1. Put superglue on bottom of frag
2. Attach epoxy
3. Put superglue on the open end of epoxy
4. Then place the frag on your rockwork?

So,step 1, step 2 and step 3 are done outside of the water and only step 4 is done in the tank?

If so, will the superglue relaese a little bit and then flow in the water before it wil attach the frag to the rock in the tank?

[bluefaceking]

bump

[Hef]

BigFishMan, if you are using Superglue Gel, then no, the glue does not flow in the water, it stays where you put it. Just press the epoxy down a little, which will make the glue attach very well to the rock.

To Everyone,
how many of you attach corals, be it a small frag or larger unattached colonies, directly to a set piece of live rock? What I mean is, I know a lot of us attach to a small piece of rubble, then place it somewhere. Thats good if you want to move it around, but you lose that "natural" look. That permanent fix looks so nice.

It's scary for me, as often as I rearrange my rockwork.

Hef

[Znut Reefer]

I use the expoxy and the super glue method to attach all my frags to rock and then attach the frags rock to my rock work. That way they don't fall over or move around. I have a lot of current in my tank. Otherwise I'd have frags blown everywhere!

[reefer on a budget]

Originally posted by kheflw
BigFishMan, if you are using Superglue Gel, then no, the glue does not flow in the water, it stays where you put it. Just press the epoxy down a little, which will make the glue attach very well to the rock.

To Everyone,
how many of you attach corals, be it a small frag or larger unattached colonies, directly to a set piece of live rock? What I mean is, I know a lot of us attach to a small piece of rubble, then place it somewhere. Thats good if you want to move it around, but you lose that "natural" look. That permanent fix looks so nice.

It's scary for me, as often as I rearrange my rockwork.

Hef

its a good idea to mount on a small piece of rubble which is then glued to the rockwork. this way, if anything ever happens to your coral such that it needs to be removed from the tank, u can do it easily by breaking off the epoxy leaving the coral untouched. i started doing this with new corals cuz i got tired of moving corals by breaking the base that were well encrusted on rocks.

if you have enough rubble u should be able to easily find a rock that fits your rockwork. if all else fails u can use more epoxy to fill in the voids between the rubble and rock.

this by far is the best way ive found to mount sps frags including colonies. no way youd be able to do this using just glue or epoxy alone.

[SeanT]

ROAB,
I want to thank you for this method.
I used it last weekend and it worked beautifully.
Sean

[rockyboy30000]

super glue and crazy glue are too much of a mess.. so dont even bother with these..

[JB NY]

Use CA gel, it shouldn't make a mess at all.

[Hef]

One of those classic threads, thought I would bring it back to life.

I just posted this in the NJRC Forum. Good Glue.

Reef Glue (Boston Aqua Farms) Good Stuff!
I won one the bottles of this stuff at the December Meeting. I've been using it for a few weeks now, and I gotta say, it's really good stuff.
I've always bought the Super Glue Gel in the small tubes. Pain in the neck, the valve gets clogged after the first use, but it does work good.
Anyway, this Reef Glue, is in a 2 oz bottle.
http://www.bostonaquafarms.com/


It doesnt harden up in the bottle, stays fluid, the Tip does not clog if you leave the top on it, and it works as good as the Gel.

Now I should say that I always use the Epoxy method of mounting frags, small piece of epoxy, put the Glue on one side, press the frag onto the glue into the epoxy. Then glue the other side of the epoxy and mount in the tank or onto a small piece of rubble, then repeat that for mounting in the tank.

This glue is not as thick as the Gel, but with the epoxy it works perfect.

I should say I also got a bottle of the Glue Accelerator. I have never used it, I only use the Glue.

[Brion~]

I've always had good luck with gel superglue. doesn't make skimmer go nutty... been using some new stuff though that i really dig. Speedglue. powder form, mix with water, hardens within minutes. doesn't make skimmer go crazy and cures rock hard. Takes a little while to get used to but pretty good stuff. also does'nt stink or make you hand feel funny like epoxy.
SpeedGlue (http://captiveoceans.cybrhost.com/mm5/)

[rschelby]

I tried the glue-epoxy-glue method and I have to say that it went really well. I believe that if it isn't clear by now, the epoxy does serve as an adjustable interface between two uneven surfaces. It made mounting my frags easy and doesn't leave unsightly white rolls hanging out. (lol, that brings some interesting visuals)

Thanks for the help guys!

Russell

[Mahlhavoc]

Living with a woman has it's advantages, I use the nail glue she uses for her nails. . it is still Super Glue gel .. but sometimes, it comes in pink!

I knew there was a way to get my wife into the saltwater realm of lost money and many self inflicted extra hours of labor, joy, and tears!

[250G]

Also consider the coral pegging system - it offers many advantages (as outlined in the May TOTM). :D

I love being above to move any coral at any time, specially when the corals get bigger. Also makes placing corals more stable, so they do not fall over and touch........becuase you know how happy it makes you when this happens!

[ncwaterboy]

Bump for a great thread from a while a go. I wish I would have known of this method earlier as it would have saved me a lot of grief and possibly some specimens.

[unbreakable]

do you guys use the super glue gel to attach the epoxy to the rock? i have the two little fishes epoxy that wont attach to rock, it just slides off. after mixing it, would i have to glue the bottom of the epoxy then push it into the rock?

then would i have to attach the disk frag where the frags comes on, and push in into the epoxy? or should i put glue on the disk frag as well before pushing it into the epoxy?

[george albert]

i use the super glue gel to attach frags to my rock work and havent had a problem yet

[unbreakable]

i would do that too but i have some trochous snails that have broken frags off of the rock when they were glued down

[ncwaterboy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12467395#post12467395 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by nietzsche
do you guys use the super glue gel to attach the epoxy to the rock? i have the two little fishes epoxy that wont attach to rock, it just slides off. after mixing it, would i have to glue the bottom of the epoxy then push it into the rock?
then would i have to attach the disk frag where the frags comes on, and push in into the epoxy? or should i put glue on the disk frag as well before pushing it into the epoxy?

From Hef's earlier post

Another vote that this is a Great way to mount frags. You can use such a small amount of epoxy...Please, let me explain how to do it this time. I make a small ball, smaller than the diameter of the frag. I put a little super gel on the epoxy(I like putting it on the epoxy not the frag, it cant drip on the frag this way) - then press the frag on - hold for 10 seconds - turn upside down - put glue on the other side of epxoy (a little extra glue on this side - then immediatly into the tank and press down on to the final resting place, the epoxy will squeeze out to the diameter of the frag, maybe a little wider, but not too much, I hate that - Hold for 20-30 seconds......Done. And it's done with confidence as opposed to just super Gel alone.
You can mount the smallest little pieces of Monti Dig this way or the biggest frags.

Thanks for the great tip Reefer Budget Dude.

Hef

[ncwaterboy]

This explains why it is so successful:
I tried the glue-epoxy-glue method and I have to say that it went really well. I believe that if it isn't clear by now, the epoxy does serve as an adjustable interface between two uneven surfaces. It made mounting my frags easy and doesn't leave unsightly epoxy using out