Best glue for frags?

[Ranchhand02]

I ordered around ten different coral frags and I have had them in my sand bed for the last couple of weeks. They are all on frag plugs currently. I am planning on cutting the bottom off of the frag plugs and then using glue or reef safe putty to attach them to the rocks. What is the best glue and method to do this? Thanks

[PirateToast]

I ordered around ten different coral frags and I have had them in my sand bed for the last couple of weeks. They are all on frag plugs currently. I am planning on cutting the bottom off of the frag plugs and then using glue or reef safe putty to attach them to the rocks. What is the best glue and method to do this? Thanks

Here's my advice:


Don't use putty, it's a mess, looks bad, doesn't work great anyways
Don't use any regular super glue, it works terribly under water for the most part
Seachem Reef Glue is OK
Two Little Fishies CorAffix is the best stuff I've ever used

[scooter31707]

Seachem is good, but if you want to go cheaper, get some regular Crazy-glue.

[mcgyvr]

I LOVE this now for all my coral/macro/household gluing needs..
http://www.gorillatough.com/gorilla-super-glue-gel

Any gel superglue is far superior to the "regular" liquid stuff..

and in general anything sold by a "saltwater" company is just superglue anyways with a higher markup..
Its all cyanoacrylate (some thicker than others)

[billdogg]

Whatever brand gel "Superglue" that is cheapest.

[slief]

I recently started using Fauna Marin AquaScape Fix. It's pretty slick stuff that can be reused. They are little plastic like beads that you put into a cup of hot water. They soften up and turn into a sticky glue when heated. You take a bit and place it on the rock or frag plug and add a bit to the coral forming it around the cut end. Then stick the coral to the plug or rock. It can be used under water without issue and hardens slow enough that you can work your coral into place but fast enough that you don't have to hold it log at all. It hardens as it cools. What you don't use can be flattened out and reheated in water at a later time. I microwave a bit of water and drop some pellets into the water when I am adding corals. It's a terrific option to that epoxy stuff though not always as convenient as the gel type glue for small frags but for larger frags as well as bonding any new coral to rock, I really like it. It's odorless and doesnt cause protein skimmers to go nuts. It's completely non toxic and the corals will grow right over it. It hardens into a solid hard piece of plastic. The stuff also goes a long way and best of all, it doesn't stick to your skin like glue or epoxy sticks when your working with it.

You can order it here:
http://cm-distributors.com/product/aqua-scape-fix

[jacksonpt]

superglue gel to glue to the coral/plug/rock whatever in place.
putty to support the coral/plug/rock whatever in its place. I like putties a lot because, while you have to take your time with them and they don't hold as well (so puttying corals into certain positions may not always work), they do allow fairly easy removal if you ever need to move the coral.

The best combo I've found is this:
Superglue gel to bond the coral to the putty... putty to form to the rock... superglue gel to bond the putty to the rock.


So it layers up like this:

coral
superglue gel
putty
superglue gel
rock

[HiImSean]

superglue gel to glue to the coral/plug/rock whatever in place.
putty to support the coral/plug/rock whatever in its place. I like putties a lot because, while you have to take your time with them and they don't hold as well (so puttying corals into certain positions may not always work), they do allow fairly easy removal if you ever need to move the coral.

The best combo I've found is this:
Superglue gel to bond the coral to the putty... putty to form to the rock... superglue gel to bond the putty to the rock.


So it layers up like this:

coral
superglue gel
putty
superglue gel
rock

This is what I do too. I use JB Water Weld as my putty and just cheap super glue gel.

[jayball]

superglue gel to glue to the coral/plug/rock whatever in place.
putty to support the coral/plug/rock whatever in its place. I like putties a lot because, while you have to take your time with them and they don't hold as well (so puttying corals into certain positions may not always work), they do allow fairly easy removal if you ever need to move the coral.

The best combo I've found is this:
Superglue gel to bond the coral to the putty... putty to form to the rock... superglue gel to bond the putty to the rock.


So it layers up like this:

coral
superglue gel
putty
superglue gel
rock

This is the best way to avoid the sinking "where did that frag go?" feeling. The trick is to use just the right amount of putty to fill the space between the rock and plug. Also try for a single with a little twist, if you screw with putty underwater too long it gets goopy from taking on water.

[Buzz1329]

FWIW, I no longer use putty. It causes skimmer to overflow, and I find that it does not always hold coral in place.

[j_mazzy]

I like gorilla glue gel

[juniorrocketdad]

Putty for me works fine although mixing it up can be annoying, I tried the ecotech coral glue but it is horrible, it is so hard to get out of the bottle so now I am going to try Jurassic gel since it's pretty cheap for a big tube, next i will prolly buy gorilla glue

[2wheelsonly]

I have used so many different types of glue, nothing and I mean nothing compares to the eco-tech glue. It works wonders...

[Jah2707]

superglue gel to glue to the coral/plug/rock whatever in place.
putty to support the coral/plug/rock whatever in its place. I like putties a lot because, while you have to take your time with them and they don't hold as well (so puttying corals into certain positions may not always work), they do allow fairly easy removal if you ever need to move the coral.

The best combo I've found is this:
Superglue gel to bond the coral to the putty... putty to form to the rock... superglue gel to bond the putty to the rock.


So it layers up like this:

coral
superglue gel
putty
superglue gel
rock

I 3rd this. I have tried using just super glue but half the time I have to reglue the frag down.

[ssick92]

This is what I have always used. Works great and comes with 2 tips so that when 1 gets all gross you can switch to another.

It is probably the same as most other Super Glue Gel products, but I am always weary of putting anything in the tank that I don't know how it will react chemically with the water and I know this stuff won't cause any harm.

IC-Gel (http://www.marinedepot.com/Bob_Smith_Industries_BSI_Cyanoacrylate_IC_Gel_Aquarium_Frag_Glue_20_gram_Coral_Glue_and_Aquarium_Epo xy_-Bob_Smith_Industries-YJ1111-FIMTEP-vi.html)

[SDguy]

This works every time for me...

Take steel brush. Brush clean surface of live rock where frag is to be attached. The surface must be free of algae,detritus, etc. Also, the steel brush will "rough up" the surface, allowing the glue to adhere better. This is all done without removing the rock from the water. Next, remove the frag from the water, and do the same thing to the surface of the frag that is to be glued. If it is a frag plug, I usually just dremel off the peg. I also will crisscross score the surface of the plug/disc, again, so the glue will adhere better, especially for larger pieces. Rinse off any dust made by the steel brush or dremel. Next, take an appropriate amount of Aquamend epoxy (depending on size of frag) and knead it thoroughly. Pat dry the surface of the frag to be glued with a paper towel. Add superglue gel to this surface. Squish the epoxy ball onto the superglue gelled surface. Add superglue gel to the opposite side of the epoxy ball. Place frag into water. A skin will form over the superglue gel. Firmly squish the epoxy ball onto the already cleaned surface of the live rock. You may need to slightly rotate the frag as you press, so that the skin on the superglue gel is broken. This will ensure proper contact between aquamend and live rock. Hold for anywhere from 5 to 30 or more seconds (again, depending on frag size). Done! :)

Don't touch the frag for at least 24 hours, so that the aquamend fully cures.

HTH

I understand aquamend is no longer sold (at least at HD), I use JB waterweld without issue.

[Buzz1329]

Here's my advice:


Don't use putty, it's a mess, looks bad, doesn't work great anyways
Don't use any regular super glue, it works terribly under water for the most part
Seachem Reef Glue is OK
Two Little Fishies CorAffix is the best stuff I've ever used


Totally agree that putty/epoxy is not the way to go. It causes skimmer to overflow for days on end. Even with superglue added to bottom side (that attaches to rocks), it can crumble, and IME seems to turn more brittle as time goes by. If coral affixed to rockwork with epoxy breaks off, it is a nightmare getting epoxy residue out.

I've heard good things about Gorilla gel superglue (including post in this thread) and will likely use this when I affix coral frags to bottom of my (now) BB front of my 180.

Good luck,

Mike

[taby15]

I'm going to try seachem

[tlc]

I like the brs gel super glue. its nice and thick. I also use the bob smith insta set accelerator. just a few drops and the super glue hardens in seconds

[juniorrocketdad]

I just used a lot of Jurassic gel on my scape and with the bsi accelerator it works great

[dcrowley3]

I agree putty is not very good and looks ugly. I use super glue gel.

I found that Harbor freight sells it in a 10 pack for like $4. They are small single use (able to glue several frags per bottle) and no hassles with sealing the remaining bottle and then having the pain in the butt issue of trying to get it unclogged next time you try to use it.

Harbor Freight super glue gel is super cheap and easy, which there is not much of that in this hobby.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

[vashawn]

BSi !!!!!!

[UBOMW]

So if not using putty, and just using a super glue gel, what is the process?

Remove coral from plug, add gel to coral )out of water), do you need to let the gel set in air at all? How long? How long do you need to hold the coral in place (for example, if you have lionfish and don't really want your arm in the tank for to long...)?

Thanks.

[SDguy]

So if not using putty, and just using a super glue gel, what is the process?

Remove coral from plug, add gel to coral )out of water), do you need to let the gel set in air at all? How long? How long do you need to hold the coral in place (for example, if you have lionfish and don't really want your arm in the tank for to long...)?

Thanks.

I think you need to ask people what they are gluing. A tiny SPS frag? Sure... just superglue. A larger SPS frag? Sure, superglue gel. An even larger SPS frag? Superglue gel + epoxy putty. LPS or softie frags.... definitely superglue gel + epoxy putty.

[SDguy]

Totally agree that putty/epoxy is not the way to go. It causes skimmer to overflow for days on end. Even with superglue added to bottom side (that attaches to rocks), it can crumble, and IME seems to turn more brittle as time goes by. If coral affixed to rockwork with epoxy breaks off, it is a nightmare getting epoxy residue out.


No offense, but I think you did it wrong then.

[Buzz1329]

No offense, but I think you did it wrong then.

No offense taken. I'm happy to learn. I used epoxy to mount dozens of relatively small SPS frags to rockwork in my 2 tanks. I kneaded epoxy for a few minutes. I then attached frag to epoxy with super glue and then used super glue to attach bottom of epoxy to the rock. When attaching more than 1 or 2 frags, my FF overflowed, and I had to open gate valve completely and reduce airflow into skimmer pump to reduce overflow. As a result, I stopped using the epoxy and went with superglue only, which eliminated the skimmer overflow.

While most of the epoxy-mounted frags (especially montipora) eventually overgrew the epoxy and remained stable, I had a number of frags that showed good to moderate growth but had “rickety” connection to rocks. I pulled these frags out and, after scrubbing epoxy from the base, remounted them with superglue only (not on original site) without any problems. But chalky residue of epoxy spread throughout tank upon removal of frag and it took weeks of siphoning during water changes to completely remove the stuff left on the rocks, which in some cases turned black.

Based on your prior post, I’m assuming that it was a mistake to use epoxy to mount smaller SPS frags?

When you do you use epoxy (to mount LPS/softies/larger SPS frags), how do you do it?

Thanks,

Mike

[SDguy]

I covered my opinion. Thanks.

[pisanoal]

No offense taken. I'm happy to learn. I used epoxy to mount dozens of relatively small SPS frags to rockwork in my 2 tanks. I kneaded epoxy for a few minutes. I then attached frag to epoxy with super glue and then used super glue to attach bottom of epoxy to the rock. When attaching more than 1 or 2 frags, my FF overflowed, and I had to open gate valve completely and reduce airflow into skimmer pump to reduce overflow. As a result, I stopped using the epoxy and went with superglue only, which eliminated the skimmer overflow.

While most of the epoxy-mounted frags (especially montipora) eventually overgrew the epoxy and remained stable, I had a number of frags that showed good to moderate growth but had “rickety” connection to rocks. I pulled these frags out and, after scrubbing epoxy from the base, remounted them with superglue only (not on original site) without any problems. But chalky residue of epoxy spread throughout tank upon removal of frag and it took weeks of siphoning during water changes to completely remove the stuff left on the rocks, which in some cases turned black.

Based on your prior post, I’m assuming that it was a mistake to use epoxy to mount smaller SPS frags?

When you do you use epoxy (to mount LPS/softies/larger SPS frags), how do you do it?

Thanks,

Mike

What epoxy do you use? JB waterweld? Ive never had this issue, and use epoxy for all of my frag mounting. I just broke down my 40 after 2 years, and had to pry the epoxy plugs off the rock with a screwdriver.

I also have some left over rock that I put together with epoxy in my first biocube. It has been wet/dry/wet etc several times over the last 4 years and its just as strong as the day it cured (to my observations only, obviously not scientifically tested).

I wonder if you didn't mix it well enough? Or if it was old/dried out when you bought it/mixed it? Just seems odd based on my own experiences.

[scubadan206]

Use Epo-Putty two part epoxy. It hardens like steel and has no effect on skimmer performance. I have bought frags that used aquarium epoxy and had it fall apart as well. Epo-Putty was introduced to RC by Ching Chai and Nineball after that. It's the best and is comparatively cheap.
I use it on larger sps frags as well as rockwork. I use glue from BRS and accelerant on smaller sps, montipora, and zoanthid.

[Buzz1329]

What epoxy do you use? JB waterweld? Ive never had this issue, and use epoxy for all of my frag mounting. I just broke down my 40 after 2 years, and had to pry the epoxy plugs off the rock with a screwdriver.

I also have some left over rock that I put together with epoxy in my first biocube. It has been wet/dry/wet etc several times over the last 4 years and its just as strong as the day it cured (to my observations only, obviously not scientifically tested).

I wonder if you didn't mix it well enough? Or if it was old/dried out when you bought it/mixed it? Just seems odd based on my own experiences.

Thanks,

I used brand new Two Little Fishes epoxy. It's quite possible that I did not knead it enough. Not sure what "enough" is, though.

When you used epoxy to attach multiple frags, did you get the skimmer overflow response that I did?

Mike

[Buzz1329]

Use Epo-Putty two part epoxy. It hardens like steel and has no effect on skimmer performance. I have bought frags that used aquarium epoxy and had it fall apart as well. Epo-Putty was introduced to RC by Ching Chai and Nineball after that. It's the best and is comparatively cheap.
I use it on larger sps frags as well as rockwork. I use glue from BRS and accelerant on smaller sps, montipora, and zoanthid.

Thanks! I will definitely order some Epo-Putty two part epoxy to have it on hand should I need to add more coral to rocks.

Again, I appreciate receiving actual advice based on your experience rather than cryptic "What I have written is written."

Mike

[scubadan206]

Peter's tank used it to build over 1500 pounds of rockwork, so we know it's good stuff.

[Buzz1329]

Peter's tank used it to build over 1500 pounds of rockwork, so we know it's good stuff.

Great, thanks.

Who's Peter BTW?

MIke

[dcrowley3]

Today I just used Harbor Freight super glue gel to glue a piece of shelf rock to the back glass. It was about 6 inches long and worked great.

Took the piece of rock out of the bucket, dried off the flat side (that I cut with my chop saw), applied glue, pushed it against the wall, held for about 30 seconds, good to go. No need to let sit or anything.

So I'm sure that Super glue gel can glue any size frag.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

[Buzz1329]

Today I just used Harbor Freight super glue gel to glue a piece of shelf rock to the back glass. It was about 6 inches long and worked great.

Took the piece of rock out of the bucket, dried off the flat side (that I cut with my chop saw), applied glue, pushed it against the wall, held for about 30 seconds, good to go. No need to let sit or anything.

So I'm sure that Super glue gel can glue any size frag.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

Cool. And now I have my go to super glue. A Harbor Freight store opened recently in in my area (north shore of Staten Island). I'll pick some of the glue up this weekend.

Thanks again,

Mike

Much appreciated

[scubadan206]

Great, thanks.

Who's Peter BTW?

MIke

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKCLuIYBx30
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1811725
This thread is one of the best [longest] on reefcentral.
I'll assume you haven't seen it. Peter [nineball] was a reef rookie who took the suggestion of his contractor and built a "water feature" into his basement renovation.
He decided on a 1350 gallon reef tank.
He knew very little about the subject and therefor asks questions constantly.
He eventually has quite a few of the industry experts in his area involved in what he calls "our" tank. What he builds is arguably the best reef tank in the world in a private home. I enjoy reading his thread once in a while as he basically pioneers some of the products and technology we take for granted even now.

[Buzz1329]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKCLuIYBx30
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1811725
This thread is one of the best [longest] on reefcentral.
I'll assume you haven't seen it. Peter [nineball] was a reef rookie who took the suggestion of his contractor and built a "water feature" into his basement renovation.
He decided on a 1350 gallon reef tank.
He knew very little about the subject and therefor asks questions constantly.
He eventually has quite a few of the industry experts in his area involved in what he calls "our" tank. What he builds is arguably the best reef tank in the world in a private home. I enjoy reading his thread once in a while as he basically pioneers some of the products and technology we take for granted even now.

Thanks. I will definitely read the thread. Building a 1350 gallon tank seems like reefer porn. :lmao: