Mounting Frags.

[Voltekker]

I buy frags all the time and they all do really well in my tank. I just havent figured out how to take this plugs, the ones that dont fit in some crack of the rock or somthing and mount them to my LR. They usually sit in my sand bed. Ive seen in tank pictures a putty or somthing people use to do this. Anyone know what it is or what i can use to glow the plgs to my LR.

[seattlerob]

Hi Voltekker: super glue GEL works very well for mounting frags. It works best when you can take both the LR & frag out of the water, although I believe it can be done underwater but the degree of difficulty is just a little higher. Super glue GEL can be found at most all variety & hardware stores.

Another option is underwater epoxy, such as this: http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=TLF-AQUASTIK-GRAY&Category_Code=Glue

I understand there are similar underwater epoxies available at most hardware stores.

I personally prefer super glue gel. Often times what I end up doing is super gluing the frag to a very small piece of rubble rock, and then use the epoxy to stick that rock to my LR in the tank.

When using either, keep in mind that they use chemical reactions to 'stick', which results in heat that could be detrimental to your frag. With super glue gel, I would recommend sticking together, waiting a few seconds for it to set, and then putting into the water. The water will help disipate the heat. With the epoxy, I've had a couple of frags partially die from the heat, but luckily they recovered ok. Some online coral vendors recommend against the epoxy for attaching frags.

hth,
rob

[Voltekker]

ive mounted a bunch of frags on rocks that came loose in the bags. They just keep getting knocked over. Im really worried about the stuff in the epoxy also. Will it be bad for water chemistry ? I might just pull the rock out of the tank like you said.

[Ken668]

The only thing that I'm aware of with regards to using the epoxy in the water is, your skimmer will go nuts for a couple hours. (note: overflow if not careful) I've never noticed any changes in water chemistry, although I'm sure it might have some minor changes to PH or the like.

[seattlerob]

I, too, have not noticed any negative effects from the underwater epoxy except what I already noted about the heat. I normally try & avoid direct contact w/corals using epoxy, but from time to time I still do it. In those cases, I just put the epoxy on the LR & wait a few minutes before putting the frag on.

The epoxy stuff is excellent for bonding rock to rock, which is how I use it 95% of the time. Besides frags, it's great for aquascaping.

[Voltekker]

so this is stuff i can actually put the tubes inthe water squeeze it onto the rock and then set the frag. The actual coral are already mounted on small pieces of rocks. i just need to now mount those small pieces.

[seattlerob]

The epoxy stuff is a 2-part puddy. Comes in a roll, like a hotdog. You just cut off however much you think you'll need, and then knead it with your fingers to mix the 2 parts. At this point, you have about 20 minutes before it starts to harden. During that time, you can put it into the water & attach the 2 pieces of rock. The epoxy fully cures in 24 hrs. You can break it apart if necessary using some force.

hth,
rob

[Voltekker]

Rob thanks so much for all your help, the epoxy is the puddy i see all over the place in the reef tank pictures. I have one last question in refrence to the heat you mentioned. Since i wont be attaching the actual frag to the epoxy should i have to worry about the heat. Would additional flow help with the "heat"

[seattlerob]

Nope, IME, if you're not putting the frag in contact to the epoxy, it's a non-issue. When kneading in my hands, I don't really notice the heat, but I think corals it's enough to upset them.

The experience I had was using epoxy to mount 2 monti caps to LR. About 2-3 days later, the monti caps bleached on top exactly where the epoxy was on the bottom. Luckily, the frags were big enough that the bleached portion was only about 25% or so, so it eventually grew back just fine.

I think the heat starts when you mix the 2 parts, but quickly disipates as the epoxy cures, and when put into the water, will quickly reach equalibrium with the water temp.

Also, after a short while coralline will cover the epoxy & then you can't even see it. Besides grey, they also make pink epoxy. For whatever reason, the pink is about 2 times the cost, and since it all eventually gets covered by coralline, color is really a non-issue.

Good luck!

Rob

[dstall]

Just so i'm clear the super glue gel has no toxic affect in the tank? Is there a certain gel brand you use?

[seattlerob]

dstall: I have had no negative experience using super glue gel. I have heard there is still a heat issue, so after I apply the super glue gel to the frag/LR, I wait a few seconds for the glue to set, then put it into the tank to disipate any heat. I have never actually had any coral react negative to heat from super glue gel, but since I heard it could be an issue, I just follow the recommendation.

That I am aware of, any brand will do, just make sure it's GEL. I have also heard it can be applied underwater, but I personally have never attempted that.

Good luck!
Rob

[Ken668]

You want to make sure it's pure cyanoacrylate. There are some super glues on the market that contain other "additives". I would steer clear of those.