Coral gluing issues

[allendehl]

Hello guys,

I've been buying the Seachem ReefGlue from Amazon and I'm having some serious headaches with it.

It may very well be me not gluing the corals right, so any suggestions are welcome.The bottom line is that it takes me forever and lots of glue to get a frag to finally stick to a rock.
This glue becomes sort of a slime when it gets in contact with the cool water and it is hard to get it to stick to the rocks, it does stick very well to my fingers tho. I wiggle it and press it (with a good amount of glue in, not cheaping out) and it comes right off. When it does, I see the patch of glue just pressed against the frag and very little of it on the rock, it doesn't give me the impression is is sticking to it.

Any tips on how to improve my efficiency or a better product?

Thanks!

 

[Fourstars]

Glue/epoxy putty/glue. Works great. WWC recommends this method also.

 

[homer1475]

JB water weld 2 part epoxy, and a loctite super glue gel sandwich. Both can be had at your local big box store(lowes, HD, Walmart, etc), loads cheaper then "coral" glue, and work just as well if not better.



The trick is to make a sandwich. Kneed some epoxy, glue it to the frag plug, or coral frag, small dollop of glue on the bottom of the epoxy, press to rock and hold for a minute. The super glue will hold the plug to the epoxy, and epoxy to rock until the epoxy sets up.



FWIW, make sure you buy gel super glue as the regular thin stuff runs and instantly sets when exposed to water. With a dollop of gel it only forms a "skin" on the surface of the bubble, and will pop when pushed on.

 

[EMeyer]

IMHO the sandwich method produces large unsightly mounds of glue.

To glue frags with just superglue gel, first put a little on your finger and rub it directly on the rock where you want to place the frag. Then glue the frag on that spot using not very much glue -- more isnt better in this case.

Very secure attachment without big blobs of putty.

 

[homer1475]

IMHO the sandwich method produces large unsightly mounds of glue.

To glue frags with just superglue gel, first put a little on your finger and rub it directly on the rock where you want to place the frag. Then glue the frag on that spot using not very much glue -- more isnt better in this case.

Very secure attachment without big blobs of putty.

Only problem, the idea is to not get it on your fingers. That unsightly blob of putty, will be encrusted in a few months. I have some corals you have no idea where the plug is/was.



To each their own though. :thumbsup:

 

[jd371]

I use the glue in association with the putty and it works great. A few drops of glue to the bottom of the frag flatten a small ball of the putty and press that onto the frag a few more drops of the glue over that and then press that onto the rock. The putty conforms to the rock better with more surface area for the glue to bond with. If I'm placing a frag where it's pretty much flat I don't use the putty but do scrub the location with a toothbrush to get rid of the film on the rocks so the glue bonds better. No matter what method the rock should be scrubbed so the glue bonds better.

 

[EMeyer]

Only problem, the idea is to not get it on your fingers. That unsightly blob of putty, will be encrusted in a few months. I have some corals you have no idea where the plug is/was.



To each their own though. :thumbsup:

Well sure, just like every time I put my hand in the tank I don't *intend* to drip water all over the floor, but it happens anyway. So I keep a towel next to the tank now.

Once I realized I was always getting superglue on my fingers anyway I stopped worrying about it.

But you are right, lots of ways to achieve the same end.

 

[hkgar]

IMHO the sandwich method produces large unsightly mounds of glue.

To glue frags with just superglue gel, first put a little on your finger and rub it directly on the rock where you want to place the frag. Then glue the frag on that spot using not very much glue -- more isnt better in this case.

Very secure attachment without big blobs of putty.

See any unsightly mounds of glue? Every coral started on a frag plug fastened to the rock with the sandwich method. :spin1:

 

[EMeyer]

LOL no, not in a FTS of a mature tank. I mean right after gluing the frag to the rock and taking a photo of the frag itself. All superglue = no visible glue at that stage.

But like all aesthetic choices this is subjective and I'm not trying to tell others how to do it. Just stating what I view as a downside. The observation that my approach leaves glue on my fingers was certainly a fair observation of a downside to mine

 

[Dr RBG]

Glue on fingers solution

Glue on fingers solution

1 you can wear powder-free nitrile gloves (home depot).

______________OR___________________

2 Use Acetone (paint dept Home depot) OR Nail polish remover (CVS) to clean fingers after you are done. :fish1:It dissolves cyanoacrylate glue

 

[Aquavaj]

I had pretty good success with the old formula of BSI IC-Gel. The glue on the frag will form a "sac" underwater. Move the frag a bit to puncture the sac and hold for about 15 seconds.

Apparently BSI changed the formula and it's just horrible now. Doesn't stick at all, very brittle and weak bond, and constantly clogs the tip. Almost lost a few frags cause the current knocks the frag loose and it goes tumbling into the rocks.

 

[reef tank 2.0]

I use this for gluing coral in place: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Gorilla-20-g-Super-Glue-Gel-7700103/205485334

 

[dkevink]

I use the instant ocean holdfast aquarium epoxy, and CorAfixx flue from two little fishies, gel super glue. You mix the epoxy, glue on bottom and top of epoxy. The other epoxys often make your skimmer go crazy. Both the glue and epoxy don’t set right away and give you time to place in tank. Holds up to turbo snails and emerald crabs. They both love to knock off your frags.