Help!

C

Chelo's Big Sis

New member
I was at the frag workshop. I took my frags home and glued them on to rocks. My problem is they keep coming off. So far I have lost both Ricordia, never to be found again, and two of the Toadstool/Leather (??) stuff has come off twice. What am I doing wrong?
Thanks, Cindy
 
what are you using to glue them on???

The best method I have found seems to be super glue to some putty and then to the frag and then super glue on the putty to the rock. Never lost a frag yet that way. Oh yeah hold it in place for about 30 seconds and she should be good to go.

Just super glue is tough, it takes some added patience because it skins over as soon as it hits water and you have to wriggle it to break the skin for the glue to hold the rock.
 
Re: Help!

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8172126#post8172126 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Chelo's Big Sis
My problem is they keep coming off. So far I have lost both Ricordia, never to be found again, and two of the Toadstool/Leather (??) stuff has come off twice. What am I doing wrong?
Thanks, Cindy
Click to expand...


If you are using Super Glue gel, it helps, but mostly for SPS, hard branching skeleton corals.

Also using glue on soft corals (ricordia, mushroom, leather), is not the way most attach those

Try rubberbands or let them attach naturally on some rubble rock
 
While at BGSU's marine lab for some research work, we used tooth picks pushed through the side of the tissue. We drilled mussle shells the same diameter as the plastic tooth pick. That way we could jam the tooth pick into the shell hole. They corals stayed pinned about 80% of the time.

The coral will grow over the shell and you can glue the shell as you wish on rock in most any postion.

Please note: The only coral I was researching was Sinulara flexibilis so I am not promising results just suggesting paths

also I think that it was Sprung's volume two that detailed some various methods of attaching softies. (not positive and too lazy at the moment to confirm)

your pal
Briney
 
I have had good luck putting softies into a shallow plastic container with course rubbel or shells covering the bottom and putting a piece of netting over the top and sitting it in a low flow area in the tank or fuge...after a couple weeks they attach and then I glue that ( rubble ) to a rock
 
I think that the tropicorim (spelled wrong for sure) in Michigan does that, I forgot about that method. From what I observed, it seemed to be a darn good way to get attachments without loosing the guy between the rocks.
 
Yup rubberbands work, but the rics will probaly slime their way out. You can also use a needle and thread for most softies. I have also heard of the method of cutting shrooms/ric and placing them in a tub with rubble. Supposed to work well.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8172790#post8172790 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Briney Dave
sorry for the grammer and spell check issues;

man could a guy get a proof reader here
Click to expand...

Aren't you a teacher? ;) It's grammar by the way :rollface:

Just razzin' ya.

I have used the wedding veil method described at GARF.org. Basically you place the frag on your rock rubble then wrap it with tulle (wedding veil material) and then when it attaches sufficiently you can remove the material.

-- Kevin
 
The wedding veil material (toille) was what the very nice lady who was fragging softies suggested. Can't remember her name though. Picked up 5 yards at Michaels for $4.

For the leather, I put it between 2 small rocks and rubberbanded the small rocks to a larger one since I wanted it to be "upright". So far everything is staying in one place although I haven't removed the veil yet.
 
The Grammar (grammer) was a joke but I am from the era of spell it like it sounds you will learn the correct spelling later. 20 odd years later and it still sounds right lol

I am lucky that my hand writing is so bad, my poor 3rd grade teacher would have never passed me if she knew how bad I spelled too.

I have never heard of that netting method, but it is certainly interesting.

I am wondering if there are issues with things getting stuck such as organic matter or a critter?

I would be affraid that the coral would attach to the net and not what it is supposed to, but that is just my luck

I have a couple students researching attachment rates of some different soft and hard corals. I may suggest they try the net (veil) method as well. We are too limited in resources to run full experimental trials, but hopefully the work will help us in the future as we continue to add to our different tanks
 
Wow!! I sure got alot ot things to try. I was using just a superglue gel type of glue. I had tried the toothpick method before and that didn't seem to stop them and the toothpick from floating off. (Maybe it was the large crabs that I had then). I don't have a fuge (??) and my tank is only 18 gal. with a lot of live rock, so it's hard to find a place without rock and without flow, but I'm gonna give it a shot. The veil sound good too. What kind of putty? Thanks for all of the great advice.!!
 
The putty is called Aquastick. It is a two part epoxy putty that is gray in color and comes in a tube. Salty and most other Reef stores stock the stuff. You break a piece off the stick and roll it together to mix the two parts and it forms a nice soft putty that blends in with the rock. Super glue both ends stick one end to the frag and the other to where you want it to stay and hold it for about 15 seconds...presto frag is held and the putty hardens like rock so it is not going to go anywhere.
 
You can get Aquamend from HomeDepot, pretty much the same stuff as Aquastick, but you'll have more coin in your pocket when you leave.


:)
 
Thanks, I am going to try some of the options out. Currently, all of the frags have come unglued, except for the hard ones. It's as if the frag jumps off and leaves the glue and the frag tissue there. I am so frustrated. I feel like all I do is glue them, find them, glue them again, change the water and repeat and repeat. This isn't a hobby, it's like a lifestyle!! Thanks for all the info.
 
getting frags to stick

getting frags to stick

I used a probe to "stuff" the sinularia into a hole in my live rock and then glued a small piece of rubble just outside the hole. They are still there. For the rics and shrooms, I simply lay them down on a big piece of red pipeorgan coral and arrange rubble in a circle around them. They seem to have a good foot hold. The only challenge I have is that little purple piece of toadstool leather. I think I'll jam that guy between a couple rocks and run a toothpick through the softy and into an existing hole in a rock. That should hold him. My problem is I have a really big hermit crab. He's in a shell about the size of a raquet ball and tends to climb all over the place and kick stuff around. Very cool bright orange hairy crab with white spots... I can't bring myself to give him away... yet.
 
Fragging

Fragging

This is what I did with my leather:

Two small rocks on either side rubberbanded to a bigger one underneath.

showphoto.php


This is the toille over the Ric. I did the same thing with the mushroom:

showphoto.php


This is the only one of the SPS I got that night that is looking good. Rest still white with no extension =(

showphoto.php


Bad photo...sorry. Was in a hurry
 
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