Montipora encrusting on back glass question.

[footballcs12]

Im looking into getting a couple of monti colonies to take over the back wall in my tank. From what I'm seeing, they do better at this job with a layer of coralline already on the glass, in my new 75, there is none. Is there anything to substitute this or does the coralline not make that much of a difference and I shouldnt be worried?

 

[rovster]

I don't think,it makes a difference. I mounted a sunset o the back of my biocube because I had nowhere else to mount it, now it's growing all over the back and the return nozzle, LOL!

 

[Ken Hahn]

I don't think coralline is a factor in this and I have had good success with bare acrylic. Besides, it's easier to mount the coral without the coralline impacting the bond anyway.

 

[footballcs12]

I don't think coralline is a factor in this and I have had good success with bare acrylic. Besides, it's easier to mount the coral without the coralline impacting the bond anyway.

What about glass though?

 

[Ken Hahn]

I have no experience with trying to bond Montipora to glass, but I wouldn't think it would be that much different from acrylic. Coralline algae sticks to glass about as well as it does to acrylic for instance.

Perhaps someone with a glass tank that has tried this will chime in.

 

[rlpardue]

I'd recommend encrusting montis for the walls/back. I'm using magnetic frag plugs to place things along the walls and let them encrust. Otherwise, it can be a little tricky gluing to glass.

 

[UTCReefer]

I dont think coralline is necessary either. If you put a few drops of CA on the back of the frag and then smash and twist it on the glass to get the glue to transfer between the corals and the glass and then hold it steady it will stick. The smashing and twisting is to pop the glue skin that forms when the glue first hits the water. By the time it starts encrusting there will probably be some coralline growing in the area for it to grow over.

 

[rlpardue]

UTC, by CA do you mean cyanoacrylate? Do you use super glue gel or the normal super glue?

 

[Henry Colf]

You could also mount the monti to a rock and let it grow on the glass on its own. Mine grew over coralline algae though.

 

[UTCReefer]

Yes, CA, Superglue. Either thick or runny will work. The trick will be to build up a nice gob of it on the back of the coral. You can do this by dripping some glue on the back then dip the coral in water for a second to get the glue to skin up. Then drip some more glue over the old glue and dip in the water again to skin the glue again. If you do this several times you will end up with a mound of skinned over glue on the back that wont just run all over the place. Then there will be plenty to attach it to the glass.

 

[neuro]

i haven't had any success. i have a rainbow monti on a magnentic frag plug and it hasn't grown at all in the 4 months it's been on the back glass.

i think i've got to move it somewhere else for it to grow out a little more first before placing it on the back wall