Mounting options for large staghorn. Please Help.

[Avast Marine]

I picked up half of this colony early this week. It was cut directly from a local members tank and moved to my system. I tried to mount it once and failed. I tried again and failed . On the first attempt I just tried putty, the second I tried coral-SG-Putty-SG-rock. I have more than enough room in a large holey rock to support the colony but, don't want to just leave the fresh cut base exposed. Would it be fine to just SG a small (1") piece of LR to the base and wedge it in the holes?
Here is where it is at now....

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58279226@N00/223383734/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/97/223383734_2f478e1312_o.jpg" width="600" height="449" alt="bluestag" /></a>

Since I can't see inside the rock where I have the base I cannot be sure that the base is actually touching rock or if it is being supported by the branches.

Tell me what to do :rollface: .

 

[mr. pluto]

if it's a formosa it should encrust pretty easily by itself. but...
for large stags i drill a small hole in the bottom,
file down a take out chop stick. & glue it in the hole
& drill a hole in the rock & glue the stag horn with the little stick to that. use putty around the bottom for support.

 

[Avast Marine]

It is a formosa. Never drilled a coral before, this will be interesting.

 

[gflat65]

On something that large, I would likely use a hole saw to drill out a hole in a small base rock (with enough mass to be stable with the coral attached), then using alot of glue gel, I'd drop the stag into the hole with the glue and prop it up against something until the glue starts to cure. I've never drilled a coral, either. Interesting.

 

[jjjimmy]

I have never personally "mounted" any of my corals, fresh cut or otherwise. I just find a spot that it can be wedged into and not get knocked out and let it encrust from there.

 

[jmcmahon66]

IMO, the coral looks fine placed where it is. If the base is not touching the rock, it soon will be, and if the branches are touching rock then they will encrust as well. This will give you multiple points of contact and a very stable coral. I would worry that all the drilling would upset the coral even more since the recent fragging and would tend to leave it alone. JMO.