Superglue incompetence!

W

Wolfmann81

New member
Okay folks, need some help here.

I have had continued problems with getting even the best superglues to be successful in positioning my SPS corals and holding them there. I know it is user error, but I am tired of dealing with my inability to be successful with it.

Is there an 'putty' or something that solidifies underwater that is available at a local retailer (Lowes, HD, etc) that people have had success with in saltwater aquariums for positioning/securing SPS frags/plugs, etc?

Thanks!
 
Not sure about HD or Lowes but I use the Boston Aqua Farms Colored Reef Epoxy Putty 2oz from Marine Depot.

If you want to place frags sideways or angled you need to make a superglue/putty sandwhich.

Mix a ball of putty. Put a little superglue on the bottom of the frag and glue the ball of putty to the frag. Then put a gob of superglue on the other side of the ball of putty and slap that on the rock, pushing gently down and hold for 5-10 sec underwater.
 
jeffeg said:
Not sure about HD or Lowes but I use the Boston Aqua Farms Colored Reef Epoxy Putty 2oz from Marine Depot.

If you want to place frags sideways or angled you need to make a superglue/putty sandwhich.

Mix a ball of putty. Put a little superglue on the bottom of the frag and glue the ball of putty to the frag. Then put a gob of superglue on the other side of the ball of putty and slap that on the rock, pushing gently down and hold for 5-10 sec underwater.
Click to expand...

+1
That is the method I have found to work the best - Super Glue Gel and Reef putty/epoxy.
 
jeffeg said:
Not sure about HD or Lowes but I use the Boston Aqua Farms Colored Reef Epoxy Putty 2oz from Marine Depot.

If you want to place frags sideways or angled you need to make a superglue/putty sandwhich.

Mix a ball of putty. Put a little superglue on the bottom of the frag and glue the ball of putty to the frag. Then put a gob of superglue on the other side of the ball of putty and slap that on the rock, pushing gently down and hold for 5-10 sec underwater.
Click to expand...

Approximately how many 'medium' frags can you epoxy with one 2oz putty? Any thoughts on it?

I would ideally like to pick something up local so I am not having to ship it @ $8 for a $10 order!
 
What you want is "JB Water Weld" sold at home depot and lowes. You use this in conjunction with super glue gel. With the coral already superglued to a frag plug or rubble rock you first put super glue to underside of plug, then the water weld putty, then another squeeze of super glue, stick it to your rock and your good to go.
 
James404 said:
What you want is "JB Water Weld" sold at home depot and lowes. You use this in conjunction with super glue gel. With the coral already superglued to a frag plug or rubble rock you first put super glue to underside of plug, then the water weld putty, then another squeeze of super glue, stick it to your rock and your good to go.
Click to expand...

This is how I do it and it works well. With just epoxy, or just superglue, doesn't stick well, but with a combination, it really sticks well.
 
The ecotech stuff looks pretty good. I watched a review by mr. Saltwatertank and it held up pretty well, even managed to hold some pretty decent size rocks.
 
Is the loc tite super hlue gel ok to use? Wont leach anything into the water? Just asking cos its really hard to find a super glue gel here
 
Yes the loctite version is ok, I have used tons of it in my reef. But if you are really wanting to secure a frag to your rockwork well, super glue alone isn't going to cut it.
 
I have great results with ic-gel, which is a cyanoacrylate gel that comes in a 20 gram tube. Lots of reef stores in my area have it, it also can be found at hobby shops. I put a gob on the rockwork under water and then smear it around until with something like a toothpick or bamboo skewer or whatever is handy, even the application nozzle until it sticks. Then stick a gob on the frag or rock / plug the frag is on while out of the water, place it on the area pre-treated and twist the item being glued back and forth to break the skin that forms underwater. The glue will stick to the smeared gob on the rockwork pretty well. The 20 gram tube is big enough you can be generous with the glue. It also stores well after opening so if you wipe the nozzle clean after use and cap it up it doesn't harden just sitting there so you can end up using the whole tube.
It is about halfway down on this page http://www.bsi-inc.com/Pages/hobby/ca.html this is the manufacturers site not a retailer. A quick google search showed aquacave has it.
 
ros_sco said:
I have great results with ic-gel, which is a cyanoacrylate gel that comes in a 20 gram tube. Lots of reef stores in my area have it, it also can be found at hobby shops. I put a gob on the rockwork under water and then smear it around until with something like a toothpick or bamboo skewer or whatever is handy, even the application nozzle until it sticks. Then stick a gob on the frag or rock / plug the frag is on while out of the water, place it on the area pre-treated and twist the item being glued back and forth to break the skin that forms underwater. The glue will stick to the smeared gob on the rockwork pretty well. The 20 gram tube is big enough you can be generous with the glue. It also stores well after opening so if you wipe the nozzle clean after use and cap it up it doesn't harden just sitting there so you can end up using the whole tube.
It is about halfway down on this page http://www.bsi-inc.com/Pages/hobby/ca.html this is the manufacturers site not a retailer. A quick google search showed aquacave has it.
Click to expand...


I agree with the IC gel, it's basically the same as every other super glue out there but it comes in a larger tube for cheaper. I had bought about 3 tubes of it from my reef club. My biggest complaint was that the tubes can easily crack open and leave glue all over the place once they've had some use. I usually just end up sticking with the loctite stuff since it's readily available.
 
James404 said:
What you want is "JB Water Weld" sold at home depot and lowes. You use this in conjunction with super glue gel. With the coral already superglued to a frag plug or rubble rock you first put super glue to underside of plug, then the water weld putty, then another squeeze of super glue, stick it to your rock and your good to go.
Click to expand...

Is the JB Waterweld more like a putty or is it also a glue-thickness? I was looking for something like a putty that I could use in conjunction with a cyanoacrylate/glue..

I have had the issues of using the glue underwater on larger rocks, and despite all my attempts, I cannot get a frag to get a good 'purchase' on the rock I am trying to attach it to.
 
Wolfmann81 said:
Is the JB Waterweld more like a putty or is it also a glue-thickness? I was looking for something like a putty that I could use in conjunction with a cyanoacrylate/glue..

I have had the issues of using the glue underwater on larger rocks, and despite all my attempts, I cannot get a frag to get a good 'purchase' on the rock I am trying to attach it to.
Click to expand...

Waterweld is a 2 part epoxy putty, it is usually found right next to the superglue in home depot/lowes.
 
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