Attaching Coral and Rocks

[Mr Neon]

Ok, what do any of you use or prefer for putty or epoxy putty over another for attaching corals and rocks together.

I been using Aquastik Epoxy Putty and it stinks. Everything has to be bone dry for it to work well even though it says wet or dry use. I need something to use in the water now due to the frags getting knocked over from time to time. The epoxy seems to harden but then doesn't really attach well then along comes Gary the snail and knock things over.

[Reef264]

EcoTech had some super glue that's pretty sweet.Heres a little bit about it:

This powerful and reliable gel glue sets in 10 seconds and cures in 5 minutes, so you can glue your corals upside down and under water. Triple distilled for purity and pH neutral. The non-clogging pin cap will ensure that it is useable throughout its long 2 year shelf life.



Please note: this glue is so powerful that it will bond to skin and eyes within seconds. Keep it away from children and always wear eye protection. Store in a cool, dry place below 70 degrees Fahrenheit and refrigerate for long term preservation.

-Ray

[Elem7777]

The Ecotech stuff definitely works and even though it's not exactly cheap you do get quite a bit compared to buying super-glue gel at a hardware but non-clogging pin cap is BS, it clogs up very easily, especially if you attempt to glue a underwater(which it claims is okay).

Most the time the clog can be cleared with a thick syringe like the ones that come with Aptasia-X but it can still be a pain to deal with and I have had to screw the entire top off before to get anything out.

[bongarone]

I had trouble with epoxy as well until I started gluing the frag discs to the epoxy first (with gel superglue, while the epoxy is soft), prior to sticking the epoxy to the rocks.

This intermediate step makes all the difference. Epoxy bonds just fine to jagged rocks but won't stick to smooth frag disks.

[Bdial]

I use glue to affix things on smoother surfaces. I don't use any epoxy for corals. Only plugs and rocks. When you use the epoxy you have to kinda shmear with your thumb to get it in all the crevices. Ive only had ond plug come off with epoxy. I use mighty putty or the pink coraline aquastik

[Mr Neon]

The Aquastik I used was claimed for both dry and wet but it really does not work well. I even squished it as much as possible to hold but it still came loose.

Problem I have is that I cannot take anything out of my tank to glue or adhered. I have to do it in the water.

I will look into the Ecotech glue.

[Fizz71]

I use superglue gel if it's touching anything live and aquastick for rock on rock action but you need to use quite a bit so I avoid it when I can and it's still easy to break. Zoas I occasional superglue if they come off their rock, shrooms and leathers I use rubberbands or a low flow area in a cup with rock to let them attach themselves.

I actually prefer to remove a coral from a plug (after spending a few days in my tank to settle down) and glue it to a larger rock rather than putting the plug in my tank...unless I have a perfect hole for it that only a little putty is needed out of view. I also keep the plug to see if the residue that didn't break off and survives so I can re-sell it in a few months.

[knowen87]

I personally use ecotech's glue I think that it works just like super glue gel only you have a lot more to work with. I love the stuff. You should buy the smaller bottle and see what you think

[erock68]

I use the Superglue Gel, for frags that I have attached (to my LR). Just make sure you keep it off your fingers and hold the frag in place for a few seconds.

[coreenm]

I just bought a bottle of the Ecotech stuff, and I'm hoping for the best. I've never had any luck with the two part putty stuff. Like you said, everything has to be dry for it to work, which is pretty hard to do with live coral.

[Psirex]

Rock to Rock - JB Underwater Weld

hard Coral to rock - super glue gel

Softies - toothpick and\or rubberband

[souperman]

I prefer a super glue/epoxy/super glue sandwich. I can mount anything anywhere this way.

[mclevenger10]

I like using the superglue gel. Has worked great for me!

[cap11885]

Anytime i use superglue gel for anything soft it dies off by the glue and floats away. i lost a nice frag this way so now i use a small but tall food container with some rock rubble in the bottom and some netting rubber banded over the opening and place it in a low flow area. when it attaches to the rock rubble i just mount the rock to rock.

[Reeferz412]

I use superglue for hard or lps corals with the calcium base. Softes are more difficult. for softies I just glue the tile to the rock and just let it grow off the tile. Once the coral has grown off the tile and onto my rock work, I can remove the tile and just resell it. I did that with my zoas and star polyps.