How to secure a frag to part of the LR?

n00by · 07/08/2009, 12:50 PM

I recently placed a beautiful leather coral in my tank, of course has he opens up he becomes more susceptible to being blown around by the current. I've adjust the power heads as best as I can but how can I secure him down? When he closes up at night can pull him out and add super glue to the frag or reef glue/epoxy, what's best course of action and no relocating him is not an option.

zach jay · 07/08/2009, 12:55 PM

i've used rubberbands to secure things. with smaller corals, the ones used for braces have done well. there is a reefsafe glue, but i forget the ingredient that gives it the reefsafe quality. maybe someone will post it here, if not try the propagation forum or just google it.

sedor · 07/08/2009, 12:55 PM

Do you have any caves or places in the tank where the current isn't quite as strong?

I have heard of using epoxy on the bottom of frag plugs, or rubble and sticking them to your LR. There is even one brand that you can use underwater. Someone chime in on the name, its slipping my mind.

Sugar Magnolia · 07/08/2009, 01:05 PM

Is it attached to a frag plug or a piece of rubble? If so, super glue gel (cyanoacrylate) or epoxy will do. If it's not attached, get a frag plug or a piece of rubble and use a rubberband to secure it. It should attach itself in a couple of weeks, then you can use the gel glue or epoxy to affix it to the LR.

n00by · 07/08/2009, 01:10 PM

It's already attached to piece of rock, about 2" by 2", circular. It's flat and I don't really have any flat areas on the LR for it to full, fully rest on snug.

In this case the super glue works but once the super hits water won't it harden? Isn't it toxic in it's wet form? I'm not about to pull out the LR with it, it's a large 25" piece!!

evsalty · 07/08/2009, 01:14 PM

Super glue gel is completely safe and only skins over when it hits the water. If you put a big enough ball of it then insert in the water you still have the gel inside the skin. Then wiggle it onto the rock you are trying to attach it to and hold for a bit. For heavier frags though I like to either remove the rock or use aqua mend epoxy.

n00by · 07/08/2009, 01:17 PM

Tell me more about this... aqua mend epoxy. Found at LFS's or hardware store? How does it work exactly compared to super glue?

evsalty · 07/08/2009, 01:28 PM

I got mine from my LFS. It is a plumbers type epoxy I believe. It is two part putty textured and you just mix it up like you were mixing two colors of playdo together until you have only one color left. You can put it on the frag or the rock and then put the two together. It can be done underwater for both the frag and the rock. It will be soft for around 30 mins or so if done underwater so be sure it will be stable during this time.

KarlBob · 07/08/2009, 01:54 PM

I go way overboard and use a composite method.

It goes like this:

Frag plug/rock
Super glue gel
Epoxy putty
Super glue gel
Live rock

The epoxy putty adapts to the irregular surfaces of the live rock and the frag plug, but in my experience it doesn't always have great holding power. Super glue gel makes a very strong bond, but it sometimes ends up with just a few points of contact between the two surfaces. Using both gives the best of both worlds, a strong hold over a large surface area.

I've seen a few people recommend mixing the epoxy putty and giving it a few minutes to cure before attaching the plug to the rock. Supposedly, it holds better when it's almost too stiff to compress between two objects. This requires some trial and error, because if you overshoot, your ball of epoxy becomes a pebble.

evsalty · 07/08/2009, 01:57 PM

I think I have read somewhere about that. It is like turning a two part epoxy into a three part lol.

07/08/2009, 12:50 PM	#1
n00by Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Montreal Posts: 347	How to secure a frag to part of the LR? I recently placed a beautiful leather coral in my tank, of course has he opens up he becomes more susceptible to being blown around by the current. I've adjust the power heads as best as I can but how can I secure him down? When he closes up at night can pull him out and add super glue to the frag or reef glue/epoxy, what's best course of action and no relocating him is not an option.

07/08/2009, 12:55 PM	#3
sedor Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 4,689	Do you have any caves or places in the tank where the current isn't quite as strong? I have heard of using epoxy on the bottom of frag plugs, or rubble and sticking them to your LR. There is even one brand that you can use underwater. Someone chime in on the name, its slipping my mind. __________________ Ryan

07/08/2009, 01:05 PM	#4
Sugar Magnolia Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Northern VA Posts: 17,691	Is it attached to a frag plug or a piece of rubble? If so, super glue gel (cyanoacrylate) or epoxy will do. If it's not attached, get a frag plug or a piece of rubble and use a rubberband to secure it. It should attach itself in a couple of weeks, then you can use the gel glue or epoxy to affix it to the LR. __________________ Adrienne The only thing to fear is fear itself....and spiders.

07/08/2009, 01:54 PM	#9
KarlBob Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Laveen, AZ Posts: 2,309	I go way overboard and use a composite method. It goes like this: Frag plug/rock Super glue gel Epoxy putty Super glue gel Live rock The epoxy putty adapts to the irregular surfaces of the live rock and the frag plug, but in my experience it doesn't always have great holding power. Super glue gel makes a very strong bond, but it sometimes ends up with just a few points of contact between the two surfaces. Using both gives the best of both worlds, a strong hold over a large surface area. I've seen a few people recommend mixing the epoxy putty and giving it a few minutes to cure before attaching the plug to the rock. Supposedly, it holds better when it's almost too stiff to compress between two objects. This requires some trial and error, because if you overshoot, your ball of epoxy becomes a pebble. __________________ Later, KarlBob Current Tank Info: No tanks for now. Starting over in Austin sometime next year.

07/08/2009, 12:55 PM	#2
zach jay Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: west hartford, ct Posts: 630	i've used rubberbands to secure things. with smaller corals, the ones used for braces have done well. there is a reefsafe glue, but i forget the ingredient that gives it the reefsafe quality. maybe someone will post it here, if not try the propagation forum or just google it.

07/08/2009, 01:10 PM	#5
n00by Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Montreal Posts: 347	It's already attached to piece of rock, about 2" by 2", circular. It's flat and I don't really have any flat areas on the LR for it to full, fully rest on snug. In this case the super glue works but once the super hits water won't it harden? Isn't it toxic in it's wet form? I'm not about to pull out the LR with it, it's a large 25" piece!!

07/08/2009, 01:14 PM	#6
evsalty hmmmmmm Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: NW Mesa, AZ Posts: 3,531	Super glue gel is completely safe and only skins over when it hits the water. If you put a big enough ball of it then insert in the water you still have the gel inside the skin. Then wiggle it onto the rock you are trying to attach it to and hold for a bit. For heavier frags though I like to either remove the rock or use aqua mend epoxy.

07/08/2009, 01:17 PM	#7
n00by Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Montreal Posts: 347	Tell me more about this... aqua mend epoxy. Found at LFS's or hardware store? How does it work exactly compared to super glue?

07/08/2009, 01:28 PM	#8
evsalty hmmmmmm Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: NW Mesa, AZ Posts: 3,531	I got mine from my LFS. It is a plumbers type epoxy I believe. It is two part putty textured and you just mix it up like you were mixing two colors of playdo together until you have only one color left. You can put it on the frag or the rock and then put the two together. It can be done underwater for both the frag and the rock. It will be soft for around 30 mins or so if done underwater so be sure it will be stable during this time.

07/08/2009, 01:57 PM	#10
evsalty hmmmmmm Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: NW Mesa, AZ Posts: 3,531	I think I have read somewhere about that. It is like turning a two part epoxy into a three part lol.