Advice on Glue and Coral Skeleton Base Trimming

[CaptainYooh]

Good day everyone. Two questions:
1) Following someone's advice here, I bought SuperGlue from the Dollarama and tried using it to attach a frag to live rock. The glue was sold in four small tubes similar in size and appearance to brand name Crazy Glue. It's very liquid and flows freely out of the tube. I poured some over on the frag base and quickly tried attaching it to the rock. Didn't work. Plus, the coral was so stressed out that it stayed closed all day next day (it's doing OK now since we've left it alone for a few days). The glue on the photographs I've seen on one of the forums looked kind of like a lump of silicone. Am I using the right stuff? If not, please advise. Also, do we apply the glue on the coral only or coral and live rock as well?

2) A couple of our frags don't fit in the live rock crevices well. Can we simply trim coral skeleton base with a sharp knife without damaging the coral? If yes, a link to a proper reference on how to do it would be very much appreciated.

Thank you kindly.

[shootingstar]

From what I remember, you need the "crazy glue" brand and you want the thicker gel and not the really thin liquid, they are actually different formula and one is safe and one is not.
I have used the thinner one in a pinch and held the frag plug and base out of the water (with the head of the coral under the water) for a bit until the glue set up a bit. All of this being done in a bowl of tank water, not in the tank.
Also depends on the type of coral you are trying to attach, some are far more slimy than others.

Good day everyone. Two questions:
1) Following someone's advice here, I bought SuperGlue from the Dollarama and tried using it to attach a frag to live rock. The glue was sold in four small tubes similar in size and appearance to brand name Crazy Glue. It's very liquid and flows freely out of the tube. I poured some over on the frag base and quickly tried attaching it to the rock. Didn't work. Plus, the coral was so stressed out that it stayed closed all day next day (it's doing OK now since we've left it alone for a few days). The glue on the photographs I've seen on one of the forums looked kind of like a lump of silicone. Am I using the right stuff? If not, please advise. Also, do we apply the glue on the coral only or coral and live rock as well?

2) A couple of our frags don't fit in the live rock crevices well. Can we simply trim coral skeleton base with a sharp knife without damaging the coral? If yes, a link to a proper reference on how to do it would be very much appreciated.

Thank you kindly.

[eli@fijireefrock.com]

You need to use crazy glue gel.
Make sure the plug is dry as it adheres better.and tap the base of your coral on a cloth place a drop of glue on the plug and then your coral. Voila done place under low to moderate water flow.
Given that you are referring to SPS corals as it is different to a softy or leather coral.

[Lance]

Try this: place a small amount of reef epoxy into the crevice of the live rock. Put a little thick-type crazy glue on the base of the frag and shove it into the epoxy. If you want to mount the frag first: put a little glue on the wad of epoxy and stick it to the plug, then a small amount of glue to the frag and push it into the epoxy.

[toytech]

I use the titan brand from the dollar stores , they have both glue ( 4 small tubes ) and the gel ( 1 bigger tube) you have to get the super glue gel no matter what brand , it works way better .

[CaptainYooh]

Let me get this straight: I have a double–tube syringe of Epoxy glue. Do I just insert it in the crevice and squeeze/push glue out into the crevice right there in the water? And then, cover the coral skeleton with epoxy while in the water and insert the skeleton in the crevice? Or does this method require a piece of small "base rock" to make a real frag? I am not sure I understand. We wanted to glue the coral skeleton right onto the live rock.

Also, what about my skeleton trimming question, guys?

Please and thanks.

[hound96]

the best advise to this question is go to your lfs and ask the guy in charge of fraging and have him show you

[RedCoralEdmonton]

First things first, we cannot give you proper advise until you tell us what type of coral you are trying to adhere...

once you tell us that we can advise you properly

Steve

[eli@fijireefrock.com]

Let me get this straight: I have a double–tube syringe of Epoxy glue. Do I just insert it in the crevice and squeeze/push glue out into the crevice right there in the water? And then, cover the coral skeleton with epoxy while in the water and insert the skeleton in the crevice? Or does this method require a piece of small "base rock" to make a real frag? I am not sure I understand. We wanted to glue the coral skeleton right onto the live rock.

Also, what about my skeleton trimming question, guys?

Please and thanks.

You have the wrong product you need crazy glue as gel form not epoxy 2part.
as to cutting a frag from a colony,there are few different techniques to do it but with one basic rule minimal stress to your coral,my favorite is a quick snap with tweeser pliers.
If you like and live near the Bedington area i will offer you a show and tell class on fragging your coral.

[CaptainYooh]

Sorry, guys, I guess I was not phrasing the question properly. I was trying to fit a pink tip hammer coral into the live rock crevice and it didn't fit in properly. So, my choices were either finding a different spot for it (which I couldn't), or trimming its skeleton to fit into the crevice (it doesn't have a rock base) or gluing it onto the rock somehow.

I did try gluing it with SuperGlue but, as I am realizing now, it was not the gel consistency glue, I got that.

Here is a snapshot of the tank and you can see the seven-head pink tip hammer coral hiding in the very right corner. We want to move it into the lower crevice that can be seen in the middle of the tank between brown xenia and the frogspawn. The coral has a thick skeleton base that I thought could be either trimmed or glued.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_GchRtvlEMnU/TauG24dslLI/AAAAAAAAJm8/Qnqj_sHj5R8/s800/2vsqkg9.jpg

[eli@fijireefrock.com]

you could trim it if are handy with the knives if not use the epoxy.

[whatcaneyedo]

The skeleton of that type of coral is quite porous and prone to shattering when cut with clippers. Do you have a Dremel or wet tile saw? One of those or even a wet bandsaw would be ideal.

Sometimes I've been able to use zip ties to get coral to stay in place. That might work for you if their are any holes in the rock that you can feed one through.

[RedCoralEdmonton]

Hey, thanks for clarifying, you can trim the skeleton on branching torches, hammers, frogspawn.... As long as you make sure you don't cut through tissue, so to be safe make sure there is 1.5" or longer on the branch from the heads, other then that the best adhesive for this application is marine epoxy as opposed to any type of gel glue, hope this helps!

Steve

[monocus]

the marine epoxy is a solid 2 part epoxy(tunze or other similar brands)-do not use a gel type marine epoxy as it is toxic until it cures

[CaptainYooh]

...so to be safe make sure there is 1.5" or longer on the branch from the heads, other then that the best adhesive for this application is marine epoxy as opposed to any type of gel glue, hope this helps!

Steve
Thanks, Steve. Unfortunately, there's no 1.5" long "stem". All seven heads are kind of stemming from one thick bulge, so trimming it might not be an option, I guess. I will think of making a small base for it from sand and glue, first, and then attaching it to this base. Then it should be easier.

[rocks]

Wow, very nice tank shot.