What do people use to secure their frags to Live rock?

[NortheastReefer97]

NOT SUPERGLUE. I seriously hate superglue. This is kind of a rant as i know there are some alternatives, but why do people recommend this garbage??? It does NOT work to attach frags and has only been a source of frustration since i started reefing. Could be today could be next week could be in a year, but the littlest bump on any frag from anything whether it be fish, crab or me causes the superglue to unattach the frag from the rock work. Then i get to spend hours dusting sand off of frags and trying to get them back into proper position. If i notice in time that is... (rip stunner chalice).

 

[Billldg]

NOT SUPERGLUE. I seriously hate superglue. This is kind of a rant as i know there are some alternatives, but why do people recommend this garbage??? It does NOT work to attach frags and has only been a source of frustration since i started reefing. Could be today could be next week could be in a year, but the littlest bump on any frag from anything whether it be fish, crab or me causes the superglue to unattach the frag from the rock work. get to spend hours dusting sand off of frags and trying to get them back into proper position. If i notice in time that is... (rip stunner chalice).

I have always used, with great success, in this order, superglue, epoxy, superglue. The epoxy does the most work, but small dabs of superglue help to secure it initially.

 

[JCM]

I've always used Instant Ocean Holdfast

 

[NortheastReefer97]

I have always used, with great success, in this order, superglue, epoxy, superglue. The epoxy does the most work, but small dabs of superglue help to secure it initially.

Do you have a brand of epoxy you use? I did this method with some plexi dowels to do the rockwork.

 

[Billldg]

Do you have a brand of epoxy you use? I did this method with some plexi dowels to do the rockwork.

I use Seachem superglue and 2 little fishes epoxy.

 

[Lovefish77]

I personally drill my rocks like a a swiss cheese, then I use pegs to place corals and you can easily change the location of afrag.... easy peasy

 

[Kris 2020]

I use Seachem superglue and 2 little fishes epoxy.

This is my go-to combo as well.

 

[Rmckoy]

I personally drill my rocks like a a swiss cheese, then I use pegs to place corals and you can easily change the location of afrag.... easy peasy

The last rock I drilled like this crumbled with every hole attempt .

 

[Lovefish77]

The last rock I drilled like this crumbled with every hole attempt .

You have to be selective, this rock is carib sea very tough rock that masonry bits hardly did the job.

 

[Rmckoy]

You have to be selective, this rock is carib sea very tough rock that masonry bits hardly did the job.

I used a masonry bit .
Some crumbled , others were hard to drill .

there has to be a easier way to find rocks with holes

 

[SaltISlife]

I use puddy.. but it has to be instance ocean puddy. All the other brands suck.. they get cloudy disintergrate in water.. arent thick or tacky..

I ttied super glue.. but th3 second it toucjes water it beads up and is impossible to get stuck on rocks.. specially in a well aged system.. suoer glue is only good for gluing corals to plugs outside the tank

 

[schuby]

Beat coral putty?

I’ve lost one frag too many. The putty/glue has either let go or it’s possible the frag has been knocked off. I need the strongest bond out there! What’s available?

www.reef2reef.com

 

[burningmime]

For leathers, you can use plastic cable ties. You know the ones that you can adjust the tightness? Work better than rubber bands since rubber bands are always either too loose or so tight it cuts the *** in half. You can also use them for mushrooms.

 

[Gtinnel]

I used to just use super glue gel. The key I found was to twist the plug around some to break through the skin that is formed when the glue hits water (or at least this is what is happening from what I've been told). It does an okay job but can easily be detached, which is not always a bad thing

I then started using the glue-epoxy-glue method that others mentioned. I just use dollar store superglue gel, and jb waterweld that I get at Walmart. With that combination it sticks really, really well once it cures.

 

[Biokabe]

It's the patented epoxy sandwich - glue, epoxy, glue. The glue is what actually adheres, but the epoxy increases the surface area for the glue to adhere to, and allows it to be forced into the nooks and crannies of the rock. Neither one is terribly great on its own; superglue is far too brittle in the horizontal direction, and epoxy simply doesn't adhere very well.

What I do most of the time:

1) Mix up a little plug of epoxy/putty. A little bit below a small marble's size. You don't need a lot, unless the coral is massive. Once it's mixed, roll it up into a small ball.

2) Pull out the coral and snip off the stem from the frag plug. This step is optional, but I find that they stay put much better when they don't have a stem.

3) Put a little dot of superglue on top of the epoxy - enough that it'll spread out into a thin layer across the width of the bottom of the frag plug without squirting out the sides too much.

4) Press the frag plug into the superglue and spread it out, work the epoxy around to go up the sides of the plug ever so slightly. Ideally, the epoxy should just about cover most of the superglue.

5) Put a little pat of superglue on the bottom of the epoxy plug. A little bit more than you put on the top of it - you need it to spread out and grab onto the rocks - but not too much.

6) Press the frag into the rockwork - the rougher the rock, the better. Press it down and twist it around a little bit, then HOLD it in place for about 15-20 seconds. The twisting breaks the skin of the superglue and forces the epoxy and the superglue deeper into the little cracks in the rocks. Holding it in place gives the superglue time to cure.

After about five minutes, the frag should be fairly secure. A determined urchin will likely still be able to turn it into a hat, but not much else (outside of yourself) should be able to remove it. Since I've started using this method, I'd say maybe one in 20 corals (if that) needs to be re-glued after the initial placement.