Mounting corals

C

clancaster23

Reefing newb
Is there anything else to use to mount corals with besides gel super glue? I have been at least trying to use it and a lot of the time it either won't take at all or it only takes partially and it comes undone by a bulldozer and I have to do it again. I saw some aquarium putty stuff at petsmart but wasn't sure if it actually worked better than the glue does. Any suggestions?
 
Are you applying the glue properly? It should dry (fairly permanently) within a few minutes. If you're applying under water it will dry faster, but it can sometime have a bubble which MUST be popped. I find that applying a smaller amount to the tip of a toothpick and then using the toothpick to apply the gel between coral and the plug/rock is the easiest way.

That said, there are other alternatives. Putty is one. I use that for binding rocks together and plugs to rocks. It would be a little more difficult to use for soft corals as it takes a much longer time to cure and it can sometimes require some force to make it stick. It is also a pain, in my opinion, because the stuff I use (Instant Ocean crap) has to be kneaded together and it smells AWFUL and gets all over your fingers.
 
I use putty for the support and glue for additional adhesion.


Two little fishies (as an example)

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Two-Little-Fishies-ATL44022-Aquastik/dp/B000255OR2"]http://www.amazon.com/Two-Little-Fishies-ATL44022-Aquastik/dp/B000255OR2[/ame]

i attached a photo my latest coral - you can see i used the putty to make a bit of a cup to support the weight of the coral (or the rock the coral is attached to). The way i wanted to mount it is awkward because its against a vertical rockwork.

I molded the putty and fitted it to the rockwork and added glue (quickly) to the contact area for adhesion. Glue by itself isn't good enough because often you won't have good contact with your rockwork. Sometimes just putty is good enough for smaller corals (by weight).

Don't worry about the color, the putty will be covered in coraline algae in no time.

+.
 

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You can use putty like they have described, but you can get much cheaper stuff at home depot. Just make sure it says safe for potable water
 
But is the putty stronger and easier to work with that super glue?

The stuff I was looking at was the Instant Ocean stuff. I didn't buy it cause I didn't know if it would work well. I'm judging by the above comments that it isn't the best stuff. How I work the glue is dry the piece off as well as I can, put a nice sized glob of it on it and make sure the spot where I am applying it to in the tank is blown off and as clean as I can get it and I just press and wait. My tank sits high since I built my stand that way so it's kind of inconvenient as I can't have two hands in the bottom of the tank at the same time doing this but I manage. Just that sometimes they break loose. I can see the couple I did yesterday are still there but I have a lot more to do once I get rid of my LTA and can put things where I want them.
 
I've used the instant ocean stuff before and its the same quality as the TLF. I think all the putty is about the same. If you can get away with using glue then its probably easier to work with and there is nothing wrong with that. If you are mounting small frags - thats probably the easiest way to go.

Just that for the more substantial pieces and to get it exactly into a spot you want you may need putty for that.
 
Yes, the putty is easier and works better.
I too use glue with it. I apply glue to the frag, then putty to the same spot on the frag, then glue on the other end of the putty, then stick the whole thing to the rock. And when I say glue, I'm talking a pretty big wad of glue. Peter North would be proud. ;)
 
every coral is differant,but its safe to say use the needle and thred on leathers and other softies,putty works for lps as long as you dont get any on the meat,superglue on zoas and sps i found work best,these are personal results ive found work for me when i frag
 
I am getting toward the end of my instant ocean epoxy tube and will probably be looking for something new. Even with gloves on I can smell it on my hands after working with it and it smells TERRIBLE.
 
All the epoxy smells bad. Some sps will recede a little bit at the base, too. And then eventually grow back and encrust over the epoxy.
 

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