Argh! Super Glue.

Paulip

Paulip

New member
The stuff "sheets" as I put my frag into the water thus contaminating my frag. I dip it for a few seconds, but I am lterally hunched over my tank for what seems an eternity after having pulled out some rockwork. It doesn't even seem to have hold a solid bond. I have half a mind to use the whole superglue tube. And from what I have seen from other peoples mounting, it seems they have.

I really don't want too much of this foreign substance in my nano. It's also unsightly. Why not mix super glue with aragonite to make a cement...

Please advise on best technique and material to use. I am all thumbs.

There's probably variants of technique:

1) zoa polyp to disk
2) zoa polyp to rock
3) torch skeleton to rock
4) torch skeleton to disk
etc etc
 
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Ecotech glue was the best in my opinion. But any "coral" glue will be thicker than the hardware store version. I take a small cup of tank water...put glue on frag, momentarily dip it in cup of water...use toothpick to stir it up till it gets tacky and then stick it to live rock. Works like a charm. Hope that helps....oh also make sure you shake the super glue bottle real well, even if it seems too thick to do so. Trust me on this one:)
 
Are you using the regular liquid super glue or the super glue gel? I only use the super glue brand gel and never have any problems. Just put enough on the disk/rock to hold the frag and then dip it into the water and hold it for a few seconds. The glue will set pretty quickly once in the water.
 
I have tried two brands: tube and bottle. I suspect neither are the gel form. I will go with the brand made for corals to be sure, since Naturalreef is in the opinion that the coral version is thicker.

Perhaps, with time, I will be more skillful in using the stuff. But just to restate, even "pros" from the LFS seem to use big gobs of the stuff. Thanks all.
 
If youre going to stick with the glue you are using heres what you do.

1) attach frag to plug
2) cup your hand and scoop some water out of the tank
3) drip it on the frag and superglue.

I normally do this for about 15-30 seconds and the superglue doesnt come off. Just make sure the water gets all over the glue so it creates like a shell and doesnt create a sheet

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I use either Coralaffix by Two Little Fishies or the BRS brand Gel which is by BSI. Both come in bottles and last a really long time.

I always use a small ball of plumbers epoxy when gluing down frags. It goes like this.....coral-glue-epoxy-glue-rock. the glue provides the stickiness and the epoxy gives you something to malleable to push into. My entire rockwork structure is built with this method as well as every frag attached to it.

I'm sure you know this, but just in case.....don't do the work under water. Take the frag out, squirt glue on it, put the epoxy on, squirt glue on the epoxy, then put it in the tank and press it to the rock.
 
I use gorilla glue gel works for me but sticks r easy to glue . Soft crap like zoas and shrooms r just pia and u gotta glue then keep them out of flow for few days so tge attach or they just float away . Nothing like watching money float away in the current by by money also dipping it in still water helps it sheet less and do it slowy i usually use tupperware
 
Brs super thick gel works great and been using it for years I usually grab a bottle anytime I place a order. For the 6-7$ it's worth it
 
rockhead said:
Brs super thick gel works great and been using it for years I usually grab a bottle anytime I place a order. For the 6-7$ it's worth it
Click to expand...

I'll try BRS. I won't need a lot of it. Better than a botched job.

No replies on putty? I found traces of it on a rock. The thing was solid, though it looked like a wad of gum. They should make it coralline purple.
 
Same. Gel superglue when attaching to plug. Epoxy to form a base then gel when gluing to rockwork.

If in a frag. I put a dab on the frag and a dap on the plug. I attach. Then...i grab a container/red solo cup put enough water to keep frag submerged and leave frag with plug in the cup upright for 15min(allowing the gel to get settled)

Then to the tank it goes.
 
You can get the Super Glue brand gel at Dollar Tree - 2 tubes for $1.

As for putty/epoxy, I always use JB Waterweld, which is basically the same thing as AquaMend. It comes in a stick that contains both parts... just tear of a piece and mix it with your fingers for about a minute until the consistency changes. It's about $5-6 for the stick.
 
I haven't made a great deal of frags, but experienced the same issue. Here's what I did:

1. Make sure that you're using the Gel super glue. Menards sells little tiny ones that work well and are cheap.

2. Make sure that the frag disk/plug is wet. Then put a little blob of the gel glue on.

3. Take some water out of your tank, and after setting the frag into the glue, put it into the container of water you removed from your tank, and let it bond for a few minutes.

It doesn't take too long for the glue to set. The water in a small container can be tossed right after you remove the frag, and you don't have to deal with any excess crap getting into your DT.
 
Well, I finally popped my fragging cherry. I bought this colony of zoas last month and didn't like how the growth in the underside wasn't getting light.

I decided to relocate two of them. Unfortunately, It re-exposed the frag disk on the lower right ( more than I expected when the fleshy part retracted). So, i guess I won't do that again.

On the white rock, the little guy facing us has his hair parted to the side with glue while the other one behind him is doing a Mick Jagger lips to the sky. Talk about a (frag) rock pose. I think this was a either The Who or a Tears for Fears album cover.

Barely saw what I was doing. The technique: I just flipped the visibly lighter side of the flesh onto a drop of glue. 0/1 casualties. Though I popped one like a pimple mounting he colony. Fragging is stressful!!

View attachment 16057
 
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DD said:
I haven't made a great deal of frags, but experienced the same issue. Here's what I did:

1. Make sure that you're using the Gel super glue. Menards sells little tiny ones that work well and are cheap.

2. Make sure that the frag disk/plug is wet. Then put a little blob of the gel glue on.

3. Take some water out of your tank, and after setting the frag into the glue, put it into the container of water you removed from your tank, and let it bond for a few minutes.

It doesn't take too long for the glue to set. The water in a small container can be tossed right after you remove the frag, and you don't have to deal with any excess crap getting into your DT.
Click to expand...


Your advice was on point. LET IT SET IN THE CONTAINER.

GLUE GEL is 5 times more expensive at my store than liquid. I am better off with thicker reef grade stuff for frags and may prefer epoxy to mount on sunk rocks in the DT.
 
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