The Right Way to Glue Frags Coral Pieces to Rocks
This is one of the most exciting parts of making your own reef tank: adding your first few coral pieces. You can make your show look however you want because there are so many ways to arrange and rotate the pieces. But even for skilled hobbyists, it can be hard to keep these specimens attached to your live rock. Here’s the right way to glue coral pieces to rocks so that your sea life looks its best.
Clean Up the Area Before Putting the Coral Down
It’s possible that you forgot to clean the area where your corals are often coming off of your live rock. Algae often start to grow on top of your live rock when you are taking care of your tank. Because of this, the glue might not stick to the rock as well, which makes it easy for the coral to come off. Here’s why it’s important to clean the rock where you want to put the coral piece by brushing off the dirt and blowing the area with pressurized water.
Get some strong superglue and epoxy putty.
To do this job right, make sure to use good adhesives. It’s important to use materials that can handle rough circumstances because saltwater can be very corrosive. Gel-based superglue and water-resistant epoxy putty are often suggested by tank makers as a way to make a strong seal inside the rock. This will increase your chances of success.
Cut your frag plug down.
You may have noticed that your corals were connected to a small piece that looked like a plug when you bought them. This is the part of the frag that will be pushed flush with the live rock and where you’ll put the glue and putty. When you put in a frag plug, though, you might need to cut the stalk short if it doesn’t fit where you want to put it. It’s not always required, but it’s something to think about when you’re making your aquascape.
Put putty and glue on the frag plug.
You will need to use glue and putty right in order to glue coral fragments to rocks. The first step is to make a putty ball that is just the right size to fit into the hole in the live rock. Any holes in the rock will be filled with the putty, making a cover. Put glue on the plug, and then put the soft putty on top of it. After that, put more glue on top of the putty. Once you’ve done these things, press the plug into the spot where you want it and let it fix itself.
Our company, World Wide Corals, knows how annoying it is when coral pieces keep falling out of place and need to be put back on. That’s why we want to make sure you can get the corals you want and know how to use them best. Whether you want to arrange colorful and varied chalice coral or soft corals that are easy to take care of, the above method can help you do it.
