Frag attachment

[Royal Gramma]

With past reefs I have always found spots for corals without the use of glue to maintain portability (was in the military). Now I am stable and finalizing my new reef aquarium (been running almost a year now, I like to go slow ) so I want to secure the corals I will purchase to avoid "accidents".

My questions are:

1) what type of adheasives does everyone here use? I saw on e-bay some "frag glue" but that is just super glue (cyanoacrylate).

2) What technique works best for you when actually placing the corals? do you place them for a bit to test the area, then glue them? Or do you glue them upon acclimatization/introduction?

TIA

Mark

 

[austinsdad]

I've used super glue for coral attached to rock - to glue the smaller rock to a larger one already in my tank. I'd pat dry the new rock, glue and place, hold for 5 seconds, and usually luck out with that. I've tried gluing under water, wet to wet rock. Didn't work for me at all. Also the fish would swim toward the floating glue (yeah, I was bad at that). I'd successfully keep'm away so they wouldn't eat it.

I use toothpicks and rubber bands to farm and frag xenia. Toothpick thru the base. Rubber band around tips of the toothpick and under the small rock piece.

Other use bridal veil for things like shrooms, ricordia, or other soft (not already attached to rock) type peices.

What kinda creatures you got/gonna get? For some coral, attached to decent sized rock (3-5"), I've been abale to wedge them into spaces and feel good about none of my creatures beind able to dislodge them.

 

[Royal Gramma]

Thanks for your imput, to answer your question.

My current plan, feel free to critique

90 gal reef 48lx18wx24h I currently only have a 1" sand bed, I am tossing the idea of creating another DSB but I had a bad experience with disturbing one once. So I am a lil skittish.

I plan to have SPS in the upper left and center, LPS on the right side (current/light/aggression requirements dependant), some polyps in the lower left, and plenty of growth room between all. I also want to have Tridacnid clams on the lower center/left which is why I was considering a DSB to get them closer to my twin 175 MH with 36watt PCs which I think most would consider marginal for them in a 24" tank. I figured with placement of the fixtures and adding in the sand and shell the mantle would be about 27" from the bulb, 21" of that being water, I am not super happy with that figure.

Mark

 

[greenmaji]

just a thought.. you might want to consider putting the clam in the same area as the SPS.. and well you could get a 250 MH for that side of the tank.. or getting the clam on top of some rock structure directly under your MH bulb?

 

[austinsdad]

getting the clam on top of some rock structure

GM - My Deresa clam would probably jump off of a rock. He moves from side to side once in a while. Don't know about the Trdacnid, but I thought they liked firm footing. Then again, I've seen very small clams on rock ledges.

RG - What kinda fish? Maybe also think about a fuge for more sand bed. Got room.

 

[Royal Gramma]

RG - What kinda fish? Maybe also think about a fuge for more sand bed. Got room.

I only have a Royal Gramma (go figure ) and a Yellow Tang. In the future I may add a small pair of Perculas (hopefully that mate) and a Goby but that would be about it. This tank is really not for fish. I am trying to keep a very low bio load. The real reason I would add a DSB is to raise the bottom of the aquarium for more light and I think That would be doing it for the wrong reason. I have a 40 Gallon Sump Wet/Dry and I don't plan on a Fuge at this time as it is the same system as putting in a DSB which I am still wary of.

GM, I also have had Trids jump off of rocks they can close their shells with pretty explosive force. They would be ok once the byssal threads attached but still not what I really want to do. I, for some reason, like the way they look in a sand bed.

Thanks for the thought provoking imputs!

Mark

 

[DragonForce]

I use underwater aquarium apoxy to attach corals. It works GREAT, your LFS should have some in stock.