High Tide Aquatics

How to glue acro colonies to rocks - looking for advice

Alexander1312

Alexander1312

Supporting Member
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I have tried many different ways for glueing corals to my rocks, and almost always has this been a frustrating experience.

I recently purchased three acro colonies from various members and was able (more or less) to glue them to my aquascape, but I am not sure how permanent this will be (my urchins will let me know).

I recognize this is a basic question, but how do you guys glue these colonies to the rocks, and if anyone has a youtube video link, I would appreciate this - frag glueing instructions seem to be very common but not really colonies.

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Only thing I can say from experience is that coral I've mounted sticking off to the side of rocks seem to do better than directly on top, and that sentiment seems to be shared by some of the people I've talked to with much more experience as well
 
@Alexander1312 -what I use is a combo of seatek and superglue. Generally first get a big glob on the base of the macro. Then apply superglue as a smaller circle.

The seatak will cure over time and the urchins will not take it for a ride. Two things -
Once it’s dried -it is not coming off- I have lifted the entire rock from a plug that is glued in. 2nd -it is a pain in the a** to use
 
L/B Block said:
@Alexander1312 -what I use is a combo of seatek and superglue. Generally first get a big glob on the base of the macro. Then apply superglue as a smaller circle.

The seatak will cure over time and the urchins will not take it for a ride. Two things -
Once it’s dried -it is not coming off- I have lifted the entire rock from a plug that is glued in. 2nd -it is a pain in the a** to use
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Second this. Using Seatak as a replacement for epoxy for the superglue/epoxy/superglue sandwich is very very strong. It creates a bond stronger than your rock. Seatak on itself will not stick to anything wet very easily and you need to watch the videos to see how to "prime" the surface before attaching. It attaches to itself however like a rare earth magnet.
 
Darkxerox said:
Second this. Using Seatak as a replacement for epoxy for the superglue/epoxy/superglue sandwich is very very strong. It creates a bond stronger than your rock. Seatak on itself will not stick to anything wet very easily and you need to watch the videos to see how to "prime" the surface before attaching. It attaches to itself however like a rare earth magnet.
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Too much trouble! ;) Just have a healthy tank and secure it long enough with a ton of superglue so that it can encrust and secure itself. Only takes like a week right? ;)

Honestly though, I’ve only been using superglue for frags and colonies for years now. It’s all about have enough of it and the smoosh and twist after the glue touches the frag touches the underwater substrate.
 
RandyC said:
Too much trouble! ;) Just have a healthy tank and secure it long enough with a ton of superglue so that it can encrust and secure itself. Only takes like a week right? ;)

Honestly though, I’ve only been using superglue for frags and colonies for years now. It’s all about have enough of it and the smoosh and twist after the glue touches the frag touches the underwater substrate.
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It was for me -until the urchins-until it really encrusted -it was game for being picked up any time any place and strewn around like a rag doll.
 
Darkxerox said:
Second this. Using Seatak as a replacement for epoxy for the superglue/epoxy/superglue sandwich is very very strong. It creates a bond stronger than your rock. Seatak on itself will not stick to anything wet very easily and you need to watch the videos to see how to "prime" the surface before attaching. It attaches to itself however like a rare earth magnet.
Click to expand...

If they were at Anaheim for the reefapooliza (sp) I’d seriously go just to get some hands on experience!

One advantage though @Alexander1312 over epoxy-seatak does not make your skimmer go crazy for two days-at least..
 
The “sandwich” method using superglue-epoxy-superglue is handy because it’s strong enough to prevent urchin bumps but weak enough that you can manually break it off to relocate, which has come in handy a lot. Sometimes it’s a little too weak of a bind though, I’ll have to try Seatak.

The REALLY strong method is the one that @Thales covers in Reef Beef, using pure superglue: Put a huge glob on your finger, rub it into the rock surface really well to break through the biofilm and get into the nooks and crannies, then let it sit and cure for a bit.

Meanwhile, you put another big glob on the bottom of the coral or frag in a similar fashion, set it in the water and let it sit for a minute also.

Once both are pretty thick and gooey, do a “jam and twist” like Randy said and you’ll literally feel it lock together and it can never be undone.

It’s messy (rubbing with your finger is key, as is using a lot of glue..) and a bit of work but is SUPER strong when done correctly and can be used to mount large chunks horizontally.
 
derek_SR said:
The “sandwich” method using superglue-epoxy-superglue is handy because it’s strong enough to prevent urchin bumps but weak enough that you can manually break it off to relocate, which has come in handy a lot. Sometimes it’s a little too weak of a bind though, I’ll have to try Seatak.

The REALLY strong method is the one that @Thales covers in Reef Beef, using pure superglue: Put a huge glob on your finger, rub it into the rock surface really well to break through the biofilm and get into the nooks and crannies, then let it sit and cure for a bit.

Meanwhile, you put another big glob on the bottom of the coral or frag in a similar fashion, set it in the water and let it sit for a minute also.

Once both are pretty thick and gooey, do a “jam and twist” like Randy said and you’ll literally feel it lock together and it can never be undone.

It’s messy (rubbing with your finger is key, as is using a lot of glue..) and a bit of work but is SUPER strong when done correctly and can be used to mount large chunks horizontally.
Click to expand...

I’ll have to try this as well. Thanks for sharing
 
derek_SR said:
The “sandwich” method using superglue-epoxy-superglue is handy because it’s strong enough to prevent urchin bumps but weak enough that you can manually break it off to relocate, which has come in handy a lot. Sometimes it’s a little too weak of a bind though, I’ll have to try Seatak.

The REALLY strong method is the one that @Thales covers in Reef Beef, using pure superglue: Put a huge glob on your finger, rub it into the rock surface really well to break through the biofilm and get into the nooks and crannies, then let it sit and cure for a bit.

Meanwhile, you put another big glob on the bottom of the coral or frag in a similar fashion, set it in the water and let it sit for a minute also.

Once both are pretty thick and gooey, do a “jam and twist” like Randy said and you’ll literally feel it lock together and it can never be undone.

It’s messy (rubbing with your finger is key, as is using a lot of glue..) and a bit of work but is SUPER strong when done correctly and can be used to mount large chunks horizontally.
Click to expand...
I’m still amazed not everyone knows about this and can comprehend and accomplish this. I see people have trouble with superglue a lot. I’ve expleianes it so many times, shown people how I do it, yet most people still don’t get it. I always have urchins, only ever use superglue, and don’t have many issues at all
 
Coral reefer said:
I’m still amazed not everyone knows about this and can comprehend and accomplish this. I see people have trouble with superglue a lot. I’ve expleianes it so many times, shown people how I do it, yet most people still don’t get it. I always have urchins, only ever use superglue, and don’t have many issues at all
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I think a lot of people really can't get over the tactile feel of the glue sticking to their skin or are afraid of it. Gloves help!
 
I always use my bare finger. I think it's most effective that way. And there's some deeply visceral pleasure when you tear off the big chunk that hardened on your finger.
 
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