Share your tips: How do you attach your coral to your aqauscape?

[AlyciaMarie]

Hello! I want to hear your tips and experiences with attaching coral to your aquascape!

I received some new coral last week and plan to start moving them onto my aquascape soon. In the past, I've had aquascapes that didn't require a lot of fuss, and the coral was easily placed on the aquascape and never budged. No glue required. My current aquascape is a little abstract, and I'm not working with a ton of space. Share your tips on attaching coral to your aquascape, specifically tips on:

1. How long do you leave your coral on the sand bed, if at all
2. Glue or no glue?
3. Removing frag plugs?
4. Best ways to move the coral around without irritating it?
5. Was there any equipment (i.e. tongs) that helped you get everything settled?

What's worked the best for you when attaching coral to an aquascape in the past?

 

[klavmaister]

Follow

I use reef puddy and superglue, work ok -.but not the best

I always remove plug and dip my corals

 

[19Mateo83]

Gel superglue. Removing the plug depends on if it can be done without destroying the coral. If it has to stay you can nip the edges with bone cutters to get rid of the round shape. Some things I’ll glue in final position. Others I’ll leave on the frag rack for a while until I figure out where it’s going.

 

[AlyciaMarie]

Follow

I use reef puddy and superglue, work ok -.but not the best

I always remove plug and dip my corals

What putty have you used in the past?

Gel superglue. Removing the plug depends on if it can be done without destroying the coral. If it has to stay you can nip the edges with bone cutters to get rid of the round shape. Some things I’ll glue in final position. Others I’ll leave on the frag rack for a while until I figure out where it’s going.

What's your process of getting the glue on?

 

[shakacuz]

epoxy + super glue. sandwich method. glue -> epoxy -> glue

i tend to cut the stem off the plug, or sometimes glue a 1.5" or 2" frag disc under to help it base out once it encrusts over the original frag. some vendors write the name of the coral on the stem so i've found myself glueing the stem back on the disc to remember what coral it is.

 

[Reefer Matt]

I use the cheap Dollar Tree gel super glue. I cut off the plug stem with bone cutters, apply a pea sized dab of glue to the bottom of the plug, push the frag onto the rock, then twist it and hold for about 10 seconds. Apply more glue if required.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I put the coral on the sand right away to acclimate, and I glue the corals during the next water change, I find it easier to glue frags when the water line is reduced and fish are hiding. It also gives me a few days to figure out where to place it.

If possible, I pop the coral off the pug, if not possible, then I cut the stem off the frag plug.

After so many years I've decided gorilla glue gel is the best, so I put a big blob on the bottom, carefully enter the water to not burst the glue bubble, then place and twist and hold.

 

[19Mateo83]

what the others have said. Glue twist hold. I use the cheap Walmart gel superglue.

 

[Daniel@R2R]

1. How long do you leave your coral on the sand bed, if at all

I almost always start them out on the sand bed to acclimate them. Sometimes they stay longer than they should...I'm lazy.

2. Glue or no glue?

Definitely glue! I usually use the super glue gel. This one:

I actually think that the glue -> epoxy -> glue sandwich suggested by @shakacuz is the best way to do it, but I haven't always done that. Many times I just use straight super glue gel to the rock (usually best to clean the area on the rock a little by rubbing off any algae, gunk, or debris.

3. Removing frag plugs?

As was said by @Mr. Mojo Rising above, I remove the whole frag plug if possible without damaging the coral, if not, I cut off the plug's stem with bonecutters.

4. Best ways to move the coral around without irritating it?

Depends on the type of coral. For hard corals, I usually just pop it off by wedging something between the coral and the plug and prying upward. For soft corals like zoas, I'll usually leave those on the plug and break off the stem as mentioned above.

5. Was there any equipment (i.e. tongs) that helped you get everything settled?

Not usually in my experience. I rely a lot on my tactile sense (due to a birth defect, I have no depth perception), so I prefer to use my hands for most tasks. Others with fully functional eyeballs may have better input.

What's worked the best for you when attaching coral to an aquascape in the past?

The only other thing I would add is what @klavmaister said above...always dip your corals before adding them.

 

[javajaws]

None of you'll QT your corals? Just a dip?

If you do QT, do you de-plug/re-plug before putting in QT (when possible)? Or do you go through QT with the original plug and only re-plug when moving to DT (if you aren't glueing directly to rocks)?