Advice on Glue and Coral Skeleton Base Trimming

[CaptainYooh]

Let me get this straight: I have a double–tube syringe of Epoxy glue. Do I just insert it in the crevice and squeeze/push glue out into the crevice right there in the water? And then, cover the coral skeleton with epoxy while in the water and insert the skeleton in the crevice? Or does this method require a piece of small "base rock" to make a real frag? I am not sure I understand. We wanted to glue the coral skeleton right onto the live rock.

Also, what about my skeleton trimming question, guys?

Please and thanks.

[hound96]

the best advise to this question is go to your lfs and ask the guy in charge of fraging and have him show you

[RedCoralEdmonton]

First things first, we cannot give you proper advise until you tell us what type of coral you are trying to adhere...

once you tell us that we can advise you properly

Steve

[eli@fijireefrock.com]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

Let me get this straight: I have a double–tube syringe of Epoxy glue. Do I just insert it in the crevice and squeeze/push glue out into the crevice right there in the water? And then, cover the coral skeleton with epoxy while in the water and insert the skeleton in the crevice? Or does this method require a piece of small "base rock" to make a real frag? I am not sure I understand. We wanted to glue the coral skeleton right onto the live rock.

Also, what about my skeleton trimming question, guys?

Please and thanks.

You have the wrong product you need crazy glue as gel form not epoxy 2part.
as to cutting a frag from a colony,there are few different techniques to do it but with one basic rule minimal stress to your coral,my favorite is a quick snap with tweeser pliers.
If you like and live near the Bedington area i will offer you a show and tell class on fragging your coral.

[CaptainYooh]

Sorry, guys, I guess I was not phrasing the question properly. I was trying to fit a pink tip hammer coral into the live rock crevice and it didn't fit in properly. So, my choices were either finding a different spot for it (which I couldn't), or trimming its skeleton to fit into the crevice (it doesn't have a rock base) or gluing it onto the rock somehow.

I did try gluing it with SuperGlue but, as I am realizing now, it was not the gel consistency glue, I got that.

Here is a snapshot of the tank and you can see the seven-head pink tip hammer coral hiding in the very right corner. We want to move it into the lower crevice that can be seen in the middle of the tank between brown xenia and the frogspawn. The coral has a thick skeleton base that I thought could be either trimmed or glued.

[eli@fijireefrock.com]

you could trim it if are handy with the knives if not use the epoxy.

[whatcaneyedo]

The skeleton of that type of coral is quite porous and prone to shattering when cut with clippers. Do you have a Dremel or wet tile saw? One of those or even a wet bandsaw would be ideal.

Sometimes I've been able to use zip ties to get coral to stay in place. That might work for you if their are any holes in the rock that you can feed one through.

[RedCoralEdmonton]

Hey, thanks for clarifying, you can trim the skeleton on branching torches, hammers, frogspawn.... As long as you make sure you don't cut through tissue, so to be safe make sure there is 1.5" or longer on the branch from the heads, other then that the best adhesive for this application is marine epoxy as opposed to any type of gel glue, hope this helps!

Steve

[monocus]

the marine epoxy is a solid 2 part epoxy(tunze or other similar brands)-do not use a gel type marine epoxy as it is toxic until it cures

[CaptainYooh]

Originally Posted by RedCoralEdmonton

...so to be safe make sure there is 1.5" or longer on the branch from the heads, other then that the best adhesive for this application is marine epoxy as opposed to any type of gel glue, hope this helps!

Steve

Thanks, Steve. Unfortunately, there's no 1.5" long "stem". All seven heads are kind of stemming from one thick bulge, so trimming it might not be an option, I guess. I will think of making a small base for it from sand and glue, first, and then attaching it to this base. Then it should be easier.