Best glue to use for frags

[cookiemn]

After attending my first psas meeting, I came home with a load of frags. I was thinking of using elmer's super glue to glue these frags to some reef rubble that I have. Does anyone use ELmer's super glue? What other glues can I use? Does super glue also work with hard corals?

Thanks

 

[Gordo]

I didn't know that Elmers made super glue. For hard corals the best thing to use is the super glue gel (Cyanoacrylate). It's important to use gel, the liquid runs all over the place. For soft corals there are a number of methods for attaching them. What corals are you trying to mount?

~Gordo~

 

[Ed Hahn]

well, I have used a few glues. But my opinion of the best is the BSI IC-Gel ethyl cyanocrylate gel. Kevin has it. You get lots of bang for your buck. I think Kevin sells it for 7 dollars a tube of.7oz. You can do lots of frags. I use to use loctite gel in blue and grey bottle. Kevin can probably tell ya more than I can? I think you can do at least 40 +frags a tube? You figure it the math. A few frags for 3 dollars or 10 times that at least for 7 dollars and tax?

 

[Gordo]

Ed,

I've always had an issue with the larger tubes/bottles drying up before I could use all of it. Any tips to keep this from happening?

~Gordo~

 

[Katchupoy]

I was told I can use Crazy Glue (green one). It works sometimes but with acroporas, its not enough. Actually no good. So I will not recommend this one.

Any suggestions that we can go and buy these from HD or Lowes.

Also I use AquaStik Underwater expoxy by Two Little Fishes. This one works really great. You can buy from LFS but cheaper online.

 

[tamarindthai]

good to meet you,,cookiemn.
dang

 

[fishermann]

you can go to any hobby shop and get "Zap" gel super glue for less then 7 dollars, Zap is a name brand of super glue and it works great. just puncture the tube use that way. wipe the threads good before putting the nozzle back on as a cap. You may have to use pliers to get it to relaese later and mite have to poke the hole you made in the tube to open it but you can useally with care use the whole .7 oz tube.

 

[Katchupoy]

What about you Dang, What do you use?

 

[mattseattle]

yeah i also use the aquastik. i was having too many problems with the gel super glue not holding. i was also trying to do thing underwater so maybe that is why.

aquastik works great. coralline grows over it in a short time. only negative is 24 hours after you use it your skimmer goes nuts.

 

[fishermann]

super glue works great underwater also if you use the gel

 

[Ed Hahn]

Gordo,
Maybe putting a metal pin at the end or small nail? I just poke it with small screw driver I have. But I can do at least 30 frags a bottle. I swear by the IC Gel. good luck,
Ed

 

[Fragman]

I have glued thousands of Frags with the Superglue Gel. A lot of them Underwater. I have glued 5 lb colonies as well. This is by far the best item for the job. Especially with Acroporas! It also tends to act like a band-aid and closes the open wound from exposure to Bacteria.

Glueing underwater requires a technique that must be learned or you will be really frustrated. After selecting the frag and the site for attachment you have three steps:

1. Apply superglue to the attachment site by globbing it onto your fingertip. Then spread it around the site using a circular motion. you are trying to break through the skin that forms over the glue to work it into the attachment site nooks and cranies. This should only take five to ten seconds! You want the glue to still be wet beneth the surface skin for step three.

2. Dry using a towel or simply blow on the frags attachment point. Apply an appropriate sized glob of superglue onto the frag.

3. When you go to attach this frag to its location, you want to minimize the amount of time that the super glue is underwater until it touches the other fresh superglue at the attachment site. You should swirl or twist the two globs of superglue together in order to have the wet glue from each surface combine. If the joint is thick you will need to hold it for a longer time period. Small frags can usually be released in a few seconds. Larger frags and even colonies can be glued but may require something to prop them into place long enough for the glue to dry. I have used this method to glue 3 lb Tabletop Acros that reach out and look like they grew naturally.

When you are glueing small frags to rocks or whatever, Use the water as a curing agent by dunking the frag immediately after you have it freshly glued to the rock. The water does two things; First it speeds up the setting process of the glue and Second it cools off the glue. The fast drying Super glues really heat up and can damage the coral if you keep it out of the water during curing.

Good luck!

Paul

 

[Katchupoy]

Fragman....Ok, if we talked about super glue gel.... are we the talking about the "ZAP"

Ed Hahn, what is IC gel?

 

[fishermann]

super glue is super glue is super glue, it is all made with ca, Zap is just a brand that is widely used in the model hobby industry, which is available in .7 oz. tubes instead of the little tubes in hdwr stores i use it all the time just like paul says.

 

[Katchupoy]

Well, I tried Crazy Glue which is the brand and it is Super Glue like you said. But it is NOT WORKING. Thats why I am asking a kind of specific brand so I dont need to guess.

Ok ZAP is one. Any other brand?

 

[fishermann]

is it gel ? not thin or thick but gel? I have used crazy glue gel and it worked fine. You just don't get much for your money. Hope this helps John

 

[kevinpo]

All super glues are are not created equal. They work quite differently depending on the amount and type of additives. IC-Gel is a ethyl cyanoacrylate ester that has a very quick cure time and thick gel like viscosity.

I have tried almost all of the commercial brands and this one is the best for frags (IMO. I do 100 frags a month) and being able to resuse the tube later without having to poke and mess with it until you glue something to your fingers (maybe I'm just clutsy). I can glue 45-60 frags a tube without having to squeeze it to the last drop.

Paul,
Good directions, except I refuse to put it on my fingers (on purpose) :lol: I just put a lot on the rock/frag and do the twist motion.

Regards,
Kevin

 

[fishermann]

Kevin i agree with you as far as the make up being differant but they well all work, some are easier to reuse later but all well work to glue the frags because i have used them all to glue corals. I fly big rc airplanes and use several diff ca glues depending on what i am glueing.