Mounting Frags

[Reefland]

Good day all,

On Friday, I am supposed to acquire 7 unmounted frags from a local reefer (thanks smackwater!). I was planning on using Quicktite Loctite Gel to mount them with but wanted to get some advice or experience. I plan to dab the end of the frag that I am going to mount and apply a liberal amount of gel to it, and dab the rubble dry and apply a liberal amount there as well. Then I am going to sit the frag in the gel and hold it for about 30 seconds to set up and then place it back in the tank. I plan to mount the frags slightly slanted (versus verticle) as I hear the encrust better and seem to grow a little better.

I was also thinking about placing 1 or 2 of them on the back glass of the tank but wanted to opinions here. Do I do the same with the gel? Do I just squirt some of it on the glass under the water? I am not sure yet about this but it sure sounds neat.

Again, any opinions, advice or experience on mounting SPS frags would be great!

Regards,

[kevinpo]

Scott,
I just use a small amount of glue and a small plastic bowl of aquarium water. I do as you described but put the frag mounted to the rock into the bowl for a couple of min. The glue puts off some film into the water so I just discard the water in the bowl when I finish curing the glue. The glue cures much faster under water than in air.

You cannot squirt the glue under water very well. I tried it before and the glue cures so fast it clogs the tip. The best way is to form a fairly large ball (pea sized) at the end of the frag. As it enters the water it will skin over the surface. If you wiggle it against a rock or the glass under water the skin will rupture allowing fresh uncured glue to spill out and adhere to whatever surface it comes in contact with (hopefully not your fingers ).

HTH,
Kevin

[MtnDewMan]

Yah ... what Kevin said

[Reeffantic]

1st, where does one get Quicktite locktite gel? Superglue works but is to runny for my taste. 2nd, no one answered his question as to what angle the frag should be on the rock. I have wondered this too: verticle, at an angle or perpendicular to the rock? Has anyone thought about mounting the frag horizontal on the rock. In nature, I have got to think that is how frags end up after they are broken off in a storm and left to resettle on adjoing rocks.

[SueT]

Reeffantic, I agree about most brands of glue gel being too runny. I get my Loc-Tite gel at Lowe's but have also seen it at HD. In the last couple of batches of tubes I have bought I have noticed a different packaged tube. It still says Loc-Tite gel but the tube is a different color. Anyway, when I am gluing up frags I more let the frag dictate to me how it will look best mounted. It is is a nice frag that looks better to me standing up I glue it that way. If it isn't say the best I may mount it horizontally. This does make for more branch growth as more base is encrusted. If there is a perfect spot in my system for it to be angled and the frag can be set that way I do it.

John Rice has an awesome website with a part on mounting frags.
http://globaldialog.com/~jrice/reef/ Then click to coral propagation. Sorry I don't have the exact link, but I like running through his site every so often. HTH..

my 180 ecosystem sps/clam tank:
http://berlinmethod.com/suet/
my 120 ecosystem sps tank:
http://suetruett.homestead.com/home.html

[scubadude]

If you guys go to a hobby shop there is superglue gel in much bigger bottles which is much more effecient. I know that some of you only use it once and then have the problem of the stupid tip glueing over and you cant use it again.....what I do for this problem is just take some acetone and put it on the rag and wipe the tip a couple of times and I have a safety pin on hand if I need to repoke the hole. I pay 5 bux for 2 oz. of superglue gel which will mount about 300 frags (give or take)

[kevinpo]

I use 3M superglue gel from Wal-Mart $1.97 for 2 tubes. I get 10 -14 frags mounted per tube. Which is about 7-10 cents each. I have mounted them both ways. Most of the time the horizontal ones encrust more and send up more branches. The vertical ones grow taller faster with less branches. I even just lay frags on rocks with no glue they encrust in about 5 days. This works well in tanks without fish and inverts (those darn tangs are always nosing around knocking over the frags )

Regards,
Kevin

[Reeffantic]

I just read that a horizontal mounting would be best. Although it does not make sense at first, think of it this way: that is the way it happens in nature when a frag breaks off the parent colony and regrows in a different place. The result is a coral that is much fuller with many more branches.

[Minh Nguyen]

I use fishing line to tie the corals to small rock. It works great and very cheap, non-toxic. My 3 dollars 20 lb test line last me for ever.
I was showing some reefers at MASST how to tie these frags and forgot my fishing line there. I gues I have to spend 3 more dollars to get some more line.
Minh

[scubadude]

How bout shooting us a few pics and skewling us I have never had any sucess w/ fishing monofilament line because its hard to get a knot to stay.

[Minh Nguyen]

I fax a picture to esmithiii. I will see if he can post it.
I can draw it but have no way to get the picture into the computer because I don'd have a dig cam.

[SueT]

The solitaryensis frag I have that came from Chris Jacobs was mounted using the fishing line. It was totally encrusted over the line when I got it. I let it grow a bit more and have since clipped the fishing line. I think this is a great way to mount frags, but I haven't tried it. Is it hard to get the frag to stay put without it sliding off of where you want it??

my 180 ecosystem sps/clam tank:
http://berlinmethod.com/suet/
my 120 ecosystem sps tank:
http://suetruett.homestead.com/home.html

[danimal11211]

good thread!!!

[kevinpo]

Back in the late '90's Bob Mankin was bringing in aquacultured SPS from the Solomon Islands. They were all attached to 2" cement disks by fishing line. The disk had 2 small holes in it about 1" apart. The string went over the coral and tied on the bottom of the disk.

Regards,
Kevin

[Minh Nguyen]

I have a very simple knot that I use and it doesnot slip off. I will try to post how I do it over the next few days. Best line to use is 20 lb test line.
Minh

[esmithiii]

Here is a drawing to Minh's knot:

[Minh Nguyen]

It is a very simple knot that you can do in a few seconds. If anyone have a fax number where I can fax to, I can draw step by step how to created this knot.
I though I fax to esmithii several drawing step by step, but I guess I did not. Looking at the picture, I can see how some one may think it is a very complicate knot. It isn't at all.
One problem is that we only have two hands. We cannot hold the frags/rock and pull both end at the same time. I solve this by using my teeth to pull one end, one hand the other hand and the second have to hold the coral and rock in the loop.
Minh Nguyen

[esmithiii]

I have used the knot with good success. It is fairly simple to tie (I went by the drawing alone) and if you print a copy and have it in front of you as you tie the knot it is easy. I tie the knot without the frag/rock leaving a large loop and then slide the loop over the rock and frag and then use my teeth and left hand to pull the ends tight while holding the rock and frag in place with the right hand.