Super Glue question

Clownfishman · 03-10-2004, 03:36 PM

Tomorrow I will be gluing my first coral to a rock.... its special glue I bought from a coral dealer and it can be used underwater.... I wanted to make sure using this glue would cause no harm to my inhabitants..

or if anyone has had glue problems..

Geoff · 03-10-2004, 03:50 PM

as long as it is a CA cyanoacrolate (sp?) you are fine. just about every glue manufacturer sells a glue based on this stuff. i like to use the thick stuff.

superglue gel is a more readily found version, at most grocery stores.

G~

Phishnoob · 03-10-2004, 04:04 PM

Cyano is great except for the fumes which aspirate quickly but it is not really good for porous surfaces. Either a two part epoxy like the green plumbers type or something silicon based would seem better at bonding porous rocks together. If everything is dry and there is enough contact area cyano might work, but I did not wan't to take the LR out of the water for long

I don't know boo about my tank yet but just did a very long glue validation test in life outside the reef.

I am getting frags in soon and had the same question, and thought the epoxy that cured on even wet surfaces was the way to go. Can anyone point to a good thread on mounting frags or lend advice.

Any ideas?

Phishnoob

Paradox · 03-10-2004, 04:29 PM

For frags, go with the super glue gels. Loctite has been the best ive found out of the multiple brands ive tried. Only thing to watch for is sometimes, a fish will bite at a drip that isnt fully hardened. You can imagine what happens after that. The epoxy will be better for larger pieces like rock etc. Even then, I don t think it works very well. It hardens, but it does not stick well. People use the epoxy to form the shape of what its holding, and then a drop of super glue will secure it.

Phishnoob · 03-10-2004, 05:01 PM

I just pulled the data sheet for a thick gel cyano and will test it tonight. Thanks for sending me the info Clown

Is it okay to do this in the tank or should we mix up a batch of salt water and do it there?

Phishnoob

StellaMN · 03-10-2004, 06:46 PM

ITA with Paradox...Loctite works great....but any superglue gel will work. I prefer the gels over the "liquid"---much to runny.

Usually, I will glue the frag to a piece of rubble outside of the tank and then epoxy the rubble to the rock structure inside of the tank.

Jodi

wanareef · 03-11-2004, 06:07 AM

You can get the same superglue at the hobby shop, the stuff used to assembly RC Airplanes. It comes in a 4oz bottle and only costs about $9.00. Get the thick stuff.

for fragging: find a piece of rubble that is flat, dry ti off, if wet put a nice big drop of glue on the spot then what I do is add a drop of water with my finger to start it to harden up, then add another drop then add the frag, apply a little pressure then place into some water to further harden up. It'll take about 30sec's or so to harden up. Then place in the tank.

You can't do this to shroos or ricordia - too slimey. But most others you can use this.

For rock or bigger pices get some 2 part epoxy from HD - Aqua-mend, it's only $3.00 of less and woeks great

hth

JennM · 03-11-2004, 08:43 AM

FYI the specially labelled "coral glue" is really just regular super glue with a higher price tag

I have heard of Paleobond, a brand name of thick super glue gel that was used by a fragging facility in Chattanooga a while back - it came in huge tubes and you had to buy quantity but it worked very well. Supposedly it was the stuff used by archaeologists to glue fossil fragments together.

Just don't glue your fingers together

I'm clumsy with that stuff

Jenn

Reefdude5 · 03-11-2004, 05:05 PM

Are all the 2 part epoxies from HD okay? I just bought one that said it was for water stuff, like docks, boats, etc. Can superglue gels and the two part epoxy be used for leathers and colts and such? Or is it better to rubber band or stitch those kind of corals?

PJ · 03-11-2004, 05:27 PM

Clownfishman ...

You're post stated:

Quote:

"its special glue I bought from a coral
dealer and it can be used underwater"

*********************

Did I tell you that I can get you the "Special Super Duper South Seas Underwater Coral Glue?"

It's specifically designed and formulated to glue corals onto South Seas Live Rock, such as Marshall Island or Fuji Rock.

I happen to be one of only a few U.S. Distributors. Not every LFS is allowed to stock it, because of it's special formulation.

I can get you a 4 oz package for only "one easy payment of just $29.95"

Please send check or money order to: PJ c/o TRT.

Good Luck Fragging !!

PJ

Junkzoo · 03-11-2004, 05:46 PM

Premium sells "Coral Glue" ,prob just rebottled SG, but it's a nice price, lasts a long time,does not dry up like a lot of the regular hardware store stuff , after you open it...
i do use the 2 part Two Lil Fishies brand of epoxy for SPS fraggin,and stuff like that, works well...
i tend to use the SG on gorgs and the like,,,and whatever uses around the house that come up,,,,plus i can find the Premium Aquatics bottle right away, instead of looking for the lil tube of "normal " SG,,,

Doug1 · 03-21-2004, 05:41 PM

OK where does ZAP fit into the picture, I remember hearing about using it along with Superglue?

Eric P · 03-21-2004, 08:23 PM

Doug, Zap is a brand of CA. I have used a lot of different brands including Zap. All work alike. I now use locktite because I get it for free.

Eric...

P.S. Maybe you are talking about super glue accelerator. I would not use it in my reef tank. I am not sure of the chemicals it contains. I have some and the label says it contains isopropyl alcohol. Not sure what else.

Eric...

wanareef · 03-22-2004, 01:22 AM

Naw, you really don't want to use that accelerator - too many chemicals as eric mentioned, althought it's great for gluing up balsa wood on RC airplanes and having the SG Thick dry and harden in just one sec.

Zap is another brand of SG.

Jimbo · 03-22-2004, 03:18 AM

I like to glue underwater, just get the little tubes of it. Move the4 glue container around in a circle on the rock to glue to making a bubble of glue on the rock then twist the frag into place breaking the bubble you made and it will stick almost instantly. After you use the tube it's no good since the saltwater will contaminate it and it will harden. I see almost no difference in the thick or thin stuff with this method. You can usally get 3 little tubes for a buck.

I've glued many frags this way.

Oh you can kill aptasia this way by glueing them over