Superglue

BlennyMan1 · 05-24-2005, 01:57 AM

Alright well ig ot my super glue gel and i am ready to put my toadstool in place... i experimented with the glue last night and it seems to me that if you dry one surface and apply the gel to the dry surface then you can push it into live rock and hold for a minute and it would hold real nicely. now should i use just a dab of this gel? it seems like you need to use a good glob to make sure it works real good...anyone know if this is really dangerous or just somethign that will be fine after a few days? i also handled the toadstool a little today so should i wait a while to handle it again for securing into its final position or should i hurry and get it over with? thanks alot

Twitterbait · 05-24-2005, 02:12 AM

I say get it over with so you get the stress period finished.

Mrs Smith · 05-24-2005, 02:15 AM

Just get it over with. And I have put tubes and tubes of superglue in my tank after massive frag-fests, with no ill results. I'd use a generous glob - it seems to help, as you've surmised. Leathers are tricky to just glue, so don't be too surprised if it comes loose. Just try again.

Good luck,
Danielle

BlennyMan1 · 05-24-2005, 02:23 AM

well alright im goin for it lol i cant wait any longer anyways

suzstephens · 05-24-2005, 02:29 AM

If your glue doesn't do the trick, another approach is to push a plastic cocktail toothpick through the base of the leather, then fasten each end of the toothpick to the rock with glue or rubber bands. It helps if you're putting the base of the leather into a depression or low spot in the rock, with the ends of the toothpick resting on higher areas of the rock. It can be very difficult to push the toothpick through the leather as they are quite tough.

A second approach, which works best with small leather frags, is to let the leather lay on the substrate until the base "gloms" onto some pieces of gravel or rubble, then glue those bits to a larger rock. Give some thought to where you place the leather because any part of it that rests against a rock will eventually stick to the rock. And sometimes if you unstick it, the bits of the leather remaining on the rock will generate a new baby leather.

Mrs Smith · 05-24-2005, 02:29 AM

Blenny,
I know you're just trying to be really careful - which is totally normal. The first time I fragged, I was absolutely paranoid that I'd kill everything. Just try to relax and think positively. It will be fine, and more importantly, you'll be fine, so that when it comes time to do it again, it will be old hat to you.

Good luck,
Danielle

suzstephens · 05-24-2005, 02:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mrs Smith

Blenny,
I know you're just trying to be really careful - which is totally normal. The first time I fragged, I was absolutely paranoid that I'd kill everything. Just try to relax and think positively. It will be fine, and more importantly, you'll be fine, so that when it comes time to do it again, it will be old hat to you.

Good luck,
Danielle

Danielle is right. Working with leathers is easy and safe. In fact, there are rumors afoot that some guy has run a toadstool through a blender or food process to successfully frag it. The only difficult part is tolerating the smell

Loverotties · 05-24-2005, 05:29 AM

suzstephens is right!

Twitterbait · 05-24-2005, 12:19 PM

And hey, if you kill it in the end i have a carpet leather that is dropping frags all the time and i would be more than happy to help you out with another try.

BlennyMan1 · 05-24-2005, 05:39 PM

Geez thanks alot for all the replies! well last night i moved it into a good spot on a ledge where the points of the rubble that it is attached to fit perfectly and then i turned the coral upside down and tried drying the rubble pretty quickly and then proceeded to glob superglue on all 3 points of the rubble then i hustled to get the coral right back to the spot and had to move it around a little to find that right spot and found it. well i held it for a minute or 2 and then turned off the closest powerhead overnight and then i cam home today and the coral is still there but barely hanging on so im guessing there will be a retry. dang it! lol it looked perfect when i went to bed! am i doing something wrong?

BlennyMan1 · 05-24-2005, 05:45 PM

i think im going to try the superglue this way for my second attempt:
*round the three points on the rubble with the 2 part epoxy
*push the rubble into the place on ledge i want it to be
*lift it back up and turn it upside down out of water and dry the epoxy a little (before hardens)
*then add superglue to the new indents made in epoxy by rock surface
*then put the rubble back into the spot that made indents into epoxy and push harder this time.
does this sound like a good method?

Twitterbait · 05-24-2005, 05:51 PM

sounds fine to me, work quickly and make sure to feather the epoxy into any holes or crevasis so when it dries the hard epoxy with be stuck in the holes. you might also try wrapping a rubber band around it for a few days to hold it in place.