Homemade plugs...how to make them...

[Psyduck]

Hi all,

Ok Im wanting to make some nice "shot glass" shaped plugs for my xenia cuttings so I can propagate them. I have heard bits and pieces about using Portland cement/aragonite sand to make a mixture. Has anyone used this, or is there some other method people use as attachments for their propagated corals? I heard you have to cure the cement/sand mixture, but I have no quantitative information on the process. Info/web sites would be appreciated. I have too much xenia and need to start trimming :).

[MEC]

Using portland cement is definately a bad idea. What about small peaces of rock? Also you could cast your own in with casting resin,which is basicaly a type of plastic.

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Its only money!:)

[Biosystems]

psyduck:

Ive made my plugs out of portland cement and caribsea crushed coral or florida crushed coral. I mixed to a consistency that I thought would hold well together and yet provide the least amount of cement necessary. I used ice cube trays to make the plugs. If you look around you can find ice cube trays in the shot glass shape you are looking for.

Some sites list crushed oyster shell as a possible mixture as it is very cheap and provides calcium. Personally I would stay away from this as it contains an ungodly amount of phosphates. If I go and find the links for some sites providing info I will come back and post them.

As far as curing-portland cement must cure over time. It will be hard by the next day but curing may take some time. During this curing process, the water it is in will become very basic. In order to cure cement rock, people ussually add their creations to a garbage can of water with or without vinegar and change the water for a month or so on a fairly regular basis. You do this until the water does not change pH.

For plugs, I have not gone through the extensive process that is described to cure the rock structures(but I have only used these for growing xenia). I havent had much problem with a short curing period in water and then curing directly in my tank-although for some time these may be what helped to keep my pH where it should have been in the tank, as before I added them I had decreasing pH that had to be adjusted due to excess CO2. MAybe that is why the pulsed so well ;-).

HTH,
Tim

[Biosystems]

If you email me your mailing address I can send you some cement ice cubes that youcan try and see how it works. Most of the ones I have left contain a fair ratio of cement to crushed coral-but you can see how effective they are for you.

Tim

[Zmann]

Never had a problem using aragonite portland rocks. Mix 4 parts arag gravel with 1 part portland cement, let them dry over night. Next day put them in fresh water and cure them for them for 3 weeks changing the water every 3 days.

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Our Little Ocean (http://www.fortunecity.com/boozers/bell/738)

[80CI]

A guy that supplies arco frags to my favorite lfs cures his in his toilet tank for two weeks. About 10 w/c a day lol.

[Psyduck]

What a good idea....Ill have to try that one.

[Bubafat]

ya but you have to be careful about doing that. the plugs with absorb either iron or chorine, whether you have city water or well water.

I make mine out of portland cement and aragonite sand too. Mixed 6 to 1 and poured into the little bathroom sized cups, if i had to do it again, i'd do it with something smaller like the icecube trays. the nice thing about 6 to 1 is that when someone buys them, they can easily chisle the coral off the plug, glue it onto their rock, then reuse the plug again. works well.
have fun
buba

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Have fun and happy reefing. "The goal in life is to reach pure happieness." Aristotle

[billsreef]

The cement/argonite plugs work well after curing. I make hand molded plugs, but I definately like Tims ice cube tray method.

BTW Tim it is great to see you back online :)

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Bill

If damsels grew as big as sharks, the sharks would run in fear!
My dive photos (http://hometown.aol.com/billsreef/)
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[Biosystems]

Thanks for the welcome back Bill.

Now if I could just get all the things I need to get finished so I could use those plugs.

Tim

[Psyduck]

6 to 1 cement to aragonite ratio, or the other way around?