Super-newbie coral question!

[blorkiemom]

So I got my first corals at the swap, and one of them is a fuzzy colt coral. It seems happy in my tank--as fuzzy as can be--but the poor little guy keeps falling off his rock. Right now he's just plopped on the sand next to the rock . . . I tried tying it on, but it shifted around, and I tried gel superglue, but it only stuck for about 36 hours. What am I doing wrong? (Multiple things, no doubt.)

And is there a book that actually tells the beginner what to do with the corals? I've got lots of references that talk about the needs and compatibilities of corals, but they don't tell me how to actually get the thing stuck to a rock or how long it can be out of the water while said sticking is happening or all those sorts of things clueless people like me need to know and are kind of embarrassed to ask publicly.

Thanks!

[bluenassarius]

how much superglue gel did you use? i used the whole bottle on my colt frag and it stayed onto the rock

[Reefugee]

Rebecca,

My limited experience with colt coral is that the don't superglue all that well. It's very much a hit and miss thing. I recommend that you just stick the frag in a little container with rocks. It will eventually attach itself. The other way I have done it is to use needle and thread to sew the coral onto a piece of rock. :-) That has worked really for me.

Minh

[ozmonster]

superglue and softies don't ussually do well. best way to secure it is to hold in place w/ rubberband (loose as possible while still holding) or spear with tootpick until it attaches on its own. [or use Minh's idea]

Anthony Calfo's book has good info on fragging and how to attach, etc.

[Reefugee]

Just other ideas. I have never had success supergluing any type of ricordia or shrooms to rock. What I do in those case is leave them in a container with sand. Let ricordia attach some sand to its base. Then I superlue the sand to the rock.

Rob's suggestion of toothpicks and rubberband works well also. I also keep zip ties around for mounting. :D

[blorkiemom]

Zip ties! Ooh, I have lots of zip ties. For some reason needle and thread freaks me out--it's like the emergency room! And I don't have any kind of medical license! I think I needs me a copy of the Calfo book.

Thanks for all the tips--they are very helpful. Can I follow up with two little questions?

~How long (days, weeks, months) will it take for the frag to attach itself?
~How long can I have it out of the water while gluing/sewing/spearing?

[ozmonster]

Originally posted by blorkiemom

~How long (days, weeks, months) will it take for the frag to attach itself?


too many variables to say for certain. could be as soon as a few days (as i have seen w/ xenia) or it could take a couple weeks. trick is to secure it until its ready.;)

Originally posted by blorkiemom

~How long can I have it out of the water while gluing/sewing/spearing?

5 minutes should give you enough time to do what you need to do. corals can likely withstand much longer (multiple hours). but when its being hacked up, its probably best to minimize this.

btw, that turninaria i sawed up for the swap was out of water for about 30 minutes.

Rob

[Jus Reefin]

You don't need a needle just take some sewing thread and wrap it around the frag and rock about 15-20 times as tight as possible without severing the flesh. Within 3 days to a week it should be attached

[waterdevil1]

Find a hole in your liverock and push it in deep!! works every time

[blorkiemom]

Cool. Thanks, everyone. I feel much more confident now in my Coral Attachment Technique.

[Fragmented]

Bridal veil also works well.
Check out the GARF site for good fragging directions.
http://www.garf.org/