Securing Corals

[mling]

My tank is only about half a year old so the coral in it are all comparatively new.  I do have quite a few corals, thanks to the generosity of a friend.   I was able to use super glue and tooth pick to secure all these corals that my friend gave except for the Colt coral (about 1 to 1.5 inches in height).  I have even tried applying super glue on the toothpick before piecing it.  It always sticks for a day or two and then it’s time to play hide and seek in the tank again. About a week ago I though I finally found the solution -> use a rubber band to secure them both.  Well, it worked for about 6 days, today both were gone again.  This time I only managed to find one of the two in our game of hide and seek in the tank.

 

Are all super glues created equal  ?  

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to secure the Colt ?      

Would it be bad for the tank if I can't find the 2nd Colt ?  I am assuming here that it may rot and create problems with the water chemistry.

[craby]

Try using a thread and needle to tie the colt to a small rock. Run 1 or 2 loops through the base. I tried this with some leathers after the rubber band trick wouldn't work. It took a few weeks for them to attach to the rock, but it worked like a champ.

[xeon]

There are a few ways I think may work for mounting a colt coral.  I imagine SuperGel doesn't work so hot since they are pretty slimy.  You can put a toothpick through the base and then use a rubber band to hold the two ends of the toothpick against a rock.  After it attaches you can remove the toothpick and rubber bands.  Another option would be to sew a few stitches around the rock through the colt's base.  After it attaches you can remove the stitching.

[Caribbean Jake]

mling

 

Had the same problem.  Used the gel option without luck.  Used the toothpick and rubber option and the coral somehow split and released itself from the toothpick.  Used the sew option and did it two time in two location to secure it to the rock.  So far is working although it has been 4 weeks and yet has not attached to rock.

Jacob

[dbartco]

I have attempted all these methods as well. Getting the pressure right with the toothpicks and line is just too touchy, and I would always split them or would find it somewhere else in the tank a day later. I usually just let them settle in a quiet area of the tank, or in some small container with some coral rubble or argonite, let then attach to the small rock, then super glue the base with small attached rock to a larger one. Then, you don't burn the base.

[HowardofNOVA]

See under Members Discussions: Sticky Subject; Glue 101 topic with last notes on July 02 2004,10:31.

 

I had this problem with many softies and found that rubberbands of various size works. Actually with my Sarcophyton and Sinularia, I used several with a small amount of pressure against stalk. Just enough to keep it in place.

In time, a crease will form, but after about 2 wks, the coral should be attached enough to take bands off. With in weeks, the crease will disappear and coral will be your buddy again!

Howard