Mindflux Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 On some recommendations here I picked up some water weld a while back. I'm not super impressed with it though. It never seems to bond well to my LR and ends up getting crumbly after a while. When I mentioned this to someone they suggested using super glue on the frag plug side before sticking the waterweld to it, and then more glue on the bottom of the waterweld blob before it gets stuck to the LR. (Basically a superglue/waterweld sandwich.) Unfortunately even this combo, frags break free from the LR pretty easily. Maybe it's the Mexican Turbos I have grazing on Gelidium being 'too rough' on them, but I've also slightly nudged one or two before and ended up popping the epoxy free. Thoughts/Suggestions/Recommendations for fixes or alternative products are welcome. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meteorflower Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 I'd also be interested in this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmmthree Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 I use the Super Glue gel. It seems to work fine for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 I have the same experience with the waterweld. It doesn't seem to hold well. I've been just removing frags I buy from plugs and pushing them to the rock with a huge ball of waterweld with superglue dabbed on the bottom of my coral. Sticking to the bottom of the frag plug doesn't work so well because it just looses it's grip and slides right off. They used to carry aquamend which I felt like worked better but for all I know, it could be the same product. -Ty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 I've used several variations of the epoxy putty products and always have an issue with them sticking to a wet surface especially as there is always some algae on anything pulled out of a tank. I have the best results with the epoxy putties when they make a mechanical bond, ie they fill in the irregularities between two surfaces so they can't be pulled apart. If the piece of rock I'm trying to stick something to is pretty flat I'll spend a minute working a bit of the epoxy into the rock with a thumb or sometimes a screwdriver or small metal spatula to make sure it's has good contact to make a chemical bond before using some additional putty to attach a frag. I've run into having crumbly putty also and have thought I either didn't mix it up well enough or that I had water or coral slime on my hands when I mixed it so the water formed a film that weakened it or kept it from mixing properly but I haven't tried doing separate tests to prove it one way or the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+etannert Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 We have good luck with the Tunze stuff as well as Superglue Gel. It seems like it's generally a rule of thumb, though, to dry whatever you're gluing or epoxying right before you apply the glue or epoxy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caferacermike Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 I only use super glue gel. I tried using a 2 part a few times and it made my skimmer go nuts each time. Then the plug would end up breaking free anyways. I've been exclusively using the 3 for a $1 Super Glue gels from the dollar store for over 6 years. They now come in these nice foil packs to keep them fresher, When I hit the store I buy all they have since sometimes they don't have the gel. For $20 I get 60 tubes. As a general rule I use half a tube for a small frag directly to the rock, or a full tube for a plug to rock. If my plug is the type for eggcrate I will usually cut the frag away, mount the frag to rock somewhere, and then save the plug with a bit of the frag on it. I let that grow out and pass it on to another reefer. Some tips. Scout around the tnak for where you are going to mount the frag long before applying your glue. Once satisfied with the location use a hard bristle toothbrush or a very small parts cleaning brush made of stainless steel to clean the rock where you want the frag. If you are cutting a fresh frag, or if you are mounting a plug, dry the area to be glued with a towel first then apply lots of glue. Place the glued frag in the area you want it, hold it for about 5 seconds, then begin to twist it a little, push it down again, do this a couple of times to make sure you work the glue into the small holes in the rock. By cleaning the rock with a brush you remove the slick algae that prevents a good bond. Remember when you were a kid in elementary school and you played with clay in art class? They made you score the two pieces before sticking them together? Yah same thing. Don't skimp on glue, use lots. Don't waste your money on $6 a bottle Loctite. It's not worth it. Not when 33 cent tubes work just as well and you don't feel bad using an entire tube on a single plug. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindflux Posted August 15, 2011 Author Share Posted August 15, 2011 Hrmm. Maybe part of my problem is my reluctance to remove LR from my tank for adhering frags. It's not something I'm particularly interested in doing, hence the 2 part... but obviously it's not working to my satisfaction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 . . . Once satisfied with the location use a hard bristle toothbrush or a very small parts cleaning brush made of stainless steel to clean the rock where you want the frag. If you are cutting a fresh frag, or if you are mounting a plug, dry the area to be glued with a towel first then apply lots of glue. Place the glued frag in the area you want it, hold it for about 5 seconds, then begin to twist it a little, push it down again, do this a couple of times to make sure you work the glue into the small holes in the rock. By cleaning the rock with a brush you remove the slick algae that prevents a good bond. Remember when you were a kid in elementary school and you played with clay in art class? They made you score the two pieces before sticking them together? Yah same thing. Don't skimp on glue, use lots. Don't waste your money on $6 a bottle Loctite. It's not worth it. Not when 33 cent tubes work just as well and you don't feel bad using an entire tube on a single plug. I like Caferacermike's explanation better than mine. You do really need to make sure you're gluing to rock and not to algae or debris and whatever you use don't skimp on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caferacermike Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Hrmm. Maybe part of my problem is my reluctance to remove LR from my tank for adhering frags. It's not something I'm particularly interested in doing, hence the 2 part... but obviously it's not working to my satisfaction. I'm not seeing anywhere that anyone said to remove your live rock from your tank. I did see mentioned a few times to dry the frag or the new plug's base before applying glue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+o0zarkawater Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 DOLLAR GLUE! I buy it up everytime I go to the dollar store as well. I know dollar tree and dollar general both stock it. There have also been '50% MORE FREE' tubes lately. Dont bother with the red-cap stuff, you want the green capped GEL. It works great and is cheap as can be. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B0037SEJBI/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=284507&s=kitchen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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