How to Attach mushrooms etc to rocks

[emeralcrab]

What is the best way to attach mushrooms that are on little rocks, to my live rock? I got some HoldFast epoxy that is suppose to be able to be used under water, but have been nervous to try it. What do you all do? I've got some little ones that need to be placed somewhere up on my rocks. Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[dmjordan]

you can wrap netting around the shroom and rock and it will attach in a few days or you can place the shroom on your sandbed. once the shroom has attached to some sand you can use some super glue gel and glue it the attached sand to the live rock.

 

[hot883]

Depends on how big the "little rocks" are. Are they like live rock rubble or more like crushed coral? If it was attached to sand or crushed coral you could just glue it to your live rock. If it is attached to small rocks then glue that to your live rock. HTH

 

[emeralcrab]

They are on small live rock, like quarter size. I do have a loose one that is on the sand bed, it is doing good, started to divide. But what and how do you glue them when everything is wet? Has anyone used that HoldFast? :notsure:

 

[hot883]

Never used it. What I do is take the rock out that you want it on. Dab it dry with a papertowel. Dab the small rock dry as use super glue gel. Cover the piece with a moist papertowel (wet with tank water) and let sit for a couple of mintes and then put straight back into tank out of direct flow.

 

[puffer32]

Originally Posted by EmeralCrab
They are on small live rock, like quarter size. I do have a loose one that is on the sand bed, it is doing good, started to divide. But what and how do you glue them when everything is wet? Has anyone used that HoldFast? :notsure:
I s that the clay like stuff? If so, it doesn't work well for me, but then either does super glue gel which everyone swears to. The only way super glue works for me is of I do the glueing outside the tank, not under water.

 

[tomelvis]

Dude, you cant glue things under water! You have to take them out and do it like described above.

 

[chipmaker]

I hate to bear the bad news there TOMELVIS but super glue gel and the epoxy adhesives work very well under water, with no need to have to dry it off. Just put a dollop of epoxy or super glue gel on the frag, and place it where you want it in the tank.
My preference is remove all frags and pin the corals in place for a week or so.

 

[emeralcrab]

My problem with taking out the BIG LR. I really can't. So I wanted to just place some of my little new mushrooms here and there. They are doing GREAT on the bottom, so don't want to put them up to high, but I want them to start growing and dividing on my big pieces of LR. I guess I will just give that epoxy a try tonight with a couple of the littler ones. Thanks everyone. So super glue gel will work under water? I might try that also.

 

[puffer32]

yeah I have read you can glue underwater. It just doesn't work for me usually. My rocks are also to large to take out to do it. Maybe I don't do it fast enough before the glue dries. Have np idea why the epoxy doesn;t hold for me.

 

[tomelvis]

How do you do it. The glue dries as soon as it touches the water. My mistake if someone has really had success doing it that way though

 

[spartanph]

I'd be interested in an answer to this puzzle as well. I have a couple of mushrooms that have attached to crushed coral but when I try to use the crazy glue gel underwater I still cannot get it to stick reliably to the rock. I find the mushrooms floating around the tank again later that day.

 

[puffer32]

Mushrooms are to slimy to glue in place, those have to adhere to something first, then suposedly you can glue them to another rock.

 

[petjunkie]

I've just started trying to place mushrooms and have only found letting them attach to crushed coral and then glueing that to a rock to be successful, although I had several frustrating tries of the netting approach. I've heard rubberbanding or tying to a rock might work but haven't tried yet.

 

[swlover]

I have used that epoxy stuff, yea it sticks to the big rock work but it dosen't to the little piece you are trying to place on it, I still have that stuff on a couple of pieces of large rock, looks like crap..and then try to get if off, it breaks up into little chunks and makes a mess. Super glue didn't work for me either..I glued my fingers really good, and the frag floated away!

They have these things on the great auction site that are supposed to work, called frag lock. The guy swears by them, but he dosen't show a pic of what it is, and really dosen't explain too much of what it is and I'm not paying for something I can't see. Was wondering if anybody has tried them and what they think of them.

 

[sturner]

I had a hard time figuring out how to superglue too. I found that putting a large mound of glue on the bottom of the coral outside the tank works well because when it hits the water only the surface of the glue dries. When you get it where you want it just squish is down and let the 'wet' glue adhere to the rocks. I usually have to hold mine for a few secs while it sets. this can be tricky though because if you put too much glue it starts to looks bad.

 

[chipmaker]

just like sturner stated. Dollop of SG gelk on patted dry rubble on the shrooms stem, place on rock inside tank and hold for a second or two. Its best to make sure there is no loose debri on the spot you want to attach the piece to as well, as you will only be glueing to loose substrate then, which will not hold long. Shrooms IMHO are best placed with apin to hold them inplace for a week or so. Remove as much substrate or rubble from the shroom itself. Place shroom in place, insert a pin or needle through it near but not through the mouth. Cut a piece of rubber band about 1/4" long and stick it over pin first, then stick shroom. Once pin is pushed and wiggled into live rock, and its holding, slip / slide rubber band piece down to hold shroom against live rock firmly. Within a week it will adhere to rock naturally. Then just wiggle pin and pull it out and your done. No unsigntly nets or stings etc to deal with and it does not hurt shrooms or other corals at all, It works fine for leathers and polyps of all kinds. Live rock is relatively soft anyhow so getting a pin to hold in it is pretty easy. The closer you can stick pin to the mouth or on an angle near the mouth so it exits out the stem the better and quicker the shroom will adhere in place.

 

[emeralcrab]

That sounds good, you don't have to worry about the metal from the pin? Some of these mushrooms are pretty little. But I might give that a try also. Thanks

 

[swlover]

I will try using more of the super glue gel for pieces that are attached to rock rubble and will try the pin thing for loose polyps, I only have one so I will try. Thank you also. What about candy canes? Can I super glue these to a rock also? I have a small 3 head colony that really looks good, and does well in this one spot ontop of a rock cave, can I use the glue on the skeleton and will it hold?

 

[emeralcrab]

Ok, so tonight I tried the epoxy stuff, took out two of my little shrooms, one at a time, dried off the back, stuck the ball of epoxy on and then pushed that into a hole in the LR. I figure that way it might not come off. Hopefully it will stay on the small rock with the shrooms. I did place them so that it was sort of level, having a better chance to stay. Next I will try the super glue and maybe a pin.

I don't really like the looks of the epoxy that came out a little from behind the rock, but I guess algae will cover it in a while.