making your own frag plugs

joebob7

joebob7

Member
im not sure if everyone already knows this but i just found how to make you own plugs for corals
heres the recipe
Building a reef plug mold for making aragacrete reef plugs.
MATERIALS:
1 piece 2" x 12" lumber 24" long.
TOOLS:
Drill press or hand drill
1/2" wood bit
1 1/4" step bit - this bit is shaped like a sander cone with 1/8" steps.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Lay out the 2" x 12" board with holes 1" apart.
Drill pilot holes on each center mark.
Finish the holes with step bit.
Be certain the holes go all the way thru the mold.
Sand the mold smooth with 220 grit sand paper.
These molds can be made any size that easy to work with. Use wood that can be soaked such as fir or clear pine. A drill press is the best tool for the job. A hand drill can be used, but a simple drill guide will help you make the holes square with the mold.
MAKING REEF PLUGS:
MATERIALS:
Carib SeaTM aragonite sand.
#3 portland cement
INSTRUCTIONS:
Presoak the mold in water for 1 hour.
Mix 5 parts Carib SeaTM aragonite sand with 1 part portland cement.
Set the mold on a smooth surface and pour in 1/2 tablespoon dry aragonite into each hole.
Pour the aragacrete into each hole in the mold.
Let the aragacrete set for 24 hours before you push the reef plugs out.
Soak the reef plugs in white vinagar for 12 hours and rinse them in fresh water before you use them.
 
littlebuck

littlebuck

Active Member
not trying to kill ur idea but portland cement is a real bad idea. That stuff will leatch out after a while. Its worse then using reg concrete. just wanted to let you know so u dont spend all ur time doing them and then find out it messes up ur tank or someone elses tank.
 
sharkbait9

sharkbait9

Active Member
Originally Posted by Littlebuck
not trying to kill ur idea but portland cement is a real bad idea. That stuff will leatch out after a while. Its worse then using reg concrete. just wanted to let you know so u dont spend all ur time doing them and then find out it messes up ur tank or someone elses tank.
So then what would you use to make plugs or disk with
 
zeroc

zeroc

Member
concrete contains Portland cement. Most of my rock in my reef is portland cement and oyster shell and it's all fine.
 
privatejoker

privatejoker

Member
You can use portland. Let it dry overnight and put the plugs in your toilet tank for about 30 days. After that it will be cured and there will no more leaching. I've made DIY rock and all my plugs are made of portland, no problems and everything I attach to them lives(well most of the stuff).
 
nano reefer

nano reefer

Active Member
also, a cheap mold is a dixi cup. you can buy 100 for like 2 bucks and then you can make all the plugs at once.
another good way is to get a piece of slate, and break it up with a chisel and hammer to make square shapes. you wont get perfect squares, but you can control the size of the plug.
 
privatejoker

privatejoker

Member
the vinegar thing really isn't that good. I'm in construction, and you have to wait 30 days for cement/concrete to fully cure. If you want to try go ahead but I wouldn't risk my tank. Its only a month, if you want fast plugs go out and buy some marble tile and break that up. Get at home depot on the cleanance rack. It won't leach and its really stong stuff.
 
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