# rockwork



## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

hey there gta..re did some of my rockwork yesterday .what a pain in the ass grrrr...so heres my dilemma would appreciate any suggestions 
I have some frags that are growing out and they are happy in certain spots so id like them to stay there but damn turbo snails and urchin keep knocking them over and down ... what do u guys use to secure frags to rock work I know we have putty don't like the look of the putty ..
my idea is to drill the rock has anyone done this ... I mean while its in the tank ... I am thinking of welding a drill bit to a long rod tomorrow and using my drill to drill the rock in certain places so the plug can drop in ... any thoughts on this .. let me know 
cheers 
tom


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## Crayon (Apr 13, 2014)

Having drilled rock, but not in the tank, can tell you it creates a mucky mud mess and a lot of torque. If you could pull a rock out, one at a time and drill it beside the tank, it doesn't take long, and you could have a bucket of water beside you to rinse the fines off so it doesn't end up in your tank.


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## Bullet (Apr 19, 2014)

Hey TomG, I feel your pain but some suggestions:

One (maybe many) of our forum members "pre-drill" their rock before it becomes live - too late in your case but maybe a good tip for those starting up - thanks to Thang for this tip !

Once my frags are open and thriving in a certain spot, I glue mine to the live rock to create a "garden" effect, meaning that the corals are covering the rocks. 
I use the "sandwich" method of gluing which I picked up from reef central and goes like this 
Use superglue on the frag and glue that to putty so the putty is in the middle. Superglue the other side of the putty and superglue that to the live rock. The superglue sticks in 5 - 10 seconds and then the putty fully cures in 1 hour give or take 
Make sure that you want your corals where you want them because this may be a big deal to move them later because sometimes that putty sticks real good ! 
The sealants in the above procedure are all fine to cure under water which is great ! 
I am happy to house your urchin for a while if you need to give him a break !


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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*idea*

thanks sam and Cheryl ... I think that is what I have to do.. do u break off the plug end ...

do u need the urchin for some work .. hes fine just a PIA in my tank .lol


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## Bullet (Apr 19, 2014)

tom g said:


> thanks sam and Cheryl ... I think that is what I have to do.. do u break off the plug end ...
> 
> do u need the urchin for some work .. hes fine just a PIA in my tank .lol


Yes, in my case, I crack the plug / "nipple" (excuse me) part off the frag plug so it creates a smooth flat surface that I can apply the putty/superglue to 
I keep the frag plug and after a while, the coral, zoa, chalice etc grows over the plug and you don't see it anymore

I'm happy to take your urchin for a summer camp in my tank, but you'll want it back soon enough - they are a PITA but they have served me as "algae lawnmowers" in my tank !


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## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

glue the frags to the snails?


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## johnnyriker (Nov 10, 2013)

Haha turn them into decorator snails!!

+1 to bullet's suggestion. Snip the shaft off the plug and CA superglue the bottom of it down to a semiflat rock surface. Pour water over it to make it set fast and hold it there if not secure.

John


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## Luiiizy (Aug 11, 2012)

yup ^^

i glue my frags by snipping the end off and applying superglue > putty > superglue and sticking it on a rock which cures super quick and has never gotten knocked over my snail/hermit 

and if you use small amount of putty you cant see it , only see the plug.


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