Peinted Reef frag holders

[childers]

Has anyone used these? It's a great idea. Im looking for non permanent mounting solutions and another frag rack. I have a Reefing art frag rack and its nice but I want something slimmer this time and preferably cheaper.

Coral Plug Rock Holders - Secure & Flexible Coral Placement with Precise Dimensions

Discover the patented Coral Plug Rock Holders with standard dimensions for perfect fit. Ensure secure coral placement in your aquarium with our 100% reef-safe holders. Perfect for every aquarist.

printedreef.com

 

[shanepike]

I got this frag rack a few weeks ago and love it:

https://a.co/d/ctTBMJE

Those plug holders look super handy. I do something similar that I learned from Abe at Coral Euphoria. You can take a skinny fiberglass driveway marker (I got mine from Home Depot), cut it into small pieces, and glue a piece to the bottom of your frags. Then the frags will stick into smaller places than a typical frag plug will. I drilled/widened lots of holes in my rockscape when I built it so that I'd have lots of placement options.

 

[childers]

That's an interesting idea. It looks like there are a 3/8" diameter. How are you attaching your plugs?

 

[childers]

What about acrylic rods? They can be purchased in various small sizes off amazon

 

[willwoo]

I got this frag rack a few weeks ago and love it:

https://a.co/d/ctTBMJE

Those plug holders look super handy. I do something similar that I learned from Abe at Coral Euphoria. You can take a skinny fiberglass driveway marker (I got mine from Home Depot), cut it into small pieces, and glue a piece to the bottom of your frags. Then the frags will stick into smaller places than a typical frag plug will. I drilled/widened lots of holes in my rockscape when I built it so that I'd have lots of placement options.

Got that same frag rack recently & very happy with it. I would imagine this one is far sturdier than a 3D printed frag rack, and I also like that it’s transparent. I have a few Printed Reef products & they’re good quality, but I think acrylic is superior for magnetic frag rack like this.

 

[shanepike]

That's an interesting idea. It looks like there are a 3/8" diameter. How are you attaching your plugs?

Super glue.

What about acrylic rods? They can be purchased in various small sizes off amazon

Not sure. I can cut fiberglass with a hacksaw. Can you cut acrylic the same way? (I genuinely don't know.) Also, I wonder what the cost difference is.

 

[childers]

I would cut either with my bandsaw and not think twice about it. The acrylic rods were cheap I thought. 30 count of 12"×1/4" was $9.99 on Amazon. Many different diameters if you don't want 1/4". Looks like I'll be eyeing the holes in the rock after work tomorrow. Which frag rack did you get? I have the medium max and love it. I want to add another to my overflow of possibly the back glass. I love the idea of the slim but wish it was longer.

 

[childers]

Im considering buying n52 magnets off Amazon and vacuum sealing them so they would be watertight in my overflow where I want to hang a frag rack. Have you got any better solutions than vac sealing a bag or two around a magnet?

 

[shanepike]

I would cut either with my bandsaw and not think twice about it. The acrylic rods were cheap I thought. 30 count of 12"×1/4" was $9.99 on Amazon. Many different diameters if you don't want 1/4". Looks like I'll be eyeing the holes in the rock after work tomorrow.

I think I would go with a narrower diameter so that more of the holes in your rock were options.

Which frag rack did you get? I have the medium max and love it. I want to add another to my overflow of possibly the back glass. I love the idea of the slim but wish it was longer.

I got the large max. It's fantastic so far.

Im considering buying n52 magnets off Amazon and vacuum sealing them so they would be watertight in my overflow where I want to hang a frag rack. Have you got any better solutions than vac sealing a bag or two around a magnet?

I think I've heard of people sealing them with epoxy, but I've never looked into it.

 

[childers]

I think I would go with a narrower diameter so that more of the holes in your rock were options.

I think I've heard of people sealing them with epoxy, but I've never looked into it.

i think smaller diameter sounds good. Im a little lost on how you are getting frags to stick to a thin dowel/rod. I don't think superglue would hold well enough. Are you making a small epoxy ball to connect them?

As far as sealing magnets I read that acrylic or epoxy were good ways to seal them. Im hesitant to go that route. Im really leaning towards vac sealing them. Im just unsure of how the plastic will hold up to saltwater and the lighting.

 

[shanepike]

Sometimes there's a section of the frag that's flat enough for the super gel ultra control gel to create a good connection (especially if it's just a frag plug). Other times, though, yeah I have to use a tiny bit of JB Weld in between them. I usually put my frags on actual rocks, so there's often not a flat enough surface.

Also, I'm not making them to be permanent, so I don't need a bond that's going to hold for years. Once I decide on a permanent place, I'm going to break the frag off the rod anyway.

 

[NAS]

@billyocean is the master with using these coral plug holders. My son does 3-d printing and can print these too.

 

[childers]

Pm'd.

 

[merajm3]

@shanepike this is a cool rack. Do you have a glass tank? If so, are you concerned about this rack scratching the glass?

 

[childers]

I've had the medium max in my tank since the early fall. No scratches from it. Even when sliding it around to clean the glass. Just watch out for sand from the snails that may have fallen on to the rack.

 

[shanepike]

@shanepike this is a cool rack. Do you have a glass tank? If so, are you concerned about this rack scratching the glass?

Yeah, very concerned My glass seems to scratch very easily, so I have tried to be very careful to keep the surface between the madnet and glass clear of sand. The magnets are really smooth, though, and the rack itself doesn't come anywhere close to touching the glass. I just have to keep the magnets clear of any debris.