Using Frag Epoxy - Any Advice

[jonboyb]

I have a small tank and I've been buying frags from members since I can get them unmounted (in a small tank, looks funny with argonite plugs everywhere) and I can usually see the parent colony. Not to mention I like to buy them very small to watch them grow:thumbs: . I have a nice vertical face on my rock and have started mounting a few frags to it. However, I have to use epoxy instead of Super Glue Gel to get a decent mounting surface.

My issue is when using the epoxy, I have a bright white blob under each frag that just looks bad. Will coraline, algae, etc. grow over the epoxy pretty quickly and hide it, or will I just have to wait until the coral get big enough to hide it that way. Most of my corals are SPS/LPS and not exactly fast growing...LOL.

Is there possibly a reef-safe dye I can mix with the epoxy to mute the bright white a little? I know it sounds a little corny, but when all your frags are like 1" big, the white really pops out. Thanks.

 

[johnr2604]

Coraline will eventually grow over it or the coral will encrust. If you do some searching they offer purple epoxy but its more expensive

 

[flyingarmy]

You can buy reef epoxy in grey or purple...looks much better than the white.

 

[jonboyb]

I'll have to look into the dyed versions. The 2 I've epoxied so far were a neon candy cane and a red monti cap. The cap looked so bad with a band of epoxy along the edge I removed it before the epoxy set up.

I tried epoxying the cap along the edge so it looked like a shelf on the vertical face. Is that an acceptable way, or should I lay it flat to glue it? I'm clueless on how the caps attach and grow.

 

[flyingarmy]

They can plate out from about anywhere. Along a rock edge or just as a cup from a flat surface.

 

[acroholic]

I have never had luck using epoxy. I only use gel-type cryanocylate. I just dont seem to be able to get the epoxy to bond with the frag and he rock.

 

[nickskains]

Use the glue, to glue the frag to the epoxy and then glue the epoxy to the rock. Stuff is very hard to knock off or remove. This is what I have been doing and it works good.

 

[ralph atl]

the white epoxy will be covered in no time! Pink looks better though