- Hey, it's Thomas here, and today,
we're gonna be checking out BRS' General Bonding Glue.
If you're looking for a simple,
quick to stick, thin running super glue
that's going to be able to help you
with your fragging needs, your aquascaping needs,
or even just repairing some broken aquarium gear,
then you got to check out this big old bottle of liquid.
Cyanoacrylates or super glue has been used in the hobby
for a very, very long time.
It works fast, bonds just about anything,
and can even weld or fuse some plastic materials together,
making for very strong and permanent repairs.
And best of all, it is non-toxic to our reef inhabitants.
Now, I will say that super glue gel
typically gets a lot more attention and is a fan favorite
due to its ability to stay put during use
and create an all-encompassing glob
around the base of frags,
but sometimes there is a real benefit
to using a thinner running glue
that can sneak into all the cracks and crevices
or between two surfaces that you need to sandwich together
without causing a mess of super sticky slime
to squirt out of the sides.
The BRS General Bonding Glue is exactly that.
It's a very thin, water-like super glue
for bonding frags, rocks, sand,
which we'll talk more about in a bit,
and also for repairing cracked plastics on your pumps
or broken acrylic accessories,
even damaged impellers without getting big globs of gel
in places that you absolutely do not want them.
The BRS General Bonding Glue is available in two sizes:
a one-ounce bottle and a one-pound bottle.
The average reefer is going to get plenty of use
out of one of the smaller one-ounce bottles.
A little goes a long way.
But for those who enjoy stacking on savings,
simply need a ton of glue,
or have a tendency to lose small bottles like I do,
the big one-pound bottle is equal to 16
of the one-ounce bottles,
meaning you'll get roughly $80 worth of glue for 35 bucks.
Which is a huge savings
if you're gonna go through all that glue.
And it doesn't exactly go bad, so it might take you a while
but you could definitely do it
even if you're not fragging on a daily basis.
Speaking of fragging, to get the best bond,
you'll wanna make sure both the surface of the plug
and the surface of your coral frag are both pat-dry,
and that both surfaces are relatively flat
and come together with little to no extra space.
Then apply a small amount of glue to the frag plug,
and then gently press and hold the frag against the plug,
give it a few seconds,
and then place that frag into a container
of aquarium water to finish curing.
Now for aquascaping,
my preferred method for using this glue is
to drip it into the crevice or crack
that is created by the contact points of the rocks.
Because this glue is so thin,
it can run directly between those contact points,
covering both surfaces in glue and bonding them together.
It's also great for applying sand and rock rubble
to a bonded joint so that you can hide it.
If the joint is already dry, you can first start
by adding a little bit of the glue to the joint.
Then sprinkle a dusting of sand
and small rock rubble over the joint,
and then drip some glue
into that pile of rock rubble and sand.
The glue will travel through the granules of sand
and rock rubble, gluing them together
while also gluing it to the joint below.
Go slow, layer it little by little
until you achieve the desired effect.
Like I mentioned earlier,
you can also use it to repair
all different kinds of damaged reefing gear
that you might have lying around.
Since it is 100% reef safe, I've used it as a quick fix
to repair impellers that have detached from their magnets,
like this little Koralia,
so I can keep the pump running
while I wait for a new impeller to arrive in the mail.
I've also used it to repair acrylic dosing tube holders,
chipped corners on acrylic acclimation boxes,
cracked pump covers and intake guards,
broken ornaments and decor.
Heck, I've even made my own frag racks
in the past using glue just like this.
A few tips when working with super glue of any type
but especially with this thinner General Bonding Glue:
Number one, use a piece of plastic,
like a garbage bag or a recycling bag as a drop sheet,
or you can even use a cardboard box
to cover your work surface
just to catch any drips or splashes.
Number two, wear gloves.
Bonding your skin together isn't the end of the world,
but I hate having to pick patches of glue
off my hands for weeks,
especially since my hands are often
in view of the general public, you guys, basically.
And then I feel like a dumb-dumb
'cause I've got glue on my hands
and I'm trying to show you stuff.
Number three, when making a hole in the tip of this bottle,
use a pen or a finishing nail
rather than scissors or a razor blade.
If you plan to use the included tip,
making a tiny hole will really help you control the flow.
Even a sewing-needle-sized hole is enough
to get this flowing.
Number four, save that inner red cap.
I personally prefer to keep the inner red cap
on the bottle rather than throwing it away.
It does a really great job of keeping the glue fresh.
And if you ever accidentally drop the bottle,
that inner red cap can't go flying off the same way
this little red tip can, which will save you
from spilling glue all over the floor,
which is a pain to cleanup,
and don't ask me how I know.
I do not want to relive that trauma.
(dramatic soft music)
Number five, for precision work,
I really like using the exposed wire end of a twist tie
as an applicator rather than trying to squirt
some glue out of the tip of the bottle.
You can simply take off the cap, dunk it into the glue
and use the thin coating of glue on the wire
to apply tiny amounts to very small intricate repairs,
which is exactly what I did
to fix the impeller for my Koralia.
If this thinner, more flowable cyanoacrylate glue matches
your reefing mantra,
you can go ahead and pick some up for yourself
by clicking right here.
(upbeat music)