- There are four ways to mount corals to rock
or frag disks and plugs, but the method I'm gonna teach you
is by far the best option.
The right gear is absolutely critical to success here.
Let's start out with the most important gear,
frag disks and frag plugs.
Oceans Wonders sells two overarching types,
a hard-fired ceramic on one hand
and natural aragonite on the other.
While there is a time and place for ceramic frag disks
and plugs. for home use I exclusively use aragonite.
Why? 'cause they're really easy to break.
So when it comes time to mount my coral
onto my aquascape, I can easily chip away at the corner
so I don't have to stare at a big frag disk
or frag plug in my aquarium.
Of course there are other good brands out there
but I really like Oceans Wonders,
so I picked up a couple of every type available
just so I had a really good selection.
It can be a really big pain in the butt
to organize all of your frag disks and frag plugs,
but my buddy Darren @rogueaquariums gave me
an absolutely genius idea.
He told me he was walking through Home Depot the other day
when he saw this and he said,
"Oh my goodness, this is perfect for frag disks and plugs."
the Craftsman Versastack organizer.
So for a whopping $27 split out, I mean look at it.
Every single one of my frag disks
and plugs fits perfectly inside,
and when it's time to start mounting corals,
it's so easy to choose the right size and shape that I need.
I use this OXO cutting board to do all of my frag work,
and I really like it for two reasons.
One because it has rubber feet
which means it won't move around,
and secondly, it has a built-in moat to the top
so that all of that salt water won't end up on my desk.
For epoxy, you're gonna need the Tunze Coral Gum.
Two Little Fishies Aquastik, Oceans Wonders
Coralline Purple, and Seachem's Coralcrete
won't work as well for this purpose today.
If you don't have a pair of large tweezers,
this is a great time to pick it up
because sometimes you get coral frags
that are just too small for your finger
and the tweezers are super helpful.
You can really pick up any type
of extra thick superglue gel,
and I always recommend using gloves
so you don't get superglue all over your fingers
or do what I did once and actually
stick my fingers together.
It was crazy embarrassing.
Moving on to the methodology.
First off, if you are using the aragonite disks and plugs
like I am, it is best practice to cure them
and to cycle them before use.
This will definitely help with coral growth.
I don't usually do it.
That's actually not true.
I've actually never done it,
but that's just because I'm kinda lazy.
Start by looking at your frags and choosing
the appropriate selection of disks and plugs
and place them in a bucket with tank water
and allow them to soak for a while.
Next, we're gonna prepare our workstation,
lay everything out so it's easy to access
and definitely grab some extra paper towels
for the inevitable spills and superglue
that's gonna end up in places that you don't want it to be.
You are gonna have three saltwater containers
in front of you.
The first one is going to hold the frag disks and plugs.
The second one will hold your coral frags
and the last one is where you will put
your newly mounted frags.
for all three of these buckets,
be sure to use the same tank water that you plan
on putting these corals into at the end of the day.
Now it comes the easy part and it goes like this.
Disk. Glue, epoxy, glue, frag.
That's the entire process.
This method is the best I have ever used.
The coral frag holds instantly,
unlike using just superglue or epoxy by itself.
I mean, just watch this.
This is me attempting to use superglue alone.
It's such a pain.
It holds terribly and it makes a huge mess.
And using just epoxy doesn't seem to work any better
because the epoxy by itself won't really stick
to the frag disk or plug.
nor will it stick to the coral frag.
Using the Tunze Coral Gum is so much better
than using the other type of epoxies
because you can select super small amounts,
it mixes together easily and it's super pliable.
So here we go, step by step.
Step one, place a small amount of superglue
onto the frag disk or plug.
You don't need to go overboard here
as a small bead does the job just fine.
Step two, take small but equal amounts
of parts one and two of the Tunze Coral Gum.
Step three, mix the epoxy in your fingers
for 20 to 30 seconds until it's combined well.
Step four, roll the epoxy into a ball and place
directly on top of the superglue on the frag disk or plug.
Step number five, place a small bead of superglue
on top of the epoxy.
And the sixth and final step,
using either your fingers or those long tweezers,
place the coral frag onto the superglue
and press into the epoxy and you are finished.
That's it, that's legitimately all you have to do
to secure your coral frag onto a disk.
"But Matthew, what if I want to skip the frag disk
and put it directly onto the aquascape itself?"
Well, do the exact same thing,
except just don't use the frag disk or plug.
What about soft corals, plating corals,
or maybe some oddly-shaped corals
where this method just wouldn't make sense?
Click here and Orion will teach you how
to mount these corals as well.
And as always everyone, thanks for watching.
Happy reefing, be well.
We'll see you next time.