That Fish Blog – Aquarium Advice and Information
I have been fragging corals for over 8 years, through those 8 years I have gone through hundreds of bottles of Cyanoacrylate better known as Super Glue, or other brand names marketed by a variety of companies. The problem with basic super glue is that it’s way too runny. Fraggers know that you tend to end up having more glue on your hands than on the plugs and corals. Over the past couple of years, companies within the aquarium hobby have developed their own “reef glue” formulas. They are much easier to work with, thicker and quicker to set. However, even with improvements, many still aren’t that great. The neck and pointed opening eventually become clogged with old glue, making it impossible to use all of the glue. More often than not, the glue in the bottle just becomes too hard after extensive usage, thus making it no longer useable.
Just last week, I received a sample of EcoTech Marine’s new product, Coral Glue. Initial claims on the package were promsing: sets in 10 seconds, cures in 5 minutes. I decided to put to the test to see if it could hold up to its word. I started gluing some frags (and some other things), and I have to say I have now found my new favorite glue.
First of all, the bottle is huge…295 mL of glue per bottle! The bottle cap has a non-clogging pin-cap to prevent the glue from sealing the opening. Don’t let the amount of glue shy you away from purchasing it, the product has a shelf life of 2 years. The adhesive itself has a gel consistency, which makes less mess. The glue sticks to the target area in a thick stream instead of running off. I fragged a small colony of Acropora millepora to experiment and created 15 mounted frags without getting any glue on my fingers or anywhere else. I didn’t have to dip the corals in the water to help set the glue either, I simply held the coral for 5-10 seconds and the frag stayed in place.
Coral Glue will be available soon, with a retail price of $49.99. It may seem steep, but the cost per ounce is roughly $5.00, whereas the average cost for the Reef Glue is roughly $5.95 per ounce. Ecotech Marine Coral Glue is a must have for avid fraggers. My fellow fraggers and I highly recommend it, but I do however caution the user…this glue is STRONG, and will also glue fingers to rock, other fingers or just about any other surface. Be very careful when using this product.
We’d love to hear your comments on this great new product!
Thanks,
Cory
Super Glue Tube image referenced from wikipedia and originally posted by the Super Glue Corp
