How Do I Get Coral to Stay on Live Rock?

Live corals can make saltwater aquariums both a pleasure and a challenge. Corals provide important biological filtration and add exotic shapes and colors to your aquarium. Compared to mastering and maintaining the water chemistry necessary for keeping live corals, attaching new pieces of coral to live rock is a simple process. With a few simple materials, you can permanently secure new coral in your tank so that it can quickly and easily attach itself.

Things You'll Need

  • Live rock
  • Coral
  • Super Glue gel (with cyanoacrylate)
  • Aquarium putty
  • Paper towel
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Instructions

    • 1

      Locate the appropriate area on rocks in your tank where you can attach your new coral. Take into account the flow rate, lighting and environmental conditions of the species you want to attach and find a suitable location. Note the surface of the rock at your desired location.

    • 2

      Mix and prepare the aquarium putty. Note the size and texture of the rock surface and use the appropriate amount of putty to ensure adequate contact--more putty for porous, rough surfaces, less putty for smooth surfaces.

    • 3

      Remove the coral from the water and dry the base, gently, with a paper towel. Most corals will tolerate being out of water briefly with no problems.

    • 4

      Apply a thin layer of Super Glue to the dry base of the coral. Be careful to not apply the Super Glue directly on to the surface of the coral, only the base.

    • 5

      Attach the aquarium putty to the Super Glue gel.

    • 6

      Apply another layer of Super Glue gel to the opposite side of the putty--the surface that will attach the coral to the rock. You should apply enough gel so that it will spread evenly, but not beyond the coral when you press it on to the live rock.

    • 7

      Press the coral with the putty and Super Glue gel to the desired location on the live rock and hold in place for several minutes. The gel will cure underwater and your new coral will be firmly attached to the live rock when you release it.