Polyps and Oxygen?

[Brock Fluharty]

Can polyps be out of water for a few seconds while I glue them to a bigger rock? I was just wondering because I am trying to do so, but don't want to hurt the corals. The glue doesn't work so well underwater. How long can they stay out of the water if at all?



Brock

[Geoffrey3029]

Depends on the coral.. 99% of corals can come out of the water for a short time to do glueing.. Dont let them stay anywhere near long out of the water to let them dry out.. mabee less then 1 min.. the shorter the better. I know that some sponges will deteriorate if they come into contact with air so avoid lifting sponges out of the water. Most of the aquarium superglues will stiffen within 5 seconds when they hit the water or at least the garf super glue does.

[Brock Fluharty]

I don't have special aquarium superglue, just normal gel glue. It dries in like 20 seconds so that would be ok?


Brock

[Geoffrey3029]

20 seconds should be no problem except for the sponges.. in my opinion

[Sugar Magnolia]

Superglue gel is fine Brock. I like the Loctite and Duro brands the best. They seem to be a bit thicker. I don't care for the Krazie glue glue gel - way to thin.

I've had corals out of the water for a while when fragging and gluing. As long as you handle them gently they will be fine. Here's what I do when gluing frags. Pull your frag out of the water, blot the area dry where you are going to add the glue, then add a couple of drops of glue. Dip the glued end in a cup of tankwater (don't dip it right in the tank, a film of glue inevitably forms on the surface of the water) Hold the glued end in the water for a couple seconds till a skin forms, then pull it out and add a couple more drops of glue. Stick the frag in the tank on the rock where you want it and hold it in that posistion for about a minute or two until the glue starts to set. This is usually an entertaining procedure in my tank. My neon blue goby and my skunk cleaner shrimp insist on cleaning my arm and hand while it's in the tank. And my pepermint shrimp usually tries to investigate the newly attached frag, and I have to shoo it away from the still hardening glue.

[Condiman]

The corals will naturally put out a slime to protect them from drying out. But the faster you go the better.

[newtofish]

I keep a bowl of tank water on the table with me. The corals stay in the bowl untill I am ready to get to them. Most of the time the corals are out of water for a min or two but they have been out longer when something unforseen happens. I have five children helping me the unforseen happens alot. These little guys are a lot hardier than we give them credit for.