New Green Star Polyps, Help

[WillyWonka]

Hey, i just got a nice mat of green star polyps today. the problem i have is that they were simply attached to a rock using a piece of rope so their not opening at all yet. is their any way i can use some kind of adhesive to attach them to a rock and speed up the process, or should i wait for them to self attach? thanks WW

[Nishant3789]

how long have u had them? if u just got them today, they should poen up by tomorrow morning

nishant

[reefriot]

star polyps are very hardy and while you can use superglue on the back(i did on a peice and ended up with a 7"x4" mat on the back wall of the tank) they can be glued shut so to speak. the area i glued didn't open until new tissue overgrew it. i would just use a rubberband or tooth picks to hold it down. they won't adhear to the rock for a time but for any soft coral i say to avoid superglue if possible

aaron

[jdiver]

You can use a rubber band to attach then to the rock. They should attach themselves within a week or two, and then you can cut the rubber band off. As far as the polyps opening, give them a day or so (they should open whether securely attached or not).

[tinyreef]

did you get them with the rope tied on them in that fashion? if they were open then, then they should be ok. just wait like nishant3789 recommends.

 

if they weren't then you may want to attach it with a two-part epoxy. but i would wait a couple of days anyway to check. my gsp's hated rubber bands for some reason. they preferred the epoxy or a rock. my softies take to the rubber band much better.

[WillyWonka]

yeah i just got them today and they were closed from the beggining because they had a rope simply wrapped around a piece of live rock. my prob is that i couldnt put a rubber band around the whole rock because its too big and other rocks are obstructing it. think about it this way, its like attaching the mat to the wall. what kind of epoxy or gel can i use?

[tinyreef]

i use aquastick two-part kind. it feels like clay and takes about 24 hrs to bond underwater. there's at least a half dozen brands. they're all about the same. you'll have to form it to catch some of the edges because it's not really 'sticky'. it forms into a mortar-type bond.

 

if you have the time you could also do a hybrid. epoxy some anchr points and then rubber band the gsp down to the anchors. more time though.

[Sahin]

My pink star polpys did take a day or so to open up as well. I think you shoudl wait it out. If after a day or so so it hasnt opened up, then go ahead with the recomendations.

[Guest LudavicoTechnique]

Glueing an animal to a rock seems a little cruel, when if you just wait a few days they will open adn attatch themselves naturally.

[Guest LudavicoTechnique]

I used to have this bad dream where a leather coral glued me to a rock. lol

[TooFar2Sea]

I have used superglue (Zap Gel) to attach green star polyps to rocks. It does not hurt the coral. I have also used the "set the coral on the rock and let it grow in" method. You get the same result in a few weeks...a rock with green star polyps attached.

I would remove the rope from your coral and either glue it where you want it or set it there and let it get established.

If glueing the coral upsets you then you won't like this either...but for best results I have found cutting the mat into smaller pieces and attaching them is much better than just a single piece somewhere.

[tinyreef]

ooo, i hate that! i always worry about cutting into a polyp. it ends up jagged. i find the glued ones attach quicker for some reason.