Coral: Positioning on Live Rock Drs. Foster & Smith Educational Staff

Q. I'm having problems keeping a number of my corals in position on the live rock in

my aquarium. They'll be set exactly where I want them and when I look the next

morning, they will be either knocked over or will have fallen to the bottom of the

tank. What's causing this and what can I do to protect my corals from being

damaged?

A. During the hours after the aquarium lights shut off, many of the invertebrates in

the aquarium become more active. These include the snails, crabs, shrimp, and

especially starfish. As these invertebrates search the rocks for food, they will often

rearrange the rockwork in their quest.

One solution to this problem is to use an underwater epoxy to glue the rocks

together. This is accomplished by simply breaking a small piece of epoxy off of

the stick and kneading it with your fingers until mixed. The epoxy is then ready

and can be used to bond the rocks together. It's important, at this time, to turn the

protein skimmer off for about 24 hours until the epoxy cures. The chemical

reaction that takes place within the epoxy is safe to invertebrates, but produces a

by-product that effects the protein skimmer's efficiency, causing it to produce very

wet foam. It's a good practice not to epoxy down the corals until they have been

acclimated and have fully expanded, giving you a better estimation of how much

space and light is needed for each individual.

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