Do I remove SPS from plug before gluing?

I purchased a birds nest frag a little over a week ago and its doing well so I am ready to glue it into place using epoxy and super glue gel. I got confused when reading the directions on the epoxy, though. It implies that I should glue the coral frag itself, and not the plug to the rock.

The frag is on a plastic plug, not one of the typical rock/porcelain plugs.

Should I remove the frag from the plug and if so, how do I do that? Or, should I glue the plug to the rock?

I think its important to glue it into place soon because its been knocked over by either a snail or crab already.

 

You can go either way based on how you feel about the plug and if it will work in the place you wish to place the coral.

If you are leaving it on the plug then use the epoxy and superglue. If you remove the coral from the plug then I suggest using only gel superglue. Epoxy cures by heating up and this kills coral flesh and may cause RTN and loss of the frag. You remove the coral by breaking it off of the plug. For delicate corals like birdsnest I suggest using bone cutters or wire cutters.

 

+1

It is pretty much a personal preference, but don't place the epoxy directly on the coral as 2in10 said.

I personally tend to keep the plugs and just wait for the coral to grow over them, though some people don't like the look of them.

The nice thing about SPS is that you can glue them directly to rock with gel super glue. you can't do that with softies because their slime prevents the glue from holding.

 

I would leave it on the plug personally. If it has had any time to heal on there and especially if it has started to encrust on the plug itself. It will grow over it no time, and you'll never even know the difference.

 

I typically cut mine with bone cutters then Epoxy them (didn't know it could be dangerous, but I haven't noticed any issues so far).

I take the original plug and set it on a rack to grow back up and then sell the original frag plug to someone else after it's taken back off lol. This has worked for me a couple times (have only tried it a couple times though)