Ohio Reef

Reef Discussion => Fish Breeding & Coral Propagation => Topic started by: lazylivin on December 07, 2014, 20:33:38

Title: Help me find frag plugs
Post by: lazylivin on December 07, 2014, 20:33:38
Does anyone know where these frag plugs can be purchased?

Title: Re: Help me find frag plugs
Post by: Bucknutz on December 07, 2014, 21:13:04
I dunno but those are some pretty fingers in that picture.
Title: Re: Help me find frag plugs
Post by: Wall_Tank on December 07, 2014, 21:58:45
I have 2 left, they are in a thin ziplock bag...   Pretty sure those were the plugs that YZ reef used....but I've not seen them anywhere else
Title: Re: Help me find frag plugs
Post by: Bucknutz on December 07, 2014, 22:20:25
All I can find is the following image which is hosted at Dr. Fosters.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/images/Categoryimages/thumbnail/th_27181_36865D_frags.jpg (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/images/Categoryimages/thumbnail/th_27181_36865D_frags.jpg)

(https://ohioreef.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drsfostersmith.com%2Fimages%2FCategoryimages%2Fthumbnail%2Fth_27181_36865D_frags.jpg&hash=b50a3d3a6f18e7429186031f0d3b8d7d5f28f8c2)

The only site that pulls up with it is here. http://www.houstonfishbox.com/vforums/showthread.php?34443-Step-by-step-How-to-Attach-Ricordea-to-your-Live-Rock (http://www.houstonfishbox.com/vforums/showthread.php?34443-Step-by-step-How-to-Attach-Ricordea-to-your-Live-Rock)
Title: Re: Help me find frag plugs
Post by: ohioreef on December 09, 2014, 22:24:19
I have some frag plugs around here somewhere. I don't think they're like the ones you pictured, though.
Title: Re: Help me find frag plugs
Post by: lazylivin on December 10, 2014, 00:09:41
Thanks Gary and Paul, I was hoping to get about 500 of them but looks like the original manufacture no longer sells those. I may try giving fosters smith a call to see if they can sell me any.
Title: Re: Help me find frag plugs
Post by: Steve on December 10, 2014, 03:18:57
Not making your own anymore Brian?
Title: Re: Help me find frag plugs
Post by: CoralBeauties on December 10, 2014, 10:00:10
My personal favorite plugs that I have bought frags on are a smaller headed plug that has 3 or 4 different sizes on the stem starting small at the bottom and gets larger towards the top.  Makes it very easy for installation into the different holes in the rock work.  Was a plus for me when I was purchase frags.
Jeff
Title: Re: Help me find frag plugs
Post by: lazylivin on December 10, 2014, 12:41:05
I do still make and use my own plugs. The part that I don't like to make is the stem. Their pain in the butt to create. I am looking for a frag plug that fits tight in the rack to use as the stem on my frag mounts.
Title: Re: Help me find frag plugs
Post by: Steve on December 10, 2014, 15:10:03
Gotcha. If I see any I will let you know.
Title: Re: Help me find frag plugs
Post by: AJ on December 10, 2014, 16:59:22
Could you buy some acrylic rod to use as the stem?  Mold your plug around the rod?
Title: Re: Help me find frag plugs
Post by: lazylivin on December 10, 2014, 22:40:57
That is a great idea! I can purchase square acrylic rod that will fit snugly in the egg crate. Then after firing in kiln can glue a small piece of the rod to the base.
Title: Re: Help me find frag plugs
Post by: lazylivin on December 20, 2014, 21:17:19
Could you buy some acrylic rod to use as the stem?  Mold your plug around the rod?

That worked excellent. Cut small squares that fit snug. No more frag's getting knocked into another coral from the current.

(https://ohioreef.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi486.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Frr227%2Flazylivin%2FIMG_2391_zps9a4a7f0a.jpg&hash=303c8316e918be792db900118f630cae176d5f60)

The square acrylic stems will get glued to bottom of these ceramic plugs. I should be able to make the plugs smaller now since I won't need the weight of them any longer.

(https://ohioreef.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi486.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Frr227%2Flazylivin%2Fmcia_zps3872c697.jpg&hash=0b3f7343b74be07b2767df5305b9aa4330c4db20)
Title: Re: Help me find frag plugs
Post by: Wall_Tank on December 21, 2014, 11:26:20
What is the cost per plug that way?
Title: Re: Help me find frag plugs
Post by: lazylivin on December 21, 2014, 11:36:43
The ceramic is cheap. It runs about 25$ for a box. I am not sure how many plugs can be made from a box. Maybe 2,000. If you bought a 4x8 sheet of acrylic it would be about $200 - $250. You could make about 13,000 small squares. I think that is about $.03 each for ceramic and acrylic if my math is correct. Their is a lot of labor in them though. It takes about an hour to make 100 of the ceramic bases.