# Krazy Glue (EDIT: probably doesn't) Kill Fish!



## jreich (Feb 11, 2009)

Franzi said:


> Random story:
> 
> Back when I was 13 or 14 years old (30 now) and setting up my first true aquascape, I thought it would be cool put one of Lego's underwater research lab sets (seen here) in my 20g. When I first put it in, all the pieces came apart and floated to the top. To prevent this, I took the legos out and krazy glued each and every individual piece together, put it back in the tank and it held. Looked awesome, had O2 coming out of cool places, even some fake plants in the background. Unfortunately, the 15 neons I had in there died within 2 or 3 days.
> 
> Lesson learned that day: krazy glue is toxic to fish.


 krazy glue is used all the time in reef tanks, it is not toxic to fish atless you go way overboard and use wayyyy to much.


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## rushr (Jan 11, 2010)

I used to have that lego kit. Man it was sweet! 

I've heard that it is toxic and not toxic. I dunno anymore lol


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## EdwardN (Nov 7, 2008)

rushr said:


> I used to have that lego kit. Man it was sweet!
> 
> I've heard that it is toxic and not toxic. I dunno anymore lol


Lego was made for kids, so it must be toxic....


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## Lance Uppercut (Aug 22, 2009)

jreich said:


> krazy glue is used all the time in reef tanks, it is not toxic to fish atless you go way overboard and use wayyyy to much.


 +1
IME, cyanoacrylates are safe for use in aquariums. Once it cures it should be inert.


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## EdwardN (Nov 7, 2008)

Franzi said:


> Random story:
> 
> Back when I was 13 or 14 years old (30 now) and setting up my first true aquascape, I thought it would be cool put one of Lego's underwater research lab sets (seen here) in my 20g. When I first put it in, all the pieces came apart and floated to the top. To prevent this, I took the legos out and krazy glued each and every individual piece together, put it back in the tank and it held. Looked awesome, had O2 coming out of cool places, even some fake plants in the background. Unfortunately, the 15 neons I had in there died within 2 or 3 days.
> 
> Lesson learned that day: krazy glue is toxic to fish.


 
Strange. I used 'crazy glue' to attach around hundred plants to my tank's back wall ( cork panels), and more onto my hardscape. 

Some six month later a fish died. 

Now I know why...


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## rushr (Jan 11, 2010)

EdwardN said:


> Lego was made for kids, so it must be toxic....


Oh, I meant the krazy glue.

Here's the wiki page but it needs citations:
"Cyanoacrylate glue's ability to resist water has made it popular with marine aquarium hobbyists for fragging corals. The cut branches of hard corals such as Acropora can be glued to a piece of live rock (harvested reef coral) or Milliput (epoxy putty) to allow the new frag to grow out.[_citation needed_] In fact, it is actually safe to use directly in the tank, unlike silicone, which must be cured to be safe.[_citation needed_]"


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

I disagree- I used Krazy Glue and other various brands for years in my reef tank without incident.


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## jreich (Feb 11, 2009)

i've actually used it to glue my mangled finger back to gether with no issues...
This is not endorsed by Me the FDA or The planted tank! i would only do this in an emergency!


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## captain_bu (Oct 20, 2007)

Crazy glue is used all the time to attach plants to wood and rocks... if it was toxic in aquariums everyone that uses it would have dead fish.


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## Captivate05 (Feb 23, 2010)

Maybe the ingredients were different 15 years ago...


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## C2C (Apr 7, 2009)

captivate05 said:


> maybe the ingredients were different 15 years ago...


+1.


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## farmhand (Jun 25, 2009)

jreich said:


> i've actually used it to glue my mangled finger back to gether with no issues...
> This is not endorsed by Me the FDA or The planted tank! i would only do this in an emergency!


Call the lawyers!


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## AoxomoxoA (Apr 22, 2010)

So many brands of "super" glue, they're not all the same. Some won't work underwater, being thinner/thicker substances. 
I've used them in reefing with mixed results, depends on each one how well it works. Epoxy is better for me.
Have they changed the ingredients or formulas in 20 yrs? idk.

EDIT - I obviously type too slow, beat to the punch again haha


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## captain_bu (Oct 20, 2007)

dirtyhermit said:


> I've used them in reefing with mixed results, depends on each one how well it works.


Were any of the mixed results dead fish?


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## Franzi (Dec 7, 2009)

Wow, quite a bit of commentary since originally posting. Seems that people have mixed results with the stuff. 

I guess the question is, has anybody used Krazy glue in their tank 15+ years ago with positive results? Maybe it used to be toxic? Maybe something else killed the fish?

Where was this forum 15 years ago???


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## jreich (Feb 11, 2009)

i think it was something else that killed the fish. i could be wrong about this but i dont think krazy glue has changed at all in the past 20 years.


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## rountreesj (Jun 12, 2007)

probably all of these issues came into play:
neons are notoriously easy to kill
krazy glue in excess without curing most likely IS toxic to some degree
a person putting legos into a tank probably doesn't know much about water chemistry, aquatic ecosystems, and overall aquarium setup. 

My guess is you probably bought the neons and dumped them in the freshly cloroxed tank, or fresh chloramine infested tap water and wondered why they all went belly up in 48-72 hours...no?


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## AoxomoxoA (Apr 22, 2010)

rountreesj said:


> probably all of these issues came into play:
> neons are notoriously easy to kill
> krazy glue in excess without curing most likely IS toxic to some degree
> a person putting legos into a tank probably doesn't know much about water chemistry, aquatic ecosystems, and overall aquarium setup.
> ...



Good point.
Maybe the tank wasn't cycled or mucking about made it ammonia spike?


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## jreich (Feb 11, 2009)

i agree it could have bin 100 difrent things that caused it, but i doubt it was krazy glue atless you dumped a whole bottle into the tank.


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## EdwardN (Nov 7, 2008)

Captivate05 said:


> Maybe the ingredients were different 15 years ago...


He,he.. More likely the definition of 'crazy' has changed in the last 15 years!

No connection with World getting crazier every minute, though...

One of the SURE things one can safely bet on!!!!


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## Franzi (Dec 7, 2009)

Being that it was one of my first go's at tropical fish, the water probably _was _out of whack. I wouldn't be surprised if it was non-cycled and 55degrees...with bleach residue as mentioned above.


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## peccavi (May 5, 2010)

Super Glue was invented as a medical tool to use instead of stitches... Its VERY safe... but then so is Vitamin C... which is also toxic if you eat too much. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanoacrylate "used in the veterinary glues Vetbond and LiquiVet and skin glues like Indermil and Histoacryl") The fumes from CA are a vaporized form of the cyanoacrylate monomer that irritate sensitive membranes in the eyes, nose and throat. They are immediately polymerized by the moisture in the membranes and become inert.

My guess is you used way too much and it irrigated the gills of the fish because you didn't allow enough dry time.


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## AoxomoxoA (Apr 22, 2010)

peccavi said:


> They are *immediately* polymerized by the *moisture* in the membranes and become *inert*.
> 
> My guess is you used way too much and it irrigated the gills of the fish because you didn't allow enough dry time.


It would have polymerizationized as soon as touching the water... trust me it does. Probably float too, I've seen that. 
I guess it still could've irritated their gills to death...:icon_lol:did you mean to type irriGated?


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## Captivate05 (Feb 23, 2010)

If you're supposed to let it dry first, how do people use it to glue down plants and coral frags?


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## Franzi (Dec 7, 2009)

OK, who's gonna step up and recreate this scenario?


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## AoxomoxoA (Apr 22, 2010)

I've used it for corals with mixed success underwater. It _has_ to be thick kind. All that I used cured/polymerized instantly when it came out of the tube.
Thin kind just went straight to top of water (I bet that's what OP used, but out of water), thick works if you're really quick. 2-part epoxy/resin works better, & is safe. It just causes your skimmer to go crazy.


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

I have seen the gel version used for fresh water tanks. It sets up so fast that the 'let it set up' aspect is immaterial. By the time you put the branch back into the tank it is set up. 

More detail:
1) Wood was in the tank soaking. 
2) Lay out the plants on wet towel and mist to keep moist. 
3) Remove branch and discuss best plant layout. Wood quit dripping during the discussion, but was still quite wet. 
4) Drop of glue, connect plant, hold it for a few seconds. 
5) Repeat until branch had Moss, Anubias, Java Fern, Bolbitis... Keep misting to keep plants moist. 
6) Place branch in tank.


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## ldk59 (Jan 30, 2009)

I was fragging corals (Stoney & softies) back in the 80s and ALL we used was superglue to attach them... I've used as much as two large bottles in a one day frag session with zero negative consequences (yes, that's over 100 frags in a single grow out system)

So, as far as I'm concerned it's safe now & always has been in both salt and fresh water.

My .02

Larry


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## misfit36 (Feb 21, 2010)

about a month and a half ago, i used krazy glue gel to attach flame moss and anubias to driftwood. ive had 2 siamensis deaths, however it was not related to the glue. 1 side effect to using the glue however is that it turns white after it cures. ill have to wait for the moss to fill in to cover some of the white. it did make attaching the moss alot easier than thread.


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## comatoast (Mar 11, 2009)

I usually put a tiny drop of the gel kind on whatever plant I'm trying to attach at the contact point, and if I quickly put it where I want it (even underwater), it works. That way you minimize (or eliminate) any "white" areas that require growing in to cover. No problems for tank inhabitants either, as far as I can tell.


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## switherow (May 1, 2010)

I just used Krazy Glue gel to attach some stringy moss to a rock and put it in the tank within 10 minutes about 5 days ago. Not a single dead fish or shrimp yet. Did alot of internet surfing on this before attempting it, and from everything I found it seems completely safe. The gel form is highly recomended, and will even cure under water.


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## fishykid1 (Apr 5, 2010)

umm, anyone think of just using zip ties? I can get ones that are up to 10 inches long and very very skinny. 1/16 of an inch or so.


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## rountreesj (Jun 12, 2007)

Many do use zipties, but can you ziptie moss to one small portion of a head-sized rock's surface with a pleasing aesthetic effect?


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## rountreesj (Jun 12, 2007)

BUT the gel seems to be the better approach as I attached some moss with super glue and it shows white...

I'll have to try the gel. Krazy glue specifically or even the regular "super glue" brand?


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

fishykid1 said:


> umm, anyone think of just using zip ties? I can get ones that are up to 10 inches long and very very skinny. 1/16 of an inch or so.


Super glue is easy to use, hides easily and can allow you to position things in ways zip ties could never allow. Plus, zip ties would take a lot of work to hide. Not going to see that in my show tanks...


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## AoxomoxoA (Apr 22, 2010)

rountreesj said:


> BUT the gel seems to be the better approach as I attached some moss with super glue and it shows white...
> 
> I'll have to try the gel. Krazy glue specifically or even the regular "super glue" brand?


It doesn't matter as long as it's gel. It sets up so quickly... out of water for 5 minutes if possible. Under is fine though from my experience.
Also I've found using about 1/10 of what I think is necessary works better.

The zip ties don't work as well, you ever tried wrapping them around something underwater up to your armpits not able to see what you're doing?:icon_lol: I do think they would be easily hidden though.


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## rountreesj (Jun 12, 2007)

i'll have to try the gel glue in the future. though i did notice that the other stuff seemed to make some film on the water. will the gel do this, like can you see it cure and the cured glue be like a film?


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## Leester (Apr 5, 2010)

+1 Me too, better than a band-Aid. Also used it many,many times in my old reef, no problems!


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## Lycosa (Oct 16, 2006)

I used it to frag corals in SW without any ill effects. It's the standard as far as I know. 

More than that, my fish was able to hold himself from falling to the bottom by supergluing a helmet to my driftwood. That's some strong stuff.


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## Chaos_Being (May 18, 2010)

I've used superglue in my nano, and I just used it again to attach a bunch of plants to wood in my 55 yesterday. No problem! roud:


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Lycosa said:


> More than that, my fish was able to hold himself from falling to the bottom by supergluing a helmet to my driftwood. That's some strong stuff.


Huh?


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## Franzi (Dec 7, 2009)

I think Lycosa is referring to the Krazy Glue commercial back in the day where they glued a construction worker's helmet to the bottom of a steel beam and the guy was hanging from it...proving the strength of the glue.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Franzi said:


> I think Lycosa is referring to the Krazy Glue commercial back in the day where they glued a construction worker's helmet to the bottom of a steel beam and the guy was hanging from it...proving the strength of the glue.


aHA!

*lightbulb* now I'm with ya! :biggrin:


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## BrentD (Dec 11, 2008)

If the fish death was related to the insertion of the Lego Habitat in any way, the most likely is through the Legos. All plastic injection molded items have some type of "mold release" on them that prevents the melted plastic from sticking to the mold during manufacture. This mold release is generally non-toxic to humans and other animals, but in an aquarium it could very easily interfere with the fish's gills. If you had washed the Legos in warm water with a couple of drops of dish washing detergent and then rinsed them thoroughly before putting them in the tank, then the mold release would be ruled out.


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