Leather toadstool Coral attachment issues

[lanimret]

So I picked up a relatively small (maybe 4 inches across or so) leather toadstool coral last week and attempted to pin its stump in between some rocks. The current, or its movement, kept causing it to slide ever downward till it was pointing sideways. Talked to my LFS, said I should just use some 2 part aquarium cement, sounded good...

As of this morning the part of the stump that was in the cement has broken off, which constitutes about 1/2 inch of the base. The coral actually seems ok, it is now just resting on the rocks unattached. My question is, was this the wrong thing to do? why did it tear away? will it repair itself and if it does how should I give it a strong and lasting attachment so it can grow without falling over?

[fsn77]

It can be difficult to glue / cement many of the leathers. I use wedding veil material / toule / netting and a rubberband to secure leather frags to a smaller piece of rubble, then glue the rubble in place on larger rock once the frag has attached. Alternatively, the frag can be pinned in between some rubble in a small container until the leather attaches itself, then glued to a larger rock via the rubble it attached to.

[lanimret]

So it will attach itself then? good to know, I'll just leave it alone then, I think it's secure enough at the moment to not move

[fsn77]

All the leathers I've had, especially toadstool leathers, will attach to pretty much anything that touches any part of the stalk. It can be a useful quality, as well as being a bit of a pain from time to time if they need be moved around.