Epoxy chemicals...

[Mrseptember15]

Is this type of epoxy safe for reefs?

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c9/mr_september15/DSC05882.jpg

[Billybeau1]

Hard to say from the picture. They say potable safe but without knowing the ingredients, can't say for sure for a reef. :)

[Mrseptember15]

They don't have ingredients on the packet. They only have this:

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c9/mr_september15/DSC05884.jpg

[Billybeau1]

I would say no. Not reef safe.

[Mrseptember15]

dam. okay then I'm gonna have to look for aquamend :-(

[Billybeau1]

What do you want to use this for ?

BTW - My wife B-Day is 9/15 ..... kinda funny. :D

[Mrseptember15]

For attaching rocks to rocks & corals to rocks.

Yeah virgos are prittah sexeh.

[Billybeau1]

Im sure if you go the the equipment forum, they will tell you what they use to glue rocks together.

Yes Virgo's are sexeh , but I'm a libra and you know what that means :lol:

[melev]

Yep, that you are a post whore. :lol:

[melev]

Two different putties that are definitely reef safe are made by Two Little Fishies and D&D (Deltec). I really like the Deltec version, which I only found out about a few months ago. It is pink like coralline, and very sticky. It remains pliable for a couple of hours, and apparently can even be used to fix leaks.

I'm using it to mount some frags in my tank.

[jessezm]

I used PC-7 to construct some rockwork outside of my tank. It's a two-part that can be bought in pretty good quantities for cheap (comes in two separate tins). Anyhow, I contacted the manufacturer easily by phone and they were able to tell me that it indeed would be safe once totally cured (24-48hrs). They guy said that it was absolutely insoluble once cured, and that it would not leach or deteriorate in a warm saltwater aquarium. It's been in my tank a week and no ill effects.

I think most of these epoxy resins are relatively safe once cured, unless it boasts of being reinforced with some heavy metals, as some do. Where you want to be carefull is in working with it in your tank and letting it cure underwater. I did that with an epoxy like the one you picture above (plumber's epoxy from Ace), and my skimmer went nuts, overflowed, and splashed water into an electrical device which triggered a GFCI and shut down my tank (luckily I was there do deal with it).

Once it cured though, even that stuff was not a problem.

One tried and true brand I have used is "aqua-mend" from Lowes. You can also get it in bigger tubes at any pool supply store. The only thing I have against the brands Marc suggested are that generally you have to order them and wait (not good at waiting, here...), and they are more expensive.

As far as color goes, things in a reef tank quickly blend in!

[Billybeau1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11219701#post11219701 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
Yep, that you are a post whore. :lol:

OK Mr 28689 :D

[czerbe]

get your self aquarium epoxy but it does not really work for me

[Mrseptember15]

I went to home depot and this time I couldn't find Aquamend. I heard Lowes has it but the nearest one is 45minutes away =[ I think it would just be cheaper to buy it online...But if I'm going to buy one online, i might as well go for the ones made for saltwater aquaria

[PSam]

If you buy online, try the DD Deltec epoxy that melev recommended. Great stuff.

[Packdog]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11219764#post11219764 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
Two different putties that are definitely reef safe are made by Two Little Fishies and D&D (Deltec). I really like the Deltec version, which I only found out about a few months ago. It is pink like coralline, and very sticky. It remains pliable for a couple of hours, and apparently can even be used to fix leaks.

I'm using it to mount some frags in my tank.

Heard you can get adverse effects from the heat that results from mixing the 2-part putty. If true, that might have effects on a sensitive frag like sps, right ?? How hot does the stuff get ??

[melev]

The one by TLF gets warm, but since I use it underwater it doesn't stay that way long. The one by D&D didn't really seem to warm up as much. I'll be using more tomorrow and if an update is needed, I'll post here.

Using putty in a tank can cause the protein skimmer to overflow for a while. It is usually best to shut it off so it doesn't go nuts while you are busy mounting frags. You can turn it on once done and make any necessary adjustments.

If you are only mounting a few, it should be unaffected but if you mount 10 or more frags in one session and the water volume is small, it may be something to be aware of.