epoxy

[mikerunkle]

Hey gang,
After much reading on various forums I've decided that I would be better off if I seal my "great stuff" foam background. Need some advice as to what kind of sealant/epoxy people have had success with. I'm having multiple search engine problems and can't get a good search for the threads and sites that I got the original ideas from.
Thanks

[wastememphis]

Same question.... anyone know of a product name that I would be able to get walking into Homedepot or Lowes?

[MattShack]

I don't know of any aquarium safe epoxy you could get at Home Depot or Lowes. I've even tried national chain paint stores with no luck.

Aquatic Eco has Sweetwater epoxy paint that will do what you need. http://www.aquaticeco.com/subcategories/3048/Sweetwater-Epoxy-Paints-1-Gallon/sweetwater/0

Or you could use an epoxy resin like this http://www.uscomposites.com/epoxy.html#epoxhard

The sweetwater epoxy paint would probably be the easiest to do what you want to do.

If you don't like the sweetwater. Look for an FDA approved epoxy for use in potable water or food contact. Your selection will be limited.

[veurli]

I have found one and used it myself from a company called Plusco, Inc in Houston. Their number is 713-880-0316 ask for Oliver.

[Plankt0s]

Home depot sells bondo brand fiberglass epoxy resin, its reef safe.

[WLachnit]

Isn't Bondo brand a polyester resin? Tap Plastics on the west coast sells epoxy resin in various sizes.

[MattShack]

Bondo brand is a polyester resin. I looked at that one.

On U.S. Composites website. http://www.uscomposites.com/epoxy.html you can get as little as 16 oz of resin with 5.3 oz of hardner for $14.25.

[stugray]

Home depot sells the 2 part epoxy paint used for garage floors.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100201460&N=10000003+90401

I am positive it would work, but not positive it is reef safe.

IMO all epoxy is reef safe all by itself, however certain epoxy "products" have fillers in them. ( e.g. JB-weld has metal fillers )
The fillers are what I would worry about.

I think the garage floor epoxy should be fine.

Here is the info from the MSDS sheet on the rustoleum website:

Section 11 - Toxicological Information
Product LD50: ND Product LC50: ND
Chemical Name LD50 LC50
Polyamide Resin 2000 MG/KG N.D.
Xylene N.D. N.D.
N-Butanol RAT 2500MG/KG >8000 PPM (INH 4 Hr, RAT)
Para-Nonyl Phenol 1300 mg/kg (ORAL, RAT) N.D.
Ethylbenzene 3500 mg/kg (ORAL, RAT) N.D.

http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGResourceCenter.asp?sn=ms2&msdsTyp=SKU&msdssku=203373

You could compare that to the MSDS sheet from the sweetwater product to see if there's a big difference.

Stu

[Hookup]

This works... used it in my tank (been up for about 1yr) no problems.. seen it used/referenced in several other threads/builds.

http://www.zapglue.com/Finish.html

[james3370]

this was used by several in some of the rockwall threads. i found this site to have the best price as well

http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/paa/paapt40.htm

[wastememphis]

How much zpoxy would you need for a 20"x20" rockwall for the back of a 34gallon solana tank? I will be using mostly rock rubble, not sure how much epoxy to order.

[wastememphis]

anyone?

[james3370]

i would think 1 box of the z-poxy that i linked above should suffice...but it's not expensive & the shipping on 2 won't be much more than 1, so order 2 & if 1 is all it takes, you can always sell it (or keep it for the enevitable future projects LOL)

[mikerunkle]

Thanks for all the help gang. I ended up ordering the stuff from US composites. So far the entire wall has gotten one coat (with sand and rubble attached) and I've used less than half of what I ordered. Will go with second coat and more sand just to increase the texture. Pretty easy to mix up and apply with cheap paint brush. Pics don't do it justice, it does look better than this. But here is one of the almost final wall pieces (there are 9 pieces total). http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb127/runklem/DSCN3072.jpg

[JasonMHorn]

Home depot sells bondo brand fiberglass epoxy resin, its reef safe.

Have you used the Bondo FG Resin? I actually just finished a piece and it has a faint odor to it which make me a little concerned. I'll be putting it in a tank that is already up and running and would hate to kill the inhabitants. After it cured I put it in a tub with a power head and saltwater to hopefully get rid of the remaining odor.