Anyone used NYOS Reef Cement?

AZBigJohn

AZBigJohn

Usually confused...
I had posted a quesiton about different epoxys to use for mounting rocks/frags, and several people mentioned using NYOS reef cement.

My LFS started carrying it, so I went ahead and bought some.

Just curious if anyone else has used it and their experiences...

Says it can be used under water or not. When I mixed it, I may have mixed it too wet, because most of it just dissoved in the water. Watching their video, (after the fact... duh) they mix it to almost silly putty consistency. A little still dissolves, but nowhere near as much. Of course, they have no water circulation, and say to eave pumps off while using it.

Anyway, I was curious if any of you have used it under water, adn what your experience has been.
 
I have. It took a little to get the right consistency. The video they made really helped.
If you feel it getting got in your hand then you've mixed it too long because that's the sign of it activating.

We were able to do some nice arches using it.

75gallon_01092016.jpg
 
Yes. It's great stuff. I mixed mine a bit wetter than the directions said and had better luck with it. Mix in small batches( I used the little bathroom cups)
 
Can I ask where you found it locally? I too was looking to try it.

Has anyone used the black pond foam? I've used the black pond foam in ponds and FW tanks.
 
kjonulak said:
Can I ask where you found it locally? I too was looking to try it.

Has anyone used the black pond foam? I've used the black pond foam in ponds and FW tanks.
Click to expand...

I found it at my local LFS, Tropical Treasures at 35th Ave and Greenway. I would call ahead to make sure they have it if it is a drive for you, as they only had the one jar when I bought it, and mentioned they had just gotten it in.
 
I used it in my new aquascaping and it worked pretty well. I had several large pieces to bond with it and even after letting it dry overnight - rock was dry and not live - it fell apart under light pressure the following morning. I then used hydraulic cement with excellent results in less than 20 minutes. My personal take would be that it is good above the water line and on small joints. I wouldn't trust a mission critical bond with it personally. Yes i watched the video, got the right consistency, etc. I used hydraulic cement in my last aquascape 3 years ago and it was bulletproof. YMMV.
 
I used it for all of my rock work. It works great if you use it correctly. Take your time so you don't waste it. Mix it in small batches. I did my rock when it was dry so I don't have experience underwater, but make sure the rock is completely stationery while the cement is curing. Any moment will break the bond between rock and cement.
 
bdevillier said:
I used it for all of my rock work. It works great if you use it correctly. Take your time so you don't waste it. Mix it in small batches. I did my rock when it was dry so I don't have experience underwater, but make sure the rock is completely stationery while the cement is curing. Any moment will break the bond between rock and cement.
Click to expand...

+1 agreed

once you get the hang of it, it works very well!
 
I mixed mine to be like creamy peanut butter. Mix small, very small batches. It dries quickly very quickly. I used an old toothbrush to work it into the rock. Once I had the rock shape cemented I used other rocks to prop up and hold what I made. I let it dry overnight. I used dry rock and sprayed water on it to wet it. I also sprayed water on the rock and cement once I cemented it. Since I used dry rock, I soaked it afterwards in a bucket of SW with a pump and a mesh bag of Phosguard to suck the PO4 out of it. I wasn't in a hurry, so I soaked my rock for 4 weeks. Cemented rock has now been in my nano tank for around 4 weeks and I am seeing coralline growing on the rock and cement.
 
Work fast, use small batches, and use it on the sides of the rock. At first I tried to actually stick the rock together with it in the middle. That doesn't work. You need to hold the rock then build the putty around it. There's a video out there from them that shows it. If you do it just like the video then it works.
 
I used this over the weekend to create a column in an existing tank so thought I would share as I found this thread helpful. As others have stated getting the consistency right is the key to using it in the water. I mixed it in standard red solo cups using water sparringly. Once it started to mix I found dumping it into my hand and kneading it to playdoh consistency worked best. I think it works best in helping stabilize stacked rocks, but doubt it would hold a major structure together on its own. If I was building large, dry rock structures I think the marco rocks cement is superior. I did find that being able to aquascape in the water was beneficial, I always ran into the issue of building too big a structure or forgetting how I had arranged rocks when cementing them together outside the tank and then putting them in. I did experience a mild PH jump from about 8.25 up to 8.44 while using this. I would recommend a water change after using this. I changed 15 gallons on a 400 gallon system and the PH was back to normal 2-3 hours later. I also waited 10-15 minutes after I was done with sections before I turned the powerheads back on. My conclusion is that it works good for in water aquascaping of small structures or structures where the rocks stack together but need a little additional support, however for major projects that can be done dry there are better alternatives.
 
Do not use in a small aquarium, spiked my ph (20 Gallon) and nuked my SPS.
I did a 50% water change right after alarm on my apex went off but it was to late.

I recommend outside of aquarium or to make things but will never put it in the water again.

Still watching the STN on my SPS, heartbreaking.
 
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