Idea for Faux sand bed. Envirotex Lite high gloss finish.

Response from Environmental Technology Inc

Response from Environmental Technology Inc

I was going through their website www.eti-usa.com because I had purchased some Crystal Sheen in lieu of Envirotex Lite due to availability at a local store. But I wanted to make sure it was OK so I sent the following question to Environmental Technology Inc:

What is the difference between Crystal Sheen and the Envirotex Lite? I am looking to use either product in an underwater salt water aquarium environment. Aquarist have mixed sand with the Environtex Lite and applied the mixture to the bottom of an aquarium to obtain the look of sand without actually having a layer of sand in the tank. I have read many reports that the Envirotex lite have been used successfully by other aquarist without any side effects. Are you aware or familiar with the Cyrstal Sheen if it will leach anything into a salt water aquarium water after it has been cured? Any advice or input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Chin Lee
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This is the response I got back from them:

Hi,

Thank you for your interest in our products! Envirotex Lite has been used in aquariums for over 25 years. Although the product was not designed for this application, we've had no negative reports to this application, providing the product is measured and mixed correctly. Crystal Sheen is another brand we produce, however Crystal Sheen sold in Canada is a blend of our base products with a base product from another company, therefore we can not recommend Crystal Sheen for this application. Envirotex Lite is readily available from Industrial Plastics, Home Hardware, Michael's Arts and Crafts, etc.

Regards,

Carl Becker
Environmental Technology Inc.
Ph: (250) 655-3722
Fax: (250) 655-4722
Web: www.eti-usa.com
Email: cbecker@eti-usa.com
comments:
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<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7435795#post7435795 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by daveatwinterpeg
This looks good - Hoping to see more pictures of established tanks on how it looks after 6 months or more..
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I second the request for some photos of faux sandbeds after a little time has past.
 
Instead of sand you could use almost any waterproof, non toxic, material you want.

I was thinking of painting the bottom of a small acrylic and tank then just pouring a thin layer of the Envirotex for the bottom to be thicker for protection against rocks that may fall.

The bottom would be super smooth for the ditritus to stay moving and corraline would most likely be less aggressive in bottom growth since it seems to not stick as easy to smooth bottoms from what I've read on here.

Instead of sand you could bury pretty much anything from colored stones to fine glitter in it. (ANYONE??)

In the end it's the sides of your bottom that will be mostly visible anyway so whatever you use it would be best to focus on the sides looking good.

I was going to start this project a while back but I have been sanding off my 2 acrylic tanks and not to get off topic, it IS doable but a pain in the keister to sand out scratches and polish back clear! lol

One last thing is I would suggest keeping the layer thin or you may need a forklift to move your tank.:D

Darrell
 
I have used this product MANY times built at least 40 tables with it. The last one I did was a pour over plywood that was painted black for a top to a beading desk. It turned out so much better than what I imagined. I have used the special dyes they make for this product and nothing compares to puring over the painted surface. It adds a lot of depth.
 
Yeah, but it is a little differant than the links you provided. The castncraft is a differant product than the envirotek lite and uses a differant dye compount. I will try to dig up a link later, but I usually order direct through the manufacture so they just hook me up with the right stuff.
 
On a side note I once used some paint I had laying around to mix into the epoxy, It heated to roughly 300 degrees and bubbled like crazy. Chemicals are cool!
 
300 degrees:eek: Not good for an acrylic aquarium I would think.

Even if it didn't warp the tank, I would say the tank seams would be compromised.

I think I asked in an earlier post about what's the temperature when Envirotex fires and gets warm and would it hurt an acrylics seams or warp the sides any.?

I would love to see the first guys tanks who tried this and get an update on their results with a few pics.

Darrell
 
I used the envirotex (a full gallon) to finish my 400 gallon tank and it did not hurt the acrylic. However, I did put 1 1/2" thick HDPE under the sand and envirotex.

As to 300 degrees, there is no way the Envirotex I used got anywhere near to this hot. Maybe the paint acted as a catalyst to speed up the reaction? It was barely above 90 degrees when I did mine, although it was enough heat to completely dry the damp sand I put on top while it was curing.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7450067#post7450067 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Bryan89
However, I did put 1 1/2" thick HDPE under the sand and envirotex.
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1 1/2" thick HDPE! :eek1:

Were you concerned that someone might drop a Volkswagen in your aquarium? :)

That's an awful lot of real estate to give up in an aquarium and I really don't see the point of it.
 
Yes, the reaction I had was definatly not the norm. I was just trying to illustrate what can happen when you mix chemicals like this and are not aware of what might happen. I seriously doubt that eti would endorse me mixing paint into their product for the obvious reason that the example above shows. During normal mixing the resin might warm slightly but nothing to be conserned with as far as melting acrylic. It is however common practice to degas the polymer after pouring on. This is usually accomplished with a small propane torch. That is the stage you might just skip if you are pouring into acrylic. It's not that big of a deal in a aquarium anyway I just do it to get a glass smooth finish on tables and such.
 
I was going to try this stuff on a few art projects too. Say you light it and burn off the excess gas after it's fresh poured and ready to set huh?

Cool idea, I bet the finish is super smooth after the heat.

That's why I wanted to hold off before I just poured glue in my tank, to see if there wasn't something a little more creative I could do besides sand. What would be cool to add besides glitter or dye?

Darrell
 
You don't light it. You run the torch over it to pop the bubbles. It is a two part epoxy resin. When the two parts mix they create a lot of bubbles. When you are stirring it bubbles are actually floating into the air.
On second thought try lighting it it may turn out cool.
:)
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7450586#post7450586 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GSchiemer
1 1/2" thick HDPE! :eek1:

Were you concerned that someone might drop a Volkswagen in your aquarium? :)

That's an awful lot of real estate to give up in an aquarium and I really don't see the point of it.
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I did it so that I could run one of my 4 closed loop returns under the HDPE invisibly.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7451693#post7451693 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Bryan89
I did it so that I could run one of my 4 closed loop returns under the HDPE invisibly.
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I still don't get it, and I believe that putting bulkheads through the bottom of the aquarium is a BIG mistake, but whatever floats your boat.

Greg
 
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