underwater epoxy

[kraftyforu]

im about to move in a month or two and i am going to redo my rockwork and i want pilers. my question is what is the best underwater epoxy i can use that i can get locally? like walmart, lowes, ect.

 

[andyjd]

Aquamend, got mine at HD

 

[6Speed]

Does it set underwater?

 

[andyjd]

yup

 

[Tomoko Schum]

Your skimmer will go nuts on it. I usually turn off my skimmer for a little while.

Tomoko

 

[Zann]

so this epoxy doesnt hurt the fish or corals?

 

[Tomoko Schum]

It's pretty safe. Dr. Randy Holmes-Farley seems to think so, too. At least I don't see any ill effect from it. Eric Borneman uses the grey kind sold in the plumbing department. I used to use the grey one, but it heats up a lot. Aqua Mend does not get hot like that.

Tomoko

 

[kng]

I had a horrible experience with underwater epoxy, both the Aqua-mend and the brand that Dr. Foster's carries. It made my skimmer overflow as soon as you turned it on (I have a Euro-Reef Skimmer ES5-2 with the Sedrapump). After a week it was still doing it. I took the epoxy out and in a few days everything was back to normal.

I have seen old rock from other tanks that had some on it. When I broke it, it still smelled like the epoxy. Not saying that it hurts the fish or corals, but it can't be good for it.

I just use super glue gel.

 

[Tomoko Schum]

I noticed that some tubes are worse than others. The tube I got just recently did not cause my skimmer to go nuts whereas the last two tubes caused my skimmer to overflow for a couple of days solid. I am afraid that they may not have the best quailty control, or they might have made some material substitution for some reason.

Tomoko

 

[TOYTEK]

After seeing this post the other day I bought some ($4 for 2 oz.) even though I had just bought some D-D Epoxy($15 for 4 oz.). I used it to attach 2 frags in my 55G, and had to reattach 1 of them. I used some on the rockwork in the 35 I'm putting together, and only had one piece that didn't stick. My skimmer didn't go crazy, but it was only 2 frags. I will probably stick with this versus the more expensive products.
Any ideas why it didn't all stick the first try?

 

[H@rry]

My experience with AquaMend is that it is very useful for mating two surfaces together but not so good for adhering to a smooth surface. If the rock is very rough and you can press it down into the irregularities it works well but if it is smooth it might come off. For this reason, I use super glue gel on either side of the AquaMend to get a good bond.

Like this: Live Rock / gel / AquaMend / gel / frag plug

Tomoko mentioned the skimmer issue a while back and I said mine didn't do it. The next time I used it I made a point to look at the skimmer and it was, in fact, foaming more than normal. Mine never overflowed as I don't skim as "wet" as some people do (plus I don't have the most efficient skimmers either).

 

[8BALL_99]

I just use Aquamend.. I haven't had any problems with it.. I've tried the stuff online Fish stores sell.. IMO its the same stuff just with some color added and about 10 bucks to the price.. But I always try not to use to much of it at once.. Same goes for super glue. I'm sure almost anything will cause problems if you put to much in at once.

Will

 

[ChrisB]

So can this Aquamend be used for bigger jobs as well as gluing frags and such?

I will be "attempting" to build a sort of gravity defying ledge in the near future out of dry rock and then placing it in the tank. Should I try using this stuff?

 

[dsalillas]

I was watching the guys working on the waterfall at work and saw them using THIS . I wonder if anyone has tried this on their live rock. It blended in really well since its already black.

 

[8BALL_99]

I seen a thread where a guy did is entire back wall with that foam.. From what I remember he didn't have any problems.. Not sure about long term though.

 

[ChrisB]

I have already bought 5 cans of waterfall foam to do just exactly that to my back wall. I saw the same thread I guess.
I plan on incorporating some ledges too. I'm not sure if it is strong enough for my large rock work though. Maybe I can use a combination of PVC piping, foam, and aquamend...

Well, I guess I will be finding out in the coming weeks.