epoxy

[Clement_jr]

hi all,

my friend's tank crash n all LS has pronounced dead last night. he used a two part epoxy to bond his rocks together, however the epoxy liquefied when it touches water. resulting in the skimmer going crazy, a layer of oil at the surface of the water.

I had used such two.part epoxy before and have been very satisfied with it, upon hearing his account of application, I realize where the problem is.

I did a search in this forum about epoxy but, there isn't any topics regarding it, so I'm trying to write one as layman as possible to assist any reefer who might want to use epoxy.

all epoxy I came across in lfs are labelled " works even in water!" or similar ads. I thought it could bond the rocks while they are in the water. I tried a small piece of rock, but it fail. it turns slimy and then dissolved. I removed the remaining semi-solid part.

So, epoxy don't work this way. the proper way is as the followings,

firstly get a pair of rubber gloves, otherwise u might spend several days washing the epoxy glued to your hands.

now, remove the rocks you wanted to join together from your tank. allow them to dry or at least not totally wet. moist is ok. I removed mine in the noon, place them around for the day, only to start working on them in the night.

so you have the part A and part B ready, the hardener and the resin. mix the approximate amount you need. you can add some water to make the mixing easier, RO, tap water, saltwater is fine. just alittle will ease the job.

the mixture will get stiffer, you can feel some heat from it as well. when it get 60% stiffer, you apply the epoxy to the rock. fully cover the contact point you want and additional to it's side to increase strength. it is best to attach the rocks when they are in lying position. because it takes 1-2 hours for them to fully harden. in these 2 hours, the rocks need to be motionless. if you are holding it, it won't work.

patience is the key here, a fully harden epoxy sounds like concrete when u tap ur nails at it. you can swing around the rocks. I had a

bonded over 10kg rocks and no issue.

if it isn't fully harden and you put it in your tank, your LS will tell you the answer soon.

if you want to construct a multi-rock building. only glue two rocks at a time. do not place several rocks, forming the shape and try to bond them together. u need a lot of luck and determination. form a two pieces bonded, then add one piece, bonded then add another.

a good epoxy will end up stronger than your rock. when u decide to dismantle your rock building while retaining your nice looking rock, use sharp object (chisel etc) and attack the middle of the epoxy. if you slam the rock against the floor, likely you will get a few pieces of small rocks flying around.

in conclusion, this is quite a work to be done, especially those building a large structure, and those who already had their tank running. so I consider this a one time job. take good care and patience.

happy bonding!

I have already done my rocks but unfortunately forget to take photos. I will try to bond some extra rock this coming weekend for better illustration.

btw, I had used a few epoxy. all are same methods, but the best in terms of user friendly, value, and effective ness is alteco.

hope this article can save a few lives in future.

mod: I see the need to pin this at it appropriate category.

cheers mates!

[Clement_jr]

summary,

1, use rubber gloves

2, allow rocks to dry / semi dry

3, apply epoxy when they are 60% stiff

4, lay the rocks down prior to application.

5, apply to two rocks at a time

6, LET EPOXY TO FULLY HARDEN BEFORE PUTTING BACK TO TANK - 1 to 2 hours

7, DO NOT RISK YOUR LS

[bhtteo]

Personnally i dont like epoxy cos it is difficult to use, i prefer to use the coral gel to stick my sps on the rock.

[Slayer213]

Yes... i used to use epoxy as well... its just a mess, leaves a ammoniaish smell in your hands(ard your house) and it doesnt stick well. you actually have to smear, press, squeeze, hold and pray for that thing to stay. eventually your waters all cloudy from the epoxy... so i use IC-Gel now... works fast and neat and strong (thanks bro cedric for the reccommendation!).