Glue or Epoxy
- Thread starter gclackum
- Start date
there is some in homedepots paint section that says safe for aquatic use u will just have to read the labels. i do not recall the name but it was like aquaputty or something like that if i remember the name i will tell u. i found out about it at reefbuilders.com so if i can find that thread i will post a link. but i have not used this glue so u will have to ask other people about their exp and dont use me as a reference.
Oops. I can't spell.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanoacrylate">[B]Cyanoacrylate[/B]</a> is the active ingredient you want to look for. Water is the curing agent, so it is excellent for use in aquariums and totally reef-safe.
I suggest buying the packages that have multiple little tubes of the gel unless you use it often. I have found that any tube left for more than a month pretty much becomes useless from the humidity that inevitably leaks into the package and the contamination from use on wet coral frags and rocks.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanoacrylate">[B]Cyanoacrylate[/B]</a> is the active ingredient you want to look for. Water is the curing agent, so it is excellent for use in aquariums and totally reef-safe.
I suggest buying the packages that have multiple little tubes of the gel unless you use it often. I have found that any tube left for more than a month pretty much becomes useless from the humidity that inevitably leaks into the package and the contamination from use on wet coral frags and rocks.
I agree with this. Epoxy is great for gluing live rock together or larger items due to its superior holding strength, but the curing process is exothermic and the last thing you want to do, especially with a small frag, is bake half your coral before it has a chance to flourish.
I find epoxy sucks mostly as a bonding agent underwater. It seems to require a masters touch to get it to work really well. Glue... any idiot (and I am proof of that) can get two things to stick together as long as they are glued out of the water.
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The good thing about epoxy is that you can more easily mold it to hold that oddly shaped frag onto the rock. Here's a trick for using epoxy effectively that has worked for me...
Use crazy glue and epoxy together. The crazy glue will hold the coral and epoxy in place until the epoxy cures. As such, work your epoxy into a lil ball and put a large dab of glue on it, then attach your coral to the ball via the glue. Then put another large dab on the other side of the ball and smush the entire ball/coral/glue onto the rock you want it to attach to. Press and mold the epoxy and you're good to go.
Use crazy glue and epoxy together. The crazy glue will hold the coral and epoxy in place until the epoxy cures. As such, work your epoxy into a lil ball and put a large dab of glue on it, then attach your coral to the ball via the glue. Then put another large dab on the other side of the ball and smush the entire ball/coral/glue onto the rock you want it to attach to. Press and mold the epoxy and you're good to go.
It's great if you know the application it's intended for - holding a specific shape. You can't use it to "stick" to things together, but rather to take the mold of whatever you squeeze it into. For example, if you have a plug that you want to go on a certain rock, make a ball of the grey expoxy and put it in that position. Push the plug down into the epoxy, then form the epoxy around the base of the plug and onto the rock, so that it fills as many gaps as possible. After 1-2 hours, it'll setup rock hard.
Think of it as 'moldable rock' rather than a 'glue'. Just form the rock so that it holds things where you want them and give it some time.
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Excellent suggestion! I'll have to try that next time!
I use a drill sometimes to pop the right size hole in the rock so a frag just drops in. I try to bang around the edge as well to make it look more natural... careful if you try this as these rocks can split.
I have also been known to hack up a frag disk so that it fits a section of the rock really well and then glue to the disk.
I have also been known to hack up a frag disk so that it fits a section of the rock really well and then glue to the disk.
I just purchased the grey reef epoxy to aquascape with. I decided to experiment before I do my whole tank. To stick 2 good sized rocks together, it took 3/4 of a stick. That can get rather expensive and will have to find a less expensive alternative before I tackle the entire tank.
.......... I'm putting the idea on the back burner for now
.......... I'm putting the idea on the back burner for now
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I thought the same thing until a buddy of mine told me the trick. (this is assuming you are talking about the epoxy stick that is green on the outside).
When you cut off a piece and mix it in your hands...let it sit on the counter etc. for about 5-7 minutes before you do anything with it. This will allow it to get tacky and actually be much easier to use.
SJ Miller, that statment makes a lot of sense to me, being that most all 2 part epoxys I've used (including paint!) in the past requires a rest period between mixing and using, I'm going to try that next, I was just concerned my first time that it would set up before I was ready.
Rep points for you!
Rep points for you!
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Thanks for the points:thumbs: I felt the same way you did, but really you have some time before it gets too hard to work with. Hope that helps you out.
