Hunt for Epoxy putty stick...

fixingstill · 04/21/2017, 08:49 PM

It seems all these epoxy putty sticks marketed for aquarium is just regular ones for general purpose use. They are either 2oz or 4oz for about $5 or $10. Yes, those for "aquarium use" are not more expensive but I was very disappointed that the Instant Ocean HoldFast Aquarium Epoxy Glue Stick (HF-1) is BRIGHT WHITE, and causes my skimmer overflowing for 5 days and still doing it, and it is STILL SOFT. I can put a mark on it with my nail.
Then I tried Harbor Freight expoxy putty. It SMELLS SO BAD and did not get hardened in the water.
So I tried PRO-POXY 20 Epoxy [B000BQLSXQ on amazon] and it works better. At least it has hardened the next day I checked it.
Now, I just found this:
A+B Epoxy 9904K White A+B Rezolin Epoxy Kit, 14 oz.
https://www.amazon.com/Epoxy-9904K-W.../dp/B0030D2N22

It is $14.75 for 14 oz. Isn't it the best deal ever for your epoxy putty hunt?
I will try it. Anyone has tried it and how good/bad is it?

billdogg · 04/22/2017, 05:49 AM

JB Waterweld is what I have used for years. Decent price, available just about anywhere. Never affected my skimmer in any way at all and I have used as much as a couple of tubes in a day.

BryanCaruso · 04/24/2017, 07:17 AM

I use that too. It is white but works and doesn't effect skimmer

ReefsandGeeks · 04/24/2017, 07:46 AM

I've used the JB water weld as well and have had good luck. It has effected my skimmer, causing it to loose bubble head, not over flow. This was very temporary while the epoxy cured though, returning to normal within a couple of hours with no harm done.

bblumberg · 04/24/2017, 06:18 PM

I have used both JB water weld and Two Little Fishies purple stick. Both work well-enough but I prefer the purple one. Both need to be well mixed for good results. I'd guess if they haven't hardened you need to knead them more before using. I find a good 2-3 minutes is required to get the color uniform in the TLF purple stick.

fixingstill · 04/24/2017, 06:25 PM

Instant Ocean HoldFast Aquarium Epoxy Glue Stick (HF-1) is a nightmare. I waited for 7 days and my skimmer still overflows. I ended up wet-skimmed 1 gallon out before it gets back to "controllable". This product should not be made and marketed for aquarium use.

luvreefs23 · 04/24/2017, 06:54 PM

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/corall...eef-epoxy.html

This stuff once mixed got hot and was rock hard in 10-15 mins. Used on a few pieces on my aquascape. Impressive stuff

fixingstill · 04/24/2017, 07:04 PM

One trick I have been using is to use crazy glue on top and under the epoxy putty Otherwise it is never easy to have putty affix to rock, especially if it has algae.
Or I use putty to "wrap around" the plug and the rock that you are setting the coral on. Use the putty as cushioning and to "grab" and hold the plug down to the rock surface.

Vio · 04/24/2017, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fixingstill

One trick I have been using is to use crazy glue on top and under the epoxy putty Otherwise it is never easy to have putty affix to rock, especially if it has algae.
Or I use putty to "wrap around" the plug and the rock that you are setting the coral on. Use the putty as cushioning and to "grab" and hold the plug down to the rock surface.

+1 "One trick I have been using is to use crazy glue on top and under the epoxy putty"

Reef_Pilot · 04/26/2017, 12:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bblumberg

I have used both JB water weld and Two Little Fishies purple stick. Both work well-enough but I prefer the purple one. Both need to be well mixed for good results. I'd guess if they haven't hardened you need to knead them more before using. I find a good 2-3 minutes is required to get the color uniform in the TLF purple stick.

+1 for the Two Little Fishies Epoxy. I have tried several aquarium specific epoxies and JB Water weld but much prefer the TLF Epoxy.

04/21/2017, 08:49 PM	#1
fixingstill Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2016 Posts: 249	Hunt for Epoxy putty stick... It seems all these epoxy putty sticks marketed for aquarium is just regular ones for general purpose use. They are either 2oz or 4oz for about $5 or $10. Yes, those for "aquarium use" are not more expensive but I was very disappointed that the Instant Ocean HoldFast Aquarium Epoxy Glue Stick (HF-1) is BRIGHT WHITE, and causes my skimmer overflowing for 5 days and still doing it, and it is STILL SOFT. I can put a mark on it with my nail. Then I tried Harbor Freight expoxy putty. It SMELLS SO BAD and did not get hardened in the water. So I tried PRO-POXY 20 Epoxy [B000BQLSXQ on amazon] and it works better. At least it has hardened the next day I checked it. Now, I just found this: A+B Epoxy 9904K White A+B Rezolin Epoxy Kit, 14 oz. https://www.amazon.com/Epoxy-9904K-W.../dp/B0030D2N22 It is $14.75 for 14 oz. Isn't it the best deal ever for your epoxy putty hunt? I will try it. Anyone has tried it and how good/bad is it?

04/22/2017, 05:49 AM	#2
billdogg Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Grove City, Ohio Posts: 10,806	JB Waterweld is what I have used for years. Decent price, available just about anywhere. Never affected my skimmer in any way at all and I have used as much as a couple of tubes in a day. __________________ I'll try to be nice if you try to be smarter! I can't help that I grow older, but you can't make me grow up! Current Tank Info: 120 mixed reef with 40b sump, RO 150 skimmer, AI Sol Blue x 2, and a 60g Frag Tank with 100g rubbermaid sump. 2 x Kessil A360w lights, BM curve 5 skimmer

04/24/2017, 06:18 PM	#5
bblumberg Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Irvine, CA Posts: 606	I have used both JB water weld and Two Little Fishies purple stick. Both work well-enough but I prefer the purple one. Both need to be well mixed for good results. I'd guess if they haven't hardened you need to knead them more before using. I find a good 2-3 minutes is required to get the color uniform in the TLF purple stick. __________________ Bruce Current Tank Info: 150G mixed reef (6x Blue Acro 20K Pro COB LEDs, 4x 80W T5 supplement), 150g fw discus (T5 lighting), 110G fw Angelfish (DIY LED lighting), 4 x 40 g frag tanks (DIY LED).

04/24/2017, 06:25 PM	#6
fixingstill Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2016 Posts: 249	Instant Ocean HoldFast Aquarium Epoxy Glue Stick (HF-1) is a nightmare. I waited for 7 days and my skimmer still overflows. I ended up wet-skimmed 1 gallon out before it gets back to "controllable". This product should not be made and marketed for aquarium use. Last edited by fixingstill; 04/24/2017 at 06:57 PM.

04/24/2017, 07:17 AM	#3
BryanCaruso Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2017 Posts: 899	I use that too. It is white but works and doesn't effect skimmer

04/24/2017, 07:46 AM	#4
ReefsandGeeks Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 1,708	I've used the JB water weld as well and have had good luck. It has effected my skimmer, causing it to loose bubble head, not over flow. This was very temporary while the epoxy cured though, returning to normal within a couple of hours with no harm done.

04/24/2017, 06:54 PM	#7
luvreefs23 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 758	http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/corall...eef-epoxy.html This stuff once mixed got hot and was rock hard in 10-15 mins. Used on a few pieces on my aquascape. Impressive stuff

04/24/2017, 07:04 PM	#8
fixingstill Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2016 Posts: 249	One trick I have been using is to use crazy glue on top and under the epoxy putty Otherwise it is never easy to have putty affix to rock, especially if it has algae. Or I use putty to "wrap around" the plug and the rock that you are setting the coral on. Use the putty as cushioning and to "grab" and hold the plug down to the rock surface.