deltec epoxy issues

[christyf5]

Now I know some of you hate this stuff. I like it, it works for me and I like the coralline color. However, I purchased my last batch in November and went along my merry way attaching various frags. Strangely enough almost a month and a half went by without using it :razz: and I used it the other night and it won't cure. I looked online to see that i was using the correct ratio of 1:1, I've tried various other ratios of the two parts. I've had a ball of it sitting on my desk for 3 days now and its still soft and gooey it was all soft and gooey in my tank as well. I had to go out and buy some of that holdfast stuff (which I hate the smell and that its hard to get off your fingers while you're working in the tank, but hey it seems to work).

Anyone ever had this issue before? Just wondering if its a quality control thing or an environmental thing maybe? The fish room can get pretty tropical sometimes but for the most part with the weather lately its been average room temp or a bit lower.

[Chowder]

I have had it not cure before but it was not completly mixed together. So part of it hardened the not so well mixed together part was still gooey.

[Tom R]

Obviously it is not like good Brandy, aging doesn't make it better.

Tom R

[Myka]

In the past I had Deltec pack for over a year, and it still cured. That's odd. Have you written Deltec about the issue?

[christyf5]

no not yet, thought I'd circulate it here first

[Skimmerking]

i use this stuff called Pc marine you can get it at the home depot its the exact same as the D&D putty my friend has been using it for years now and has no bad effects ait doenst mess up your skimmer either.

home depot
home hardware
you will have to order it in my friends in the states all use it and they swear by it i use it and its great..
http://www.hardwarestore.com/media/product/647214_front500.jpg

[untamed]

I use that stuff all the time...What you describe has never happened to me.

How's your mind these days? Are you SURE that you mixed both parts in this test glob...or is it possible that you've only got a glob of the pink part?

[corpusse]

If it wont cure PLEASE THROW IT OUT. DO NOT USE IT

let me explain. I had used somewhere between 12-20 tubes perhaps more of the deltec epoxy in my tank. Never had an issue, large amounts small amounts medium amounts ect.

One my tank was nearing it's peak performance I attempted to attach a large coral to the rock. It never cured and the water was really cloudy. This is normal for a small amount of time but a few hours later it still hadn't cleared and my fish were dead or dying. As I said I had used it many times so I knew how to mix it ect.

The next day when I was tearing my tank down I took it out and it was still soft. My fish sufficated and I lost my prized Hawaiian Flame Wrasse supermale, my great barrier reef labouti wrasse, foxface, Lineatus Wrasse among others.

For this I can never forgive deltec even though their products are great and this certainly was an isolated incident.

A few things to keep in mind when using any epoxy:

Keep your skimmer on even if its going crazy, just dial it back all the way so it doesn't continue to overflow. This helps keep your water oxygenated. This is also a great time to do a water change and get some fresh water into your system. If you have to turn off pumps that are blowing in the area you are epoxying put an airpump in the tank or point powerhead in another direction.

My corals mostly survived and there was no long term damage its just my fish sufficated from lack of oxygen.

[christyf5]

YIKES!!

My experience has been uneventful (I do a headcount daily, isn't that sad?). Other than one of my little prizes not being nailed down and landing in some ricordea and getting half its parts burned off, things are okay. Some epoxy did stay in overnight but I have since removed it. The water was never cloudy and I have never had issues with my skimmer that other people report while using epoxy. My skimmer just continues business as usual, I don't dial it down or turn it off or anything.

Really weird as I have used this stuff for about 3 years now without a problem and now this. I've emailed Deltec to see whats up.

And no I'm not losing it, Brad. Although you really did have me thinking for a sec. "Now I did mix up equal parts of each right?" :razz:

[Trigger Man]

I found when I used a bunch of the holdfast product my skimmer would go nuts, but with the coralline colored Deltec one my skimmer has never changed pace and very little cloudyness comes off the epoxy (this can be reduced by rinsing the epoxy piece before putting it in the tank)