Jim's Reef sent me a sample of a two part putty to try out in my reef. Putty is used to secure certain types of corals to the rockwork in a tank, and can be used to bond rocks in place to prevent movement later.
The product is packaged with two equal-sized parts of dough which once kneaded together produces a chemical reaction that results in a putty that hardens over time. Whenever I work with any kind of putty, I wear (surgical) rubber gloves to avoid toxicity issues. Tearing open the first part of the putty, I found that it was difficult to extract. Similar to peeling out chewing gum out of its wrapper during the hot summer months, this stuff was very sticky. Adhering to my gloved fingers, I worked off a chunk the size of a grape from the foil wrapper. Then I did the same with the other part, with the similar results.
My initial thought was that it was nice and sticky and would hold corals easily. Yet, as I kneaded it together it was only getting worse as it stuck to my gloves. The instructions recommended a few drops of water to make mixing easier, and it was a huge improvement and much easier to work with. Once the putty was uniform in color, it was ready to use. I tried securing a large acropora frag to the rockwork, selecting a spot that was craggy and would allow the putty to grip and adhere to. Once the coral's frag plug was puttied in place, I moved onto the next frag. As I turned back to the tank with frag #2 and putty in hand, I saw the first coral had fallen over. The second fragment was much smaller and I expected it to hold nicely on a sloped surface, but it too fell off. Two out of two failed to hold. The third coral was glued down in a spot that was sure to work, and it was fine. No flow nor gravity could tug at it, and the coral was affixed nicely.
Immediately I thought how could I write up a product review about this stuff that didn't completely throw it under a bus. Even as I stood there considering this, I saw how the water in my tank was somewhat cloudy from the stuff that came off my gloves and from the putty that held the corals in place. The corals and fish were unaffected, and within a few hours the skimmer exported that cloudiness from the water.
Something that caught my attention as I researched EPO putty prior to using it was that it could be used to fix leaking plumbing. Under my frag tank in the worst spot possible, I had a slow drip that was desperately in need of repair. Cutting out the plumbing was my only option until now, but the picture on the packaging showed using it to stop a leak.
The pipe in question was the drain line from the frag tank, and the leak was coming out of the connection between the bulkhead and SpaFlex pipe. I wiped it down with a wet towel to remove any salt and debris, and dried it with a clean paper towel. The Durso Standpipe was removed and flow to the frag tank was shut off to stop any more water from pouring through the area in question. I mixed up more putty and rolled it into a ribbon, and then applied it around the area in question, pressing it into the joint and squeezing it to avoid any gaps. Using more water, I smoothed the area completely and waited for three hours. Once the timer went off, I opened up the valve and watched the area closely for any sign of leakage. It hasn't dripped once, and I made this repair three months ago.
I talked with Jim about my findings. He indicated that his results were different, and suggests that it might help to mix the putty and then let it set up for 20 minutes prior to using it for larger corals in tricky positions. I've not tried this myself, but it is something to keep in mind.
In the end, I don't recommend this product to secure corals in your tank, but I highly recommend every hobbyist keep one package of EPO Putty in your emergency kit to fix trouble areas in your plumbing, because it works very well for that application.
You can learn more about this putty at: www.epoputtyusa.com and you can purchase it at www.jimsreef.com
Here's a Youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyJ-0wBNlc8&hd=1
This product was provided free of charge for the purpose of this review.
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