Does Sand & Baking Soda bonded w/ Cyanoacrylate really work for Aquascaping?

[Reefahholic]

Check out this video:


Also this video:

 

[Jedi1199]

Check out this video:


Also this video:

The first video is the one I mentioned seeing earlier in this thread.

 

[RichReef]

I am using this method right now using the special blend sand and GlueMasters thin.

The bond is amazing and it sets so fast. You will be surprised at how little you actually need to make a great bond.

I didn't like the baking soda method. It didn't seem as strong and appeared very white. Even the the finer sand didn't seem as strong. But the special blend really works well. I think it's because the glue actually soaks into the special blend.

 

[Daniel@R2R]

Bumping this discussion back up because it's great info!

 

[Jedi1199]

Bumping this discussion back up because it's great info!

This is great info. I did all of my rock work using this method alone. No glass roda, no mortar, nadda. Thin CA glue, baking soda and rock powder to cover the joints for a more natural look.

 

[Garf]

Nobody had a structural failure yet?

 

[Jedi1199]

Nobody had a structural failure yet?

I snapped an arm off of one piece lowering it into the 180g That almost stopped my heart. I rebuilt it with a LOT more attention to detail and have never had an issue with that, or any other piece I have built.

 

[Daniel@R2R]

This is great info. I did all of my rock work using this method alone. No glass roda, no mortar, nadda. Thin CA glue, baking soda and rock powder to cover the joints for a more natural look.

I'm planning to do this with my next reef scape.

 

[Dburr1014]

I wonder if this would work with wet rock? I've yet to find a good way to take my existing rock out of the tank, bond it together and put it back in. Right now, it's just gravity.

Yes it works if the rock is wet.

Thanks! Cant wait to try mine out! Would any super glue work though or it has to be glue masters?

Any ethyl 2-Cyanoacrylate will work. Make sure it's like water form not gel.

I used arragonite sand, no baking soda needed. The bonds make it look like 1 rock. Just keep layering until your happy.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I'm curious about the long term stability as the closed off pockets of baking soda potentially get moisture in them and begin to dissolve.

 

[Cory]

I'm curious about the long term stability as the closed off pockets of baking soda potentially get moisture in them and begin to dissolve.

I thought there was some reaction taking place that made it undisolvable? I didnt use baking soda just oolite aragonite and super glue from a hobby store. No breaks and the pieces are hard as concrete still. I got some on a spoon and had to hit it with a hammer to get it off the spoon.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I thought there was some reaction taking place that made it undisolvable? I didnt use baking soda just oolite aragonite and super glue from a hobby store. No breaks and the pieces are hard as concrete still. I got some on a spoon and had to hit it with a hammer to get it off the spoon.

The only reaction taking place to most of it is to coat it with adhesive.

 

[Cory]

The only reaction taking place to most of it is to coat it with adhesive.

IIrc the glue gets very hot when mixed with baking soda. But it doesn't get hot without it. Thats not a reaction? Also sand and glue gets hot too. Maybe im missing something.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

IIrc the glue gets very hot when mixed with baking soda. But it doesn't get hot without it. Thats not a reaction? Also sand and glue gets hot too. Maybe im missing something.

The baking soda kicks off the reaction to polymerize the cyanoacrylate monomers. It does so better than the water in ordinary surfaces. But most of the baking soda grains remain unchanged.

 

[afrokobe]

I didnt use any baking soda with mine. Just rock dust ground up using a pestle & mortar. I suspect the baking soda will make a stronger bond, but for my purposes it worked fine. I was still able to pick up the piece without anything breaking or detaching. I did manage to snap off a small branch, but I suspect that it broke not on the joint I made just regular rock. I did also try picking up my entire rock structure (for a 25g) by the single branch, so that probably was my issue.

 

[Miami Reef]

I used liquid cyanoacrylate glue and sand. It got VERY hot and smoky initially. The rock structure is still sound after 6 months.

 

[Cory]

The baking soda kicks off the reaction to polymerize the cyanoacrylate monomers. It does so better than the water in ordinary surfaces. But most of the baking soda grains remain unchanged.

Thanks for the clarification sand is better because it won't readily dissolve.

 

[Cory]

I used liquid cyanoacrylate glue and sand. It got VERY hot and smoky initially. The rock structure is still sound after 6 months.

Yep same here oolite aragonite and liquid (like water) glue. More than a year and no breakage.

 

[Dburr1014]

It gets hot with just sand also.

 

[Philip Chin]

Too bad you can’t add it to live rock already in the tank to stabilize lose rock. I have a few that came lose.