# Cement



## RevoBuda (Sep 3, 2011)

Hi guys,

What kind of cement can i use in my aquarium for decorations? is there a specific brand or type? I am planning on creating a few designs out of styrofoam and coating them in cement. Please let me know. i obviously want to avoid any leaking or ph spikes.


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## 50seven (Feb 14, 2010)

All concrete products will need at least 30 days to cure. Whether it's sand mix, stone mix, hydraulic cement, or your own custom mix, all contain Portland cement which takes 30 days to cure. Make sure it spends at least 50% of that time submerged in fresh water, and after 30 days you can place it in a bucket of clean fresh water and check for pH swings. This is extremely important if you're placing it in an established tank.

If you want something that cures a bit faster, try coating your foam structure with liquid resin and while the resin is still wet, cover & embed it with sand or other substrate material. The only drawback is that you'll need to find a way to get this structure to sink, as it will most definitely float with all that styrofoam!

This thread on RC explains this method in detail: Tiggsy's 180G UK Reef


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## Chromey (Sep 25, 2010)

Trust 50seven, Hes made more Rock then most Have


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## RevoBuda (Sep 3, 2011)

thx guys, I appreciate the advice!


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## andco (Aug 15, 2011)

Hey Guys, 

I was watching "Tanked" and they use a concrete-like product to make the reef displays etc, and it apparently is fish safe and doesn't leach like normal cement does. I can't recall what exactly it was though.. any thoughts?


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## df001 (Nov 13, 2007)

I saw the episode, but they didnt mention a product specifically - likely due to licensing issues etc, a quick google search leads me to suspect that it is a polymer modified product such as Thorite.


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## Al-Losaurus (Jul 21, 2009)

*Sikatop seal 107*

Just noticed this thread here is what i learned

Sikatop seal 107 is safe for potable drinking water also safe for aquariums. You can find it at homedepot but i noticed the packaging was different from the american version. I called the company and they said they can not guarantee the same ingredients were used.

If you can get your hands on the american version of this product i have read articles of people basically installing and filling a tank adding fish within a week and not losing any fish.

Before figuring this out i used quickrete hydrolic water stop i cured my background changing water everyday for 45 days and still lost fish in the end. Wish i knew of Sikatop 107 before i started my project lol


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