Different spin on old "which cement to use" question

[cvrle1]

I know, there are 1000s of "which cement to use for aquascaping" types of threads, but I was hoping to have a bit of a different discussion in this regard. We all know the most popular answers: E-Marco, Aquaforest Stone Fix, Nyos and Quikrete. Some people have reported they had issues with using Quikrete years after (3+) but also said that it was most likely user error as well. Not enough water while mixing, too much water while mixing, didnt let it cure long enough, and so on.

With this in mind, I was thinking about all other products. How long have they been on the market for, and do we know that they will last 3+ years without issues? I guess we can say that other than Quikrete, only other one that has been used for long time is E-Marco, as they just took already existing products, repackaged it and then put really high price on it. Has anyone used any of the above products for more than 3 years or even 5 years, and can let us know how their scape is holding up? Any issues encountered after prolonged use and exposure to salt water? Would be interesting to see who has longest lasting scape using one of these products and what their thoughts are.

 

[JumboShrimp]

Great questions. (Bump.)

 

[ApoIsland]

I know, there are 1000s of "which cement to use for aquascaping" types of threads, but I was hoping to have a bit of a different discussion in this regard. We all know the most popular answers: E-Marco, Aquaforest Stone Fix, Nyos and Quikrete. Some people have reported they had issues with using Quikrete years after (3+) but also said that it was most likely user error as well. Not enough water while mixing, too much water while mixing, didnt let it cure long enough, and so on.

With this in mind, I was thinking about all other products. How long have they been on the market for, and do we know that they will last 3+ years without issues? I guess we can say that other than Quikrete, only other one that has been used for long time is E-Marco, as they just took already existing products, repackaged it and then put really high price on it. Has anyone used any of the above products for more than 3 years or even 5 years, and can let us know how their scape is holding up? Any issues encountered after prolonged use and exposure to salt water? Would be interesting to see who has longest lasting scape using one of these products and what their thoughts are.

Quickrete is tough to get just right. I have one rock formation that has lasted more than 5 years. Unfortunately I made 5 total with quickrete and none of the others held up. The quickrete started disintegrating about 4 months in. Looked like it turned to grey dust from the inside out if that makes any sense.
I have 6 rock formations that are 8 years old that were made with thoro brand thorite rapid vertical cement.

 

[ApoIsland]

Looks like thororite rapid vertical has a new name. MasterEmaco N426.

The cost was prohibitive which led me to try quickrete which was a big waste of time for me as I was clearly not good enough to consistently mix it correctly. I believe there is a much larger margin of error afforded with the thororite.

For what its worth I now use expanding pond foam and will never go back to cement. More expensive but so much easier and cleaner to work with. The rock formations glued with foam are also a lot lighter. As for longevity it's about 4 years with the foam and no problems.