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The
Polyurethane Reef:
A New Advancement in Reefkeeping
Lately, we have seen the development of
many new reefkeeping methodologies. All of these methods claim
to produce better coral coloration and a healthier reef tank.
Yet, as most of us long-term hobbyists know all too well,
time eventually takes its toll. Either we become lazy and
fail to keep up with our aquariums or we simply lose the required
time to our family and career. I have found a reefkeeping
method that guarantees a successful and beautiful reef aquarium
with no upkeep - the polyurethane reef.
The method is quite simple. A reef aquarium is set up in
the same manner as usual. If you are a DSB fanatic, feel free
to install a deep sand bed. You can do a Starboard™ reef
or even a plenum. Keep whatever corals you like, but Acropora
spp. and other SPS lend themselves particularly well to this
treatment; be sure to pick only the most brightly colored
specimens as this is definitely WYSIWYG. Once you have your
basic reef scene set up with a substrate, live rock, and corals,
it is time to add the polyurethane resin. You will need one
gallon of resin for every gallon of tank volume. It is advisable
to thin it substantially with lacquer thinner and to carry
out the mixing and addition of the resin in a well-ventilated
area away from open flame. The resin will cure to the point
at which it is unworkable within about 30 minutes, so if you
want fish, now is the time to add them.
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A diver at the St. Louis Bay Aquarium cleans the glass
in preparation for the application of the polyurethane.
It's critical to have the glass well-cleaned as any
dirt/algae will become permanent. Photo courtesy of
Marc Levenson.
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Here is another great advantage to this method. You can probably
get your fish for free from the trash at the LFS. The key
is to use a small needle and a very lightweight monofilament;
you will thread the line through the dorsal fin and tie it
to a dowel laid across the top of the tank to suspend the
fish in the position you want. Overcrowding is absolutely
not an issue and I expect this method to be a huge hit with
the Nemo crowd. Some of us gadget nuts have to have technical
apparatus visible in the aquarium. Once again, this is the
perfect reef for the technologically inclined. Whatever hardware
you add will be entombed forever in resin, it cannot catch
fire or fail… ever! Your pumps never need cleaning and
everything will look like it did the day you bought it, even
1000 years later when an archaeologist is digging it up from
a ruin. Best of all, some equipment with awkward mounts like
that god-awful hardware included with Tunze equipment can
be forever eliminated; you just use the same method we did
for the fish. If you want to get fancy, then buy the magnet
holders, but odds are pretty good they will be there in time
for when the hardware store finally is able to get you your
180 gallons of resin.
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A word of caution... some inhabitants will resist being
removed from the tank prior to the application of the
polyurethane. This Linckia sp. did not want to
part with his favorite Caulastrea, and had to
be physically pried off the coral. Photo courtesy of
Pete (prafferty).
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So, once you have all of your hardware installed and your
fish positioned, just sit back and wait for the resin to cure.
In about 24 hours you will have the reef of your dreams. No
algae, no worrying about the results of the latest salt study,
no need to ever buy new equipment and best of all you only
need the most basic fluorescent lighting. You can totally
ignore Sanjay's latest work. Welcome to the 21st century and
the polyurethane reef; let's see if Bomber can pick this one
apart!
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