Foam & Live Rock commbo

[Travis L. Stevens]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10602427#post10602427 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pfish
What is the crate material and where did you get it?
Thanks

It's a light diffuser panel that you can pick up from your local hardware store. They are sometimes called Eggcrate. Here's a picture of it at my local Lowe's. It's actually located in the back of the store with the building supplies and not with the lighting supplies.

 

[pfish]

Thanks: His looks different than that. I read that the regular light diffuser egg crate can give of chemicals that promote algae growth. The thread stated that you need to use acrylic egg crate, so I was wondering what was used it this thread because it looks different that the stuff you show.

 

[Tiggsy]

That gap caused by the grate would almost act like a gap left with an under gravel filter. It will create "deadwater" movement areas.

Also you say you used epoxy to seal it...did you "seal" the back side and bottoms of the pieces also???

The bits sit flush to the glass so there is no gap really.
This pic is not great but you can see that behind the rock there is a big gap where water/fish can flow.

This rather simplistic cross section shows how little foam is used relative to the rock and how open the rear is - as a vertical cross section it doesnt show all the holes and gaps that link the front and rear allowing water and fish back there. As the crate is full of holes there is no "trapped" dead spot any more than there would be if you just stuck a sheet of the crate to any tank wall.

In fact, notice how at the base there is LESS space for food and muck to get trapped!

As for epoxy - i only covered areas that i thought UV would get to and might be visible (as the visible areas extended to places UV would never get this was the primary focus)

This leaves the rear and underneath of some bits of foam uncovered.....i dont believe that's an issue as i believe it will only corroded if exposed to UV light.

 

[Tiggsy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10602647#post10602647 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pfish
Thanks: His looks different than that.

Its similar - i buy mine from a pond place that uses it for koi filters. In the UK a lot of people use the white stuff and it seems ok. ( i should add...by "ok" i mean their tanks dont crash....however, the stuff looks awful if you can see it and ruins a lot of otherwise nice tanks)

 

[Ladipyg]

The stuff that Tiggsy is using looks more like a hard rubber than the stuff used in eggcrate material. I find acrylic light diffusers are actually very brittle and I think handling it with the weight of the rock ect. would cause it to crack. I wonder if the material used in large milk crates would work? That's a little heaver and a bit more flexible.

 

[Tiggsy]

This stuff is plastic but a little flexible - it would be impossible to snap a sheet by bending it unless you were VERY strong!

 

[Ladipyg]

It really doesn't take all that much to break light diffusers...they pretty much snap..

 

[Tiggsy]

This stuff is very strong in comparison then - in fact, in a few places i hacked large sections of it away so i could get access to the rear of the structure so i could get rid of extra foam - and there is still no way 20kg of rock leaning on it will bust it...at worst, if all the foam fell apart it would just bend a bit.

 

[argetni44]

nice

 

[erics3000]

I love it. I have been waitng to do some type of dyi rocks great ideas

 

[siropa]

I wonder if instead of foam if using something like thorite (hydraulic cement) would work. wouldn't have the float factor and it wouldn't have to be epoxy covered. plus it would be easier to push the sand/crushed coral into it because it wouldn't be pushed out.

 

[Tiggsy]

problem with cement is:

it would make the stuff sink...but be VERY heavy! I can easily lift my entire aquscape into the tank myslef.

it cant be trimmed - where the foam runs but is not needed i can just hack it away.

doesnt it need time to cure?

 

[siropa]

i've read that stuff doesn't affect pH as long as regular concrete does. dunno. I just bought my first container of it to try it on some rocks. even if it does need cure time, I can live with that.

 

[djyox]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10626233#post10626233 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by siropa
I wonder if instead of foam if using something like thorite (hydraulic cement) would work. wouldn't have the float factor and it wouldn't have to be epoxy covered. plus it would be easier to push the sand/crushed coral into it because it wouldn't be pushed out.

You could always use an epoxy with lots and lots of filler. You could make it very chunky if you wanted. Foam is the best way to fill the area up though.

 

[EBOLII]

just some thoughts......could you not use salt? as well as sand. Once disolved it would give the foam areas more texture. just a thought taken from the diy rock thread

 

[Tiggsy]

no need for salt - smothering it with coral gravel is easier, quicker and looks better.

 

[dhnguyen]

Has anyone tried adding plastic mesh into the mix to help with the porosity?

Enkamat may work really well for this I imagine.

What do you guys think?

 

[Tiggsy]

dont forget this structure is 75% real rock - the foam is just there to hide the joins between different bits of rock of the cable ties etc.

considering the better layout of rock that is achieved i would say the real rock (once live again) will be VERY efficient compared to a traditionally stack of rock as used normally.

 

[navyav8tr]

Tiggsy what type of foam is that you are using? Is it the standard stuff you get at HD or Lowes or is it a special "reef safe" product?

 

[Tiggsy]

normal DIY foam - from the hardware store. Inert when cured.