Foam/Rock Wall for my 265 gallon Tank!
- Thread starter Speckled Grouper
- Start date
Dustin1300
Reefaholic
I love the tank....Cannot wait until my next big upgrade! Just waiting to go ahead and go real big instead of my small 55! I've been following many of the foam rock builds and yours definately takes the cake! A++++
Speckled Grouper
Sticks Suck!
Ok, ok, some quickies from tonight. Here, I am trying to show the depth that I achieved with the rock wall. Basically you can see from front to back of the tank..
With flash
Almost FTS
Speckled Grouper
Sticks Suck!
Remember the 3 structures I made? Left, middle and right? Well, I added one pilar of live rock and connected that to the middle section with an arch as you can see in the pictures. I also added a live rock here and there to fill in, that's about it. I have about 100 lbs of live rock in the sump and some more in the fuge.
The fake rock has coralline algae all over it now and freaking aiptasias, as a matter or fact, I have more aiptasias now than in my old tank that had nothing but live rock
It does have little feather dusters also, all I can say, you cannot tell that there is the first piece of fake rock in this tank...
innercirclepro
Active member
when you first started i had my doubts but wow...
Speckled Grouper
Sticks Suck!
Smitty, I didn't time it but I kept touching and poking it after about 5 minutes and if it sticks to your fingers (wear gloves!) it's not ready.......you can shape it for a while before it get's too hard to work with.
Smitty750
New member
So the Touch n Foam is awesome very easy to work with and shape about 15-20 minutes after applying it. I am having a hard time justifying me spending $20 per 2 part epoxy Im gonna need an estimated 15 pairs at $300 dollars thats crazy. I was wondering if Fiberglass resin would work just the same? Ive read the backs of most cans and it states that if using it as a sealer only just apply a thin layer and no fiberglass mesh. Would this work? Will the sand stick to it? and is it safe to use? I know many people build theyre tanks out of plywood and fiberglass so I was just wondering if anyone has tried this, a 1 gallon can of fiberglass resin is only $20 much cheaper. Also what kind of sand did u use speckled?
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atlantiscoral
New member
If i may chime in here:
I did major research on epoxy's and resins... I came to the conclusion that the fiberglass resin is not what I wanted to use (esp. if it is being done indoors, where venting the gases could be a problem, as it really is toxic compared to most 2 part epoxy resins). The biggest issue is that it has to be 100% fully cured no matter what it is otherwise it will break down in saltwater if it is not. This means that no matter what is used, the mixing procedure is a vital componet to a full successful cure.
However even though it may have worked, I could not find out from anywhere or anyone if it was inert after it was cured fully, so I decided against it and took it back to the store.
I came across many of articles in my search that suggested that using fiberglass resin (polyester resin) would be ok to use, but the styrene monomer that is used as a hardener could be a major problem if it does not cure 100%, although the same problem exist's with almost any 2 part system... as it has to be cured fully before it is safe to submerge in saltwater.
Most aquarium ornaments and many ponds are constructed with fiberglass resin (polyester resin), but they are left to cure for many months (at least 30 days).
After dsearching various resources on the web, I came across a product called MAX ACR. it is sold in 1 1/2 gallon and has a mix ratio of 2:1 with a 3 day 90% cure and 7 day 100% cure with a 60 minute working time. This stuff is marketed for building large public aquariums and is sold as fish & aquarium safe. I searched ebay for "Aquarium Safe Epoxy" and it was top of the list... This stuff is worth the money!!!! It works awesome esp. indoors because it is virtually oderless! This time of year, that is a very nice bonus unless your on the coast somewhere and it doesnt matter!
To sum it up, I would not use fiberglass resin personally, although it may be "safe" utimatley, the short working time (you only get 10-15 mins of working time with that stuff) the high oder, and the lack of support and info all steered me into going with something else.
Hope this helps!
I did major research on epoxy's and resins... I came to the conclusion that the fiberglass resin is not what I wanted to use (esp. if it is being done indoors, where venting the gases could be a problem, as it really is toxic compared to most 2 part epoxy resins). The biggest issue is that it has to be 100% fully cured no matter what it is otherwise it will break down in saltwater if it is not. This means that no matter what is used, the mixing procedure is a vital componet to a full successful cure.
However even though it may have worked, I could not find out from anywhere or anyone if it was inert after it was cured fully, so I decided against it and took it back to the store.
I came across many of articles in my search that suggested that using fiberglass resin (polyester resin) would be ok to use, but the styrene monomer that is used as a hardener could be a major problem if it does not cure 100%, although the same problem exist's with almost any 2 part system... as it has to be cured fully before it is safe to submerge in saltwater.
Most aquarium ornaments and many ponds are constructed with fiberglass resin (polyester resin), but they are left to cure for many months (at least 30 days).
After dsearching various resources on the web, I came across a product called MAX ACR. it is sold in 1 1/2 gallon and has a mix ratio of 2:1 with a 3 day 90% cure and 7 day 100% cure with a 60 minute working time. This stuff is marketed for building large public aquariums and is sold as fish & aquarium safe. I searched ebay for "Aquarium Safe Epoxy" and it was top of the list... This stuff is worth the money!!!! It works awesome esp. indoors because it is virtually oderless! This time of year, that is a very nice bonus unless your on the coast somewhere and it doesnt matter!
To sum it up, I would not use fiberglass resin personally, although it may be "safe" utimatley, the short working time (you only get 10-15 mins of working time with that stuff) the high oder, and the lack of support and info all steered me into going with something else.
Hope this helps!
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Speckled Grouper
Sticks Suck!
As far as the epoxy, I know there are different methods and products that the other guys here like Kanin and Tiggsy used. I know of one that sells at West Marine but I had the Bob Smith Industries epoxy available to me at a decent price and it was proven, so I used it..and used it...and used it 
About 20 sets worth if I remember correctly. And it worked great.
The sand I used was a coarse grade dry sand from Carib Sea, I think it's called Caribbean Reef Sand
About 20 sets worth if I remember correctly. And it worked great.The sand I used was a coarse grade dry sand from Carib Sea, I think it's called Caribbean Reef Sand
atlantiscoral
New member
Yes it is a low viscosity clear formula.
texhorns98
New member
Speckled,
I've followed this thread for quite some time now, and I'll simply add to your growing list of kudos by saying AMAZING job! Believe it or not, I am upgrading my tank SOLELY to do this! Well, maybe a few other reasons too!
I have a question when it comes time to actually install everything, however.
Once all the panels are built and you're ready to put them in the tank, how exactly do you attach them to the back glass? From the pictures in the thread, I can see you braced them against the back wall, but then what? Did you just run a bead of silicone down the edges? What about the seams in between panels? Is anyone worried about detritus and other gunk collecting between the panels and the back glass?
Also, I purchased Bondo fiberglass resin for the project. I guess I need to rethink that selection then? I've read of others using it, and one guy said the only difference really was that fiberglass resin had a tendency to cure with a yellow tint, and also stunk to high heaven while he was working with it. It's a little chilly here in Georgia now, but I don't mind waiting a week for things to cure if that's what it takes. The tank is being delivered Thursday and I have plumbing and transfer logistics to contemplate in the meantime!
I've followed this thread for quite some time now, and I'll simply add to your growing list of kudos by saying AMAZING job! Believe it or not, I am upgrading my tank SOLELY to do this! Well, maybe a few other reasons too!
I have a question when it comes time to actually install everything, however.Once all the panels are built and you're ready to put them in the tank, how exactly do you attach them to the back glass? From the pictures in the thread, I can see you braced them against the back wall, but then what? Did you just run a bead of silicone down the edges? What about the seams in between panels? Is anyone worried about detritus and other gunk collecting between the panels and the back glass?
Also, I purchased Bondo fiberglass resin for the project. I guess I need to rethink that selection then? I've read of others using it, and one guy said the only difference really was that fiberglass resin had a tendency to cure with a yellow tint, and also stunk to high heaven while he was working with it. It's a little chilly here in Georgia now, but I don't mind waiting a week for things to cure if that's what it takes. The tank is being delivered Thursday and I have plumbing and transfer logistics to contemplate in the meantime!
texhorns98
New member
Do I need a bump?
Speckled Grouper
Sticks Suck!
texhorn, we used silicone to fasten it to the back and then like you saw, braced them with wood, PVC, whatever you have.
After it was all set I used more Foam and ran a bead down the seams, very carefully....I had more rocks, shells, etc on hand and stuck it in the seams so it wouldn't show that much. It still did but in no time, you won't be able to see the seems anymore.
After it was all set I used more Foam and ran a bead down the seams, very carefully....I had more rocks, shells, etc on hand and stuck it in the seams so it wouldn't show that much. It still did but in no time, you won't be able to see the seems anymore.
texhorns98
New member
So did yo try to achieve a water-tight seal when fastening it to the back, or just get it to hold on. I'm worried about anoxic behavior and detritus build up behind those panels. As for the seams question, once again its more a matter of stuff getting behind there than how it looks. I know the aesthetics can be fixed.
