Foam/Rock Wall for my 265 gallon Tank!
- Thread starter Speckled Grouper
- Start date
okay well i just read all 14 pages of this thread and HOLY S*&%T this is an amazing build and tank!!!!!!! really...WOW!!!!!!!!!!
i am looking at doing a scaled down version for 1/2 of my 24gal and i have a quick question for you:
-once the foam dries, do you cut off the pieces that expand too much? will it still be reef safe?
-for the epoxy, can I use any epoxy that is readily available at homedepot? in looking for an epoxy, what criteria are most important?
-how thick should i put the epoxy on? very thick and cover all the exposed foam areas, or just as a light film?
i am looking at doing a scaled down version for 1/2 of my 24gal and i have a quick question for you:
-once the foam dries, do you cut off the pieces that expand too much? will it still be reef safe?
-for the epoxy, can I use any epoxy that is readily available at homedepot? in looking for an epoxy, what criteria are most important?
-how thick should i put the epoxy on? very thick and cover all the exposed foam areas, or just as a light film?
A for the effort. But in my opinion it looks a little thrown about random ruble. I like the process but the rockwork in my opinion should flow better more seemless. Kinda wonder why you wouldn't just drill and pin the rock together in sections and cement it together with Portland cement. Or go full tilt hand sculpted wire mesh and cement background to your liverock. Just seemed like a round about way of doing a colage . Nice try no offense just before others jump in think it through and be sure this is the medium you wish to work with.
customcolor
New member
he choose well!
first off...foam is fully cured in 24 hours if less than 3" thick or 48 hours over 3"....cement takes months to come to a full cure so it dont jack the ph up.
second...you can cut with a knife, dremmil or what ever and shape the foam after its cured to make the shape the owner is looking for ...cement you need to do that right away and if you dont like then you need to hammer and chisel it ( may break )
third....foam is much lighter weight and much easier to carry to the tank
most of all...BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER
Speckled Grouper
Sticks Suck!
Thank you for the compliments!
Yes you can cut off pieces, rip off pieces, dremel, anything you want to use is fine. It doesn't change it being reefsafe. You will also seal it when you apply the epoxy.
As far as the epoxy, I used what others used with good success. I didn't even try to experiment with another brand. Go to the Hobby Store rather than Home Depot, they will have the right stuff. I slapped it on generouslly, after all you want to achieve a the best seal possible.
As a matter of fact, a friend of mine just did a tank. They had a MAJOR mishap with the Epoxy and literally had to redo the whole thing all over again. Kyle, where are the pictures???
And yes, don't use Great Stuff! Pond Foam or Touch n Foam Landscape are the best!
Good luck and don't hesitate to ask if you need more info.
Speckled Grouper
Sticks Suck!
Thrown about random rubble? I am not sure I see what you are referring to.
Do you dive? Have you ever seen what a reef looks like in the ocean? Most certainly not like sculpted wire mesh and cement...I'll dig up some pictures from our dives and post them so you can see.
customcolor
New member
a diyer after my own heart :rollface:
i prefer beckett pond foam my self though.....just because thats what i have used since day one and it works....so why fix something thats not broke :bigeyes:
Speckled Grouper
Sticks Suck!
Yeah, I did also use a few cans of Beckett. But they cost.... I found the Touch n Foam Landscape for 5 or 6 bucks at the hardware store.
customcolor
New member
how is the touch and foam holding up??? have any of it exposed??
Speckled Grouper
Sticks Suck!
Everything inside the tank is perfect.
Remember the pictures where I sprayed some up higher above the water line to extend the wall to prevent fish from jumping? I didn't seal or cover that with gravel and while it's intact and hard as rock, it's turned a real ugly brown color, I guess from the lights....
Remember the pictures where I sprayed some up higher above the water line to extend the wall to prevent fish from jumping? I didn't seal or cover that with gravel and while it's intact and hard as rock, it's turned a real ugly brown color, I guess from the lights....
I found this thread to be extremely useful for my build. Speckeled Grouper, thanks for all your help! Here is what mine ended up looking like.
I tried to document some of my process in my build thread.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1752328
I tried to document some of my process in my build thread.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1752328
Speckled Grouper
Sticks Suck!
Wow, that is one impressive wall. Is it still cycling or do you have life in it yet?
Here are a few pictures from down below. These are not my best dive pictures but I picked them to show rock formations and "œthrown about random rubble" :clown:
xcelprintingcom
New member
Breathtaking!
Breathtaking!
What an awesome thread, and one of the most beautiful tanks I've seen...truly breathtaking.
I'm actually curing DIY rock in my 180 right now so I have easily 5 weeks to start working on my rock wall.
Andrea, I'll be bugging you for help
Breathtaking!
What an awesome thread, and one of the most beautiful tanks I've seen...truly breathtaking.
I'm actually curing DIY rock in my 180 right now so I have easily 5 weeks to start working on my rock wall.
Andrea, I'll be bugging you for help
bigyankfan
Member
I am interested in this - what has been the effect on your water of the foam being continuously submerged in salt water over the long term? Is there any leaching of chemicals or changes in pH? Those tanks look great, BTW.
customcolor
New member
i had mine submerged for 2.5 years with no epoxy on it and everything was fine....even the foam
orthokardia
New member
sorry if i missed it in the thread, but why no great stuff and where can i buy pond foam?
Speckled Grouper
Sticks Suck!
It's not that you cannot us Great Stuff, but the Pond Foam is much preferred.
It's black in color, so it blends in much better. It is specifically made to be used in outdoor ponds, states right on the can that it is fish safe and is also UV resistant. Home Depot has it (expensive), I found mine (Touch n Foam Landscape) at a small Hardware Store.
