Foam stuff for the "rock work" look????

Do you have to paint the foam? I just moved and am in the process of setting up my 200gal. tank again.

If I got this "Great Stuff" foam, in black, and sprayed it to cover my return PVC and my stand pipe PVC, would I have to paint over it to keep it from "breaking down"?
 
I haven't, and I can see no adverse anything...It's inert. Painting isn't the worst idea...not the best either since it will probably provide little barrier. That being said, I don't view it as long term. A few years tops.
Remember to anchor it to your aquarium well...

d.
 
I wouldn't worry about it falling apart too bad...I mean, how many here have had a single tank going more than 6 years?
My next tank will be epoxy and LR for that exact reason...longevity. Won't be painting that...at least not in the sealing and covering sense...

d.
 
delv said:
I wouldn't worry about it falling apart too bad...I mean, how many here have had a single tank going more than 6 years?
d.

That it too true. I keep getting a bigger tank to match the coral and fish growth... That's my story and I'm sticking to it.:D :smokin:
 
tks guys for you comments.

wat i really hope is that i can turn my tank to be like the ocean steep reef wall

if you guys have some nice pic of the ocean reef wall can sent to me

here the close up on the hill top

38615IMG_0801.jpg
 
Really interesting...anything you can add super that's not mentioned in the link? What would you do differently?

d.
 
It sucks that I dont have a camera, cause my foam project is complete.

I constructed 2 islands, to totally encase my plumbing, in each back corner of the tank and then I built a "rock bridge" between the 2 islands.

I used a file and a scalpel to shape the foam after it dried and it actually looks like rock. I finally found some marine paint, yesterday, and paited it yesterday.

The tank is getting filled today, to check for leaks (this is the first time it's to be filled after I drilled it for internal plumbing...lol).
 
delv said:
Really interesting...anything you can add super that's not mentioned in the link? What would you do differently?

d.

Only thing I would add is the wall I built in my link was for a FW tank - and I kept it relatively flat with some crevices, a few caves, etc. If I was to do one for a reef tank - I would add more ledges, indentations, etc to give some coral mounting options, etc
 
RedEyeReef said:
Here is my new Oceanic 40 gallon Hex Stretch for my office with background.

25271Close_up_Office_40.JPG

25271Background.JPG

25271Office_Oceanic_40.JPG

That is really nice! The best one I have seen so far. Is that background 100% foam?

billpa
 
billpa said:
That is really nice! The best one I have seen so far. Is that background 100% foam?

billpa

I cheated a little, it is a Pangea reef background I cut to fit. A little pricey but very cool. I originally bought it to retro into my existing reef (because of this thread). I didn't realize how buoyant this stuff is. The original piece that I tried putting in my reef was big enough that I swear I could of floated across my local lake on it. Now I know why they say, cut to fit and silicone in. I can't wait to setup my office tank now.

http://www.pangeashop.com/group.asp?group=83&page=1
 
This my first attempt at this. I'm trying to add some "depth" to a 30 hex and maybe hide some equipment behind the foam. I'd like to hear from anyone that has not painted the backdrop and get your thoughts on not painting. I cut the top off a water jug and foamed it to the eggcrate underneath to create a ledge and got rid of the turd effect by sprinkling some sand over it while wet and spread it out with an old cloth. Thanks
Backdrop.jpg
 
click the "post reply" button and towards the bottom of the screen there is an "attach" button... this will open a window and you look for the picture in your computer.. make sure it fills the size requirement.
 
I did a test run on a 10gal aquarium and then coated it with cement I dyed with RIT dye. I did it in batches and chose different ratios of the dye to change the colors here and there.

Pictures

I cut stress relief lines into the foam and deformed the foam after applying it and having it harden for a few hours. I then clamped it down giving it more depth in some places and less in others.

This gave me one problem and that was I seemed to trap a fair amount of the resins before they had a chance to contact oxygen and fully expand, so I then had to leave it upside down and let them run out and expand.

The cement worked really well, but because the foam is slightly flexible, you can break the cement off the foam if you really try. This is going to be a freshwater tank for a friend though and shouldn't get too much physical stress.
 
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