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

[aztbs]

I used a sheet of egg crate and zip tied on a bunch of carved pieces of styrofoam to make overhangs and such. I used the spray foam to fill in all of the gaps in the crate and mold it all into a two solid rock formations. I tried to paint thin layers on concrete over it and had trouble making it stick. After about 2 weeks of adding coat after coat I finally got nice even coverage and texture. Don't be fooled - it isn't easy. I built two pieces to go into each end of my 55 gallon tank. I decided to spray foam the center section with the black foam and I ended up putting a thin mottled coat of the black foam over all of the concrete too. I thought that a layer of the foam would hold the whole thing to the glass, but was I mistaken!! The finished product, although heavy with concrete was EXTREMELY bouyant and it pulled right off the glass. I ended up having to silicon the whole structure to the back.
My two pieces actually are shaped to create an area behind them for powerheads, heaters, and my internal skimmer since I have no sump. (kind of like making an internal sump area)
They get lots of flow in and out, so I am not worried about dead pockets.
I love it so far, but it was a lot more work that I expected. I will try to post pics soon.

 

[gatohoser]

Oh man hahah

Yes the paint sticks to glass also. And metal. And wood. And just about anything. Fusion was a good name for them to pick.

 

[TheCoralReef731]

where can I get Krylon Fusion paint?

 

[RonSF]

where can I get Krylon Fusion paint?

My local Ace Hardware carries it. Unlike gatohoser, however, I've found it to have very poor adhesion to non plastic surfaces and even some plastic ones. What it is compatible with (theoretically including polyurethane foam, which I haven't tried it on yet) it bonds with much better than other paints.

 

[lucubrator]

How's it bond to acrylic?

 

[gatohoser]

You can get it at OSH and probably home depot. It is a spraypaint.

It bonds very well to glass and bonds fairly well to the foam and even with about 4 quick layers (you are supposed to only wait 15 seconds in between layers) it bonded well enuf to have lasted a week in the water besides where the rocks rubbed it off. I wouldn't think of it as a perfect solution but it sure does give you some color (as long as you dont mind having some bare spots).

 

[surfersce]

on sale at walmart $3.71

 

[surfersce]

Question for all of you Pro-Great Stuff folks......Is it possible to use it to make branch-like liverock? I was thinking if I could spray it in a long tub of Arag or sand....and then dump more Arag or sand on it while its setting...It might form like a branch-shape or maybe an antler....! Sound do-able to you folks with experience??

It floats, thats the major problem with that

 

[sarduci]

Ok, after reading the first 18 pages.....

Has anyone looked at using the foam as a mold, putting either epoxy on the other side, and then torching the foam and removing it from the back?

If you did that with agracrete, you could definitely set the thing on fire and burn it out.... then use some magnets and attach them to the back. Then it would be removable.

I've never used the stuff myself, but I'm going to go buy a can and make some piles to try and test burn 'em.....

 

[sarduci]

I guess what I was trying to get at was that instead of covering it up to protect it, why not just get rid of it?

 

[qwuintus]

isnt the fusion paint hazardous to fish?? its just the stuff you get at home depot right?

 

[gatohoser]

I've heard it isn't. And I haven't had any adverse affects yet.

 

[TheCoralReef731]

how easy is it to remove? I am wondering whether to form it around other rocks, just to weigh it down, or to put it directly on the glass. Directly on the glass would be a pain though because it's an allready established tank.

 

[onetrickpony]

Hello
You could pick up some bead board at home depot, Lowe, hobby lobie
Cut it to the size of the back of your tank
Foam it up, cut it with a hand saw in Ã"šÃ‚½
Cover it with concrete or paint it
The trouble with putting it in an established tank
Is that it is very buoyant, you would have to lower the water level a lot
I would make your foam back ground finish it out
Then get couple of plastic bins from target
Empty my tank out. Install the background
Add the tank contents. Sell the extra live rock
Just an idea
Ken

 

[gatohoser]

Ok and finally here is a full and working shot of my tank. I thought it whad peeled in some spots but it didn't. It held perfectly everywhere except for in a few nooks where it must have pulled in because the foam must have still been drying.

<img src="http://feltandmeckelcorals.com/29gcomplete2.JPG".

 

[Beenalongtime79]

Looks good amigo!

 

[gatohoser]

Ok so I had to tear it out this morning. It was floating up too much and nothing would hold it down (not even a 30 pound rock). You really do have to weight these things down and put them on eggcrate. Also you really cant do this on a tank less than 18" wide. It just doesn't leave you any room. My rocks were vertical and I had no room for corals on the ground. It looks much better without what had become fondly called my "intestine wall". This is a great mod for a large tank but I don't think its very good for this small tank.

 

[Carl_in_Florida]

I think that on a small tank you have to do it right on the glass.

carl

 

[gatohoser]

I think that on a small tank you have to do it right on the glass.

I did and that was half the problem. You can't do this foam right on the glass ever. I really don't recommend it. It DOESN'T hold when it's filled with water for a while (READ THAT ALL PPL ABOUT TO TRY THIS! I am about the 50th person to say it). Maybe if you spend a month touching it up to make sure its bonded well in plenty of structural spots. It just doesn't leave enuf room in a small tank though.

 

[Carl_in_Florida]

I did it in my 15 tall and covered it with sand while it was wet. Working great.

Carl