mamagoose45
Member
As promised, here are some ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œthus farââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ photos and step-by-steps from the foam/rock overflow cover project that Brian and I have been working on for the last two weeks or soââ"šÂ¬Ã‚¦
As far as the process, we started by making an egg crate case that sort of slips onto the overflow. The frame will stick out farther at the bottom of the overflow to allow for a slope effect and also to help with stability. The main goal of this project and the new rock work is to allow for better flow and more open space for fish to swim about.
Anyhow, everything is just pieced together and held in place with zip ties (well said about the duct tape of the reef world, Brandon ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ too true!!) After the form was made, Brian painstakingly dug through all the smaller rock pieces we had (thanks Wayne!!) and managed to put the rocks together on the frame like a puzzle. He left holes in the design which would become cave openings later on ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ we simply snipped the egg crate out of these areas. There are a few overhangs to help with coral placement and to help create depth. Then came the Great Stuff. We really werenââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t sure what was going to happen with it, so it was pretty much a spray and hope sort of process. We tried to fill in all the gaps in the rock work, making sure to cover all the snipped egg crate edges with the Great Stuff so that fish didnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t run the risk of getting scrapes and scratches swimming through any tight spots once itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s all in the tank.
First step - piecing the rock together...
Back view after Great Stuff...
Front view after Great Stuff...
Close up of Great Stuff...
After the foam dried, we started the process of covering the foam areas. For the resin coating, we used Bondo Home Solutions All-Purpose Fiberglass Resin. The original epoxy we wanted to use turned out to be slightly more expensive than we would have liked, and we would have had to special order it from a hobby shop. The fiberglass resin was much cheaper and readily available at Home Depot so we went with that.
As far as the material we used to cover, we aimed for a 50:50 mixture of crushed coral and sand, but we were less than scientific about that.
We wanted the look of the crushed coral but were using the sand to fill in any of the space that the crushed coral left. We found out that the areas we put the resin on thicker seemed to work better, it helped hold the coral/sand in place. Also, oddly enough, the resin seemed to dry faster in these areas. After we let the first coating of coral/sand dry, we went back and put on a second layer to make sure to cover the foam completely.
Halfway through the coral/sand coat...
**A note to everyone that may attempt to do this ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ the resin gums up much faster than we expected it to, so donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t mix up more than you really need because you wonââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t be able to use it all before it starts to solidify. This part of the project is definitely a two person job ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ one person to ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œpaint onââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ the resin, one to throw and mash the coral/sand into place.**
The pictures we have only go up to this point because the ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œstructureââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ is sitting in a Rubbermaid container full of water in hopes of setting everything, getting any funk off of it, and settling any loose coral/sand to the bottom so as not into the tank. Weââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ll post more pictures when we actually start doing the reworking of the rock and have the structure in the tank.
As far as the process, we started by making an egg crate case that sort of slips onto the overflow. The frame will stick out farther at the bottom of the overflow to allow for a slope effect and also to help with stability. The main goal of this project and the new rock work is to allow for better flow and more open space for fish to swim about.
Anyhow, everything is just pieced together and held in place with zip ties (well said about the duct tape of the reef world, Brandon ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ too true!!) After the form was made, Brian painstakingly dug through all the smaller rock pieces we had (thanks Wayne!!) and managed to put the rocks together on the frame like a puzzle. He left holes in the design which would become cave openings later on ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ we simply snipped the egg crate out of these areas. There are a few overhangs to help with coral placement and to help create depth. Then came the Great Stuff. We really werenââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t sure what was going to happen with it, so it was pretty much a spray and hope sort of process. We tried to fill in all the gaps in the rock work, making sure to cover all the snipped egg crate edges with the Great Stuff so that fish didnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t run the risk of getting scrapes and scratches swimming through any tight spots once itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s all in the tank.
First step - piecing the rock together...
Back view after Great Stuff...
Front view after Great Stuff...
Close up of Great Stuff...
After the foam dried, we started the process of covering the foam areas. For the resin coating, we used Bondo Home Solutions All-Purpose Fiberglass Resin. The original epoxy we wanted to use turned out to be slightly more expensive than we would have liked, and we would have had to special order it from a hobby shop. The fiberglass resin was much cheaper and readily available at Home Depot so we went with that.
As far as the material we used to cover, we aimed for a 50:50 mixture of crushed coral and sand, but we were less than scientific about that.
We wanted the look of the crushed coral but were using the sand to fill in any of the space that the crushed coral left. We found out that the areas we put the resin on thicker seemed to work better, it helped hold the coral/sand in place. Also, oddly enough, the resin seemed to dry faster in these areas. After we let the first coating of coral/sand dry, we went back and put on a second layer to make sure to cover the foam completely. Halfway through the coral/sand coat...
**A note to everyone that may attempt to do this ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ the resin gums up much faster than we expected it to, so donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t mix up more than you really need because you wonââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t be able to use it all before it starts to solidify. This part of the project is definitely a two person job ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ one person to ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œpaint onââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ the resin, one to throw and mash the coral/sand into place.**
The pictures we have only go up to this point because the ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œstructureââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ is sitting in a Rubbermaid container full of water in hopes of setting everything, getting any funk off of it, and settling any loose coral/sand to the bottom so as not into the tank. Weââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ll post more pictures when we actually start doing the reworking of the rock and have the structure in the tank.
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