The Foam/rock Projects Here Thread

[biecacka]

so the rocks will be moist but i can let them air dry for a few days. i was thinking of giving most of them an acid bath!! depends on algea on them. most of algea is on glass

 

[fishyman12]

These are pretty sweet. More picks =D

 

[lusenut2]

Here is a updated pick of mine. Its been up and running for about 2 months now. Everything is doing great.

 

[theplatypus]

i have a 220 that is 72 inches long and 30 inches tall, how many cans do you think id need. aslo still curious bout water flow behind the wall to stop the debis from building up
corey

I used 1+cans of foam on a 22x22x18 wall. I sure people have used other methods for attaching their faux rock walls, this is what worked for me. I cut a piece of eggcrate about 1/2" smaller than my tank, laid out the dry rock on the eggcrate, filled between the rock with foam. I trimmed away any foam that had come through the backside of the egg crate. Then I spread a good layer of silicone on the back of my aquarium and pressed the eggcrate sheet into the silicone.

 

[T Diddy]

t diddy, how many cans? 72 inches long, 30 inches tall.
also its not the "live" aspect of the rock im mostly concerned about as much as the tank is up and running but i wanna take it down for a few reason.
1) algea issue.......slight one but its one
2) re do rock work
3) add sand to the BB......its a softy tank and i cant seem to get enough flow on the bottom of the tank to keep debris settled or gathered in one place
4) free up some swimming space for the fish
corey

a little moisture won't hurt anything. Just make sure the foam has cured completely (it make take longer than the can states depending on the thickness). Once again, be very sparing initially...the stuff grows big time. The amount of cans ultimately depends on the amount of rock, but I'd say start with six cans to get the initial foaming done. Once you stand it up and look at it from different angles, you may find that you need more to hide the eggcrate in certain spots. GOOD LUCK! and post pics!

 

[biecacka]

im about a wk or so from the project but i will def post pics!@!!!!

corey

 

[biecacka]

I used 1+cans of foam on a 22x22x18 wall. I sure people have used other methods for attaching their faux rock walls, this is what worked for me. I cut a piece of eggcrate about 1/2" smaller than my tank, laid out the dry rock on the eggcrate, filled between the rock with foam. I trimmed away any foam that had come through the backside of the egg crate. Then I spread a good layer of silicone on the back of my aquarium and pressed the eggcrate sheet into the silicone.

Do u have pics? From your measurements I could use 3-4 cans, is that correct?
Corey

 

[biecacka]

http://www.lowes.com/pd_304195-4247...currentURL=/pl__0__s?Ntt=pond+foam&facetInfo=

does this one work? its local
corey

 

[biecacka]

Never mind other one is cheaper
Corey

 

[bennyhanna1]

So I'm considering doing this project for a portion of the bottom of the tank, like a small 4"x4" section, and i was going to make an arch between the back wall and this part. I'm probably going barebottom, and was debating whether or not i should silicone the base to the floor, or put little acrylic risers under the base so it's like 1/4" off the ground in an effort to avoid detritus build up... does one option sound better than another?

Thanks, just got some of my rock in the mail, came 2 days after i ordered it!

 

[hammerfrog]

I have a 90 gallon aqueon megaflow. I would like to use the foam/rock wall to cover the overflow. Should I just apply the bucketts pond foam directly to the overflow or should
I use egg crate, apply the foam and rock, and then silicone it to the overflow?
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[biecacka]

Got my foam in!!! Are you guys using zip ties to hold the rock to the egg crate or will the foam hold it in place?

 

[Carriegiesler]

I placed my eggcrate on top of a trash bag that I cut open. The plastic will easily peel off when the foam is dry and leave a smooth backing. I then arranged my rocks then foamed around them and under them in the creveses. After the foam got a slightly harder shell I did compress some of the areas to give it a more "rock like" texture. This will also prevent it from becoming to boyant if your not using 75% rock. If you do this step make sure to wear rubber gloves. Also us small burst of foam as it exspands a lot. The small burst or droplets also give a more rocky texture. I would strongly suggest a small test area to see how much it expands before you start covering everything.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42991117@N08/5281512427/" title="DSCN1249 by saltwater pics, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5210/5281512427_6ab3f3e04c_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="DSCN1249"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42991117@N08/5282112772/" title="DSCN1251 by saltwater pics, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5121/5282112772_c60883d20c_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="DSCN1251"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42991117@N08/5282113310/" title="DSCN1254 by saltwater pics, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5249/5282113310_fb6e21ee10_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="DSCN1254"></a>

Allow for a little extra room around the perimter of the foam wall (cut egg crate little smaller) than the surface area needed because the expoy and sand will make up for a extra centimeter. I found this out the hard way and had to chip off epoxyed sand and foam because I didn't account for the additonal space this would utilize.

 

[biecacka]

so no zip ties? i was thinking i could do it this way!
corey

 

[Carriegiesler]

Corey,
I didnt use them because it kept the eggcreate from sitting flush on the backwall in my nano. And I didnt have to worry about trying to cover the zip tie were it went around the rock.

I know people have used them and are happy with the results. I found that if you spray the foam in and around the each rock piece and let it set up (I left mine lay flat for 24 hours) before setting it up vertical it locked the rock in place. Then after adding the epoxy and sand its definitly not going anywhere.

You can also spray a little bit of the foam on the eggcreate where you want the rock then lay the rock ontop of it to ensure the bigger pieces stay struck down. I did this for a few of the larger pieces and found it to work really well.

Check out my thread on my nano: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1950077
I may provide you with a better picture and exsplain alittle more of how I constructed my foam/rock wall.
Feel free to ask any other ?'s if you need more clarification.

 

[customcolor]

If you do it right to the plastic...it should stick good to it. Make shure its clean! I did it to the back wall of my wifes jbj nano and that was almost 2 years ago...still there

I have a 90 gallon aqueon megaflow. I would like to use the foam/rock wall to cover the overflow. Should I just apply the bucketts pond foam directly to the overflow or should
I use egg crate, apply the foam and rock, and then silicone it to the overflow?
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!!

Sent from my Ally using Tapatalk

 

[rgh69]

Has anyone here had any problems with the foam getting destroyed by tank critters? I am thinking of doing this but I have a couple sea urchins.

 

[Carriegiesler]

Opps looking at my photo again I forget to say put down some wax paper over the top of the plastic, as it is the wax paper that keeps it from sticking/wax side up. You can see it in the second pic.
Good catch customcolor-thx. I would have felt bad for giving poor advise.

 

[customcolor]

Has anyone here had any problems with the foam getting destroyed by tank critters? I am thinking of doing this but I have a couple sea urchins.

urchins and foam dont mix...

 

[biecacka]

im hoping to start my project this week im just waiting on the tub to place my rock and fish and coral into!!!
corey