The Foam/rock Projects Here Thread

[Bulldogsteve]

What epoxy did you use.

setting up a new tank thought this was cool always hated looking at the over flow box..used the black pond foam from lowes attached my rocks ..gave up some cool live rock ..for theelks horn ..then epoxie and covered it in sand ..i think it came out ok for the first one i ever made..will look better once it stars getting covered in coraline the trick is going to be getting it in the tank with the euro bracing..the restof the tank will be traditional live rock

the only thing i can add to making these is the instruction on the can say not to disturb it while it is expanding ..where some good rubber gloves and play in it as it strts to expand...it looks much more like rock way better than big bubbles..

 

[antbreon]

epoxie is epoxie once it it cured ..the difference is how fast it will cure..

i got mine frome a fiberglass supplier..us composites..is one..you can order from..

i am really happy..with how it came out..it looks awsome in the tank..cant wait to set the rest up ..gotta get the room done first..

here are a few pics of it in the tank..almost didnt fit ..hat to break off one of the coral pieces to get it in

 

[Bulldogsteve]

I like what you did with the wall.
Steve

 

[antbreon]

thanks..if i can get all the planets to align...gotta seal and grout the tile..under the sump..then i should be able to put the filter ect together water in the tank soon ..ill post more pics..excited about it ..it sould be really nice..then i gotta get stuff in it..it will take some time..

 

[Bulldogsteve]

wELL FED X SITE SAYS MY ROCK IS OUT FOR HOME DEL.
YA BABY COME ON 3:30 :bounce1:

 

[Bulldogsteve]

When i cleaned trimed up the backside of my eggcrate i left some open cells did not have a smooth skin.
Will this cause a problem do i need to seal this some how. :sad2:
Steve

 

[AquaticEngineer]

Thought I'd share some pictures of the rock I am making as the center piece for a coldwater display tank I will be supplying the livestock for at a LFS here in Oregon.

The entire structure once completed will be spray foamed onto the bottom of the tank. It should stick out of the top of the tank just enough for me to plant some native salt tolerating plant species, or have standing pools of tigroprius californicus growing out.

 

[antbreon]

i hope above ..doesnt float out of the tank

this is a few pic of the stuff from my old tank transferred..

 

[antbreon]

When i cleaned trimed up the backside of my eggcrate i left some open cells did not have a smooth skin.
Will this cause a problem do i need to seal this some how. :sad2:
Steve

i didnt seal mine ..you could paint it with epoxie if you wanted to..

 

[AquaticEngineer]

i hope above ..doesnt float out of the tank

The entire rock will be adhered to the bottom of the tank with the same adhesive spray foam its made out of, which is the Touch N Foam Pond/Landscape. Its also counter weighted on the inside and is mostly hollow.

 

[Starfishhater]

The entire rock will be adhered to the bottom of the tank with the same adhesive spray foam its made out of, which is the Touch N Foam Pond/Landscape. Its also counter weighted on the inside and is mostly hollow.

Nice work, what did you use for the frame?

 

[AquaticEngineer]

Frame was made of egg crate, mocked up using zip ties, then disassembled and sprayed.

Once all the main pieces were in place I started add more structures and texture onto it.

Texture was done with rock salt and brushed off and washed off once the foam had set.

 

[mpschottjr]

here is my 120 build
http://www.michiganreefers.com/forums/members-tanks/121895-120-diy-foam-wall.html

 

[strgazr27]

epoxie is epoxie once it it cured ..the difference is how fast it will cure..

Nice job but the above statement is really not true and warrants a little further research. Not all epoxies will remain stable when submerged under water, especially salt water. Just a heads up.

 

[AquaticEngineer]

Nice job but the above statement is really not true and warrants a little further research. Not all epoxies will remain stable when submerged under water, especially salt water. Just a heads up.

I've been using an epoxy paint that is normally used to coat garage floors.

This is the info on it:

The BEHR 1-Gallon Satin 1-Part Epoxy Acrylic Concrete and Garage Floor Paint is a high-performance, ready-to-use, water-based floor paint that resists tire marks and marring. The finish resists chemicals, oil and gasoline. The paint must be applied to primed surfaces. (This was the only thing I was worried about when I tested it, but it adheres perfectly to the foam with no primer)
Ideal for primed garage floors, concrete porches and walkways, driveways and basements
Works great on hard-to-clean interior and exterior floors
Apply with a roller
Water-based acrylic finish resists scuffing, fading, cracking, peeling and blistering
No-mix formula is ready for use
Satin finish gives floors a nice shine
1 can covers 500 sq. ft.
Resists chemicals, oil and gasoline
Cleans with soap and water

For $32 it was worth a try. They make it in gray and white, I bought a gallon of the white then divided it into 1 quart containers and had them tint it into 5 different shades of gray. For my applications I needed it to look like granite so thats why I used the gray. I'm sure for a reef tank you could have them tint a couple of the quarts with a corraline purple color.

 

[AquaticEngineer]

I got it all painted the other night, and this morning me and my buddy Josh got the background of the tank painted, put the rock in, got some sand in, and got water in. Tank will be a 200 gallon Coldwater Display tank at Saltwater FantaSeas in Portland Oregon.

 

[antbreon]

glad she stayed down for you...


what i got is manufactured for marine construction so ill be fine i am sure..now epoxies resins dont have any uv protection ..that is why you see all the honda's with carbon fiber hoods turning white.that is why the guys that know use vinalester surfboard resin ...really clear..and uv resistant.

 

[AquaticEngineer]

There's a whole can of spray foam attaching it to the bottom of the tank

Just wait until its covered from top to bottom in these:

 

[letimmons]

So I'm getting ready to build a rock/foam wall for my 75g tank. Its only about 3 months old and the rock i got was from Marcorock. Its nothing great but i want to use it to make my foam wall with... Can i just take it out and dry it out to use as i have read several times that you cant use live wet rock as it wont bond with the foam. Any one have any info or experiences using "live" rock???
Thanks

 

[Poeticlydead]

Yes you can remove it clean it and let it dry, my only concern is how do you intend to put the wall in your system if it's all ready full of water and running?