Fireisfun Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 Hi every one, I Got the idea to start building a foam/rock wall for my 120 gal reef tank that I am in the process of setting up. Once I got measurements for the tank the hardest part of the fist bit is trying to find all the matterials needed. I went to Walmart, lowes and 2 different home depots before I found any egg crate. Next challenge was finding pond safe foam. Thankfully the girl at lowes said that canar rock products carries lots so that cut down on the searching. From there it was off to great hobbies to get z-poxy and big Al's for sand and dry rock. Once everything was together I used tin snips to cut the egg crate into the right sizes and then zipp tied the pieces together. I also made over hangs with the egg crate to support the bigger rock pieces and to conceal my HOB overflow. At the moment I have started foaming the egg crate and some of the smaller dry rock pieces and I highly recommend rubber/latex gloves and parchment paper to stop the foam from sticking to whatever it's resting on http://instagr.am/p/P5P60lPw6V/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayba Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 Pretty cool! What kind of spray foam is that? Just never seen it in dark brown before. Keep the pics coming with progress reports. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fireisfun Posted September 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 23, 2012 I'll try and remember what it was called but it was a pain to find in Edmonton. It seems like canar was the only place that carried it. I've heard bad things about great stuff foam so I figured I would use pond/UV safe foam. Gloves are a must for using foam, trust me, it doesn't come off your skin unless you pick it off bit by bit. http://instagr.am/p/P63_havw-o/ The foaming part was pretty simple but if you let it dry for 15 mintues you can squish it down and get the air out of it. http://instagr.am/p/P5P-jcvw6Y/ http://instagr.am/p/P5QE22vw6f/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fireisfun Posted September 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 23, 2012 Okay the foam stuff was called dura foam and it's sold at canar in the pond section but it is labeled as landscaping and rv use. http://instagr.am/p/P7ns5-Pw4-/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fireisfun Posted September 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2012 The foaming went pretty smoothly but when you do it make sure you fill in each hole of the egg crate or else you get pockets on the back side that you need to fill in (or else brushing the epoxy on is a pain). http://instagr.am/p/P-yz6qvw9A/ I started using a marine safe epoxy but it was very thick and hard to spread so I found z-poxy at great hobbies and it works amazing. I am going to seal the entire thing so that none of the foam breaks down and disintegrates. More photos to come Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fireisfun Posted September 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2012 Alright all the z-poxying has been done on the front. I sprinkled sand on top of the z-poxy to give it more of a natural textured look but the sand was to fine and essentially went see through. http://instagr.am/p/QBZzOEPw44/ As you can see the left side of the wall had excess sand on it while the right has already dried clear.im really not to worried since the dark color is nice and algea and other things will attach them selfs to the wall anyway http://instagr.am/p/QBW7pdvw2Z/ Now to wait for my new tank to come in to see how well it all fits together Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skidbro Posted September 28, 2012 Report Share Posted September 28, 2012 I've seen silicone smeared over foam and then large grain sand sprinkled on top for an amazing natural look that belonged more in a fresh water tank. Can't wait to see the results of your fine grain and Z-poxy project! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fireisfun Posted September 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 I will be incorporating the silicone in as well. I forgot to factor in the middle brace of the new tank so the foam will have to be chopped up in smaller pieces to fit in place and then siliconed in after Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted September 29, 2012 Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 You could remove the top trim to put the background in. The trim is usually just siliconed onto the rim - a quick razor around the edge will do. Then you can pop it back on once your background is in. EDIT: Just re-read what size the tank is... I don't think my idea's going to work However, if the center brace is just one piece siliconed between the front and back, it's easy (enough) to remove - go grab that razor blade, again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fireisfun Posted September 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 Ah I decided just to take the hack saw to it. Wouldn't want the glass to break because of faulty supports. The tank has been filled and she's cycling now so once the water clears up I'll post some more pictures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fireisfun Posted September 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 Here it is with the back ground in. I braced it up with some wood and left over egg crate to hold the background in while the silicone dried http://instagr.am/p/QNPAM-vwwo/ And here it is just prior to filling http://instagr.am/p/QNPDe2vwws/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DANA T Posted October 2, 2012 Report Share Posted October 2, 2012 Nice job on the diy background looks natural. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fireisfun Posted October 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2012 Here it is with water. http://instagr.am/p/QSgnpqPwz-/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sierra Posted October 2, 2012 Report Share Posted October 2, 2012 Looks great! The way you supported it with egg crate at the bottom may help me with some future projects. How much do you think it weighed before you cut it to get in the tank?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fireisfun Posted October 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2012 Maybe 20-30lbs from the dry rock I had on it. I had to put a tube of silicone along the back to make sure it stuck to the back of the tank good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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