DIY liverock aquascaping

[DarinSchmidt]

Just wondered if anyone has seen some really nice work done with some DIY liverock aquascaping. i was thinking of using the pondfoam with eggcrate idea but i havent really found anything inspiring. There are a ton of DIY sites out there, just wanted to know which ones stuck in your heads to sift through all the garbage that's been posted out there.

[Shep]

Darin,
I am (slowly) putting together a 54 gallon bowfront corner tank and a foam wall background on the two straight walls will be part of it. I have cut the egg crate for both pieces so they fit snugly between the bottom of the tank and the top lip. then I got a piece of 1-1/2" PVC and varius bends, put them together and then brushed epoxy on the immediate inside of them. After it dried, I sprinkled them with reef sand. Then I laid them on the egg crate and foamed it with "Great Foam". no rock, just foam. I let the foam dry for a couple days then I painted on epozy and sprinkled with reef sand. I am only half way done putting the sand on, and then there will be a touch up layer also. It is relatively inexpensive and kind of fun to tinker with. My other wall will be trickier because I want to hide my overflow box and the return line from the sump.

just as a guide I used:
1 sheet of egg crate from Lowes gave me my two pieces, approx 21"x24" (about $11)
4 various PVC bends and a short length of PVC (about $10)
two cans of great foam for one wall (got them on sale for $2.99 each)
two part Epoxy, might barely have enough for 1 wall (about $10)

I think I am going to be very happy with the way it's going to turn out. I may even make four walls, in case they need cleaned, pop two dirty ones out and pop the two clean ones in.

if you decide to do it, let me know how it goes for you.

[DarinSchmidt]

i'm debating on it, i have a 300g tanke with an 8' wall to cover/partially cover. From what i read on line peopel are using argonite or something and takes weeks to cure or something to make sure it doesnt throw off you chemestry in the water. Great foam, thats the yellow and red can right?

I think if you use pond foam, you dont have to cover it with epoxy and can sprinkle the sand/argonite mix ontop of it while tis still wet. Theonly other issue i found with using any foam is that it's lighter than water so i was thinking i would do a 50/50 mix of foam and concrete. Still going to have to look into this some more before i dive in.

[Shep]

yeah, the yellow and red can...I got everything I needed at Lowes...

I expect the walls to try like hell to float, that is why I made them to fit snugly in between the top lip and the bottom of the tank...I will put some rock up against it in the bottom of the tank...

here is a thread that contains links to many of the threads I found useful:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1438807

[Boonjob]

Couldn't you attach the walls to another sheet of eggcrate or fabricate some wide feet that would lay along the bottom of the tank and be held down or buried with in the substrate?

[DarinSchmidt]

thats what i was thinking, as long as i can keep it heavier than the air within the foam. Then things should be ok.

[wolfeden3]

The foam they are talking about has little to no air in it! I have used tuff stuff around the house many times. Yes in small amounts it will float but the weight of the egg crate should more than weigh it down enough.

[DarinSchmidt]

Ok. Ill keep that in mind when I build it.

[Shep]

oh, it is absolutely going to try and float...if you read some of the threads mentioned above from people that have done it, several of them refer specifically to the floating issue, with one gur referring to it as wrestling a barrell in the water...

[Kenn]

I think I am going to use pond foam as well to skip the epoxy step on the new build

[DarinSchmidt]

That's what I was thinking Kenn. Skip the extra work with water safe foam

[Shep]

the epoxy part is the biggest pain in the butt...but the great foam is water safe, more than one of those threads have great foam walls that have been in place for over a year...you might still have to touch it up with epoxy, but saving the first coat alone will be a big help...let us know how it works, I may go that route next time if it does indeed take the first coat without epoxy...

[DarinSchmidt]

the epoxy part is the biggest pain in the butt...but the great foam is water safe, more than one of those threads have great foam walls that have been in place for over a year...you might still have to touch it up with epoxy, but saving the first coat alone will be a big help...let us know how it works, I may go that route next time if it does indeed take the first coat without epoxy...

GREAT STUFFâ„¢ can be used in gardening to bond outdoor materials such as wood and concrete. Make sure that the surface is dry before applying foam. The foam will deteriorate when exposed to sunlight so any exposed foam must be painted. Foam can also be hidden with rocks or pebbles. Cured foam is non-toxic and will not harm fish.


just found that, someone posted it. So great stuff it is. mayme.

[Shep]

it's cheaper than pond foam, and it is a dull yellow color that goes well with the sand should the coverage get thin...

but if the sand sticks to pond foam without epoxy, that is a real step saver right there...

guess they both have their advantages/disadvantages... 

don't know about pond foam, but the great foam expands more than you would expect...it keeps growing longer than you think...a little goes a pretty long way...

[DarinSchmidt]

after reading the comment i posted above, how true is it i dont know, it seems that pond foam is only better because it doesnt decompose under UV light, not sure how much of an issue that would be for most people. But maybe under MH's that might be a concern in the long term. The ever expanding foam could cause seeable cracks which the light can get into. Maybe thats why people epoxy it after it has fully dried then apply the crushed coral and sand.