My 20L Rockwall

[mirepa]

Well I don't usually post on ReefFrontiers but it's been a few years and I've started another tank. My original build thread is at NR so I won't be reposting the entire story.

Original Story and Build Thread
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=200050&hl=

BIG THANKS TO noob_reefer_206
I stopped by his place today and picked up a free clown and some rics =]


2009-06-07

20L drilled (in my shower hah)

Egg crate cut up...

A few cutting wheels exploded..

...some zip ties.

Touch of Great Stuff!

Some blue gloves...

Walla!

Waiting on the foam to cure so I can spread some epoxy and sand on it.

2009-06-21
After letting everything cure for a few weeks, I drained the tank once with RO water. Now running carbon to eliminate any possible traces of epoxy or leftover chemicals from the foam.

 

[Rothany]

WOW cool dude! the rics opened up already .nice tank

 

[Workaholic]

cool project. What did you coat the foam with to give it the rough look?

Tom

 

[Darthv247]

he said he just put sand and epoxy on it i believe. looks good man ! nice work.

 

[spllbnd2]

Very cool idea. I really like how it looks.

Cheers,
Alex

 

[mirepa]

cool project. What did you coat the foam with to give it the rough look?

Tom

I used the cheapest 1:1 resin hardner epoxy they had. Cost was about 25 bucks and I still got some left.

If you need any pics or help lemme know. =]

- Eugene

 

[Myteemouse]

well done, I used that great foam to glue rock together to form some cool tunnels and arches
I love it!!

 

[mmn_usn]

How long does the tuff stuff last.. If I use it in my 90...how long until I have to repair/replace it.

 

[mirepa]

Well from what I've gathered from the Great Stuff rep I talked to, it goes inert once its cured. I noticed a little cave in due to water pressure but other then that I'd expect it to go on longer then some of my inhabitants.

I was also told it would be safe to use in aquariums as it goes inert .

My only concern was all the epoxy I used... but technically epoxy should go inert also.

Running carbon just incase =]



My biggest problem is the constant 82+ def. F... =[ I think the foam is holding in the heat from the backside.

 

[Myteemouse]

mine is 4 months wet with no sign of wear AT ALL

 

[brady816]

nice man!!!!!

 

[Darthv247]

dont worry about it at all. i worked at a company that makes construction grade epoxy thats very nasty stuff. to dispose of the extra waste or retunred product we would just mix it together and throw it away. so yes in the fully cured form it is completely inert. its basically strong plastic or stone depending on the chemistry.

the heat could be from it still curing but should be done by now. epoxy is exothermic meaning it makes its own heat when the 2 components are mixxed together.

 

[mirepa]

nice man!!!!!

Thanks! Can't wait to stock this =]

dont worry about it at all. i worked at a company that makes construction grade epoxy thats very nasty stuff. to dispose of the extra waste or retunred product we would just mix it together and throw it away. so yes in the fully cured form it is completely inert. its basically strong plastic or stone depending on the chemistry.

the heat could be from it still curing but should be done by now. epoxy is exothermic meaning it makes its own heat when the 2 components are mixxed together.

That's great to hear I had my doubts getting into this, heh.

 

[IWishIWasAFish]

We would like to try that! and have tons of animals

Thank you for telling us about your foamy reef tank so we can do some awesome things with our fish tank! And since it's summer school, now we have something to do

-Mrs. Lucero's class

 

[mirepa]

We would like to try that! and have tons of animals

Thank you for telling us about your foamy reef tank so we can do some awesome things with our fish tank! And since it's summer school, now we have something to do

-Mrs. Lucero's class

That's great to hear! If I were to do this again I'd change 2 things.

I'd use the Great Stuff for Ponds / Outdoors or Touch 'n Foam Ponds / Outdoors. Reason being is I noticed any section not coated with epoxy + sand was affected by my metal halide and caused it to collapse a few centimeters and/or greatly discolor. And the pond / outdoor version of the foam is only a few bucks more and resistant to discoloration and collapsing when exposed to sunlight / UV light, so you might as well. Another reason is the pond / outdoor foam is black so its easier to see where you put the epoxy and sand on.

Secondly, I found out the epoxy I used left a weird smell in my water and prior to adding any live sand or any inhabitants I did 2 full water changes (a few days apart w/o any salt) before it didn't have any smell. And this was after a week of curing the epoxy (even though the bottles state 24 hour full cure). I did read other users had great success with Z-Poxy 30 Minute, which now that I think about it woulda been better as it probably would of cured faster. Z-Poxy is also have the price of the Epoxy mix I bought at Tap Plastics (for the same ammount).

Touch 'N Foam (landscape / pond / outdoors)
http://www.touch-n-foam.com/landscape.php

Great Stuff (pond)
http://greatstuff.dow.com/greatstuff/diy/products/pond.htm

Z-Poxy @ Hobby Town USA
http://h1070117.hobbyshopnow.com/products/description.asp?prod=PAAPT39


Hope all goes well and don't forget to post pix!

 

[trido]

mine is 4 months wet with no sign of wear AT ALL

Mine is two years and still solid

 

[IWishIWasAFish]

That's great to hear! If I were to do this again I'd change 2 things.

Thank you! We'll try it and let you know how it goes...

 

[mirepa]

Updates! So it's been a little bit since I've updated and things are going well.

I recently added a Current Prime Chiller, some Live Rock, few softies, and a black clown.

Oh and a decent CUC was added a few hours prior to taking the picture. Hoping they will take care of the algae issues =[

 

[Rothany]

looking good! How are the Ricodias doing?

 

[mirepa]

looking good! How are the Ricodias doing?

Hey! Well unfortunately 1 of the rics decided to take a joy ride through my return pump. The rest are on the left side of the tank doing well, although you can't seem them as they closed up after adding the live rock and stiring around the sand a bit.

The anthelia (thanks TheDoughboy) is thriving very well under the halides and I may have a frag for you here soon-ish.

Oh I forgot to give a shout out to Barrier Reef, I love that place and the people who work there are AWESOME! I got the live rock and cuc from them today. And thanks for a great deal on the black clown JasonD (not sure if you're following this thread, heh)