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-   -   Experience with GREAT STUFF FOAM (https://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1289814)

5speedT 01/09/2008 12:00 PM

Experience with GREAT STUFF FOAM
 
Anyone have experience with GREAT STUFF FOAM for the back of the tank? Im looking to do this to my 72 gallon bow but I have heard of people having a hard time to get it to stick properly?? Anyone have this done and want to comment on how you made it work? thanks.

JaredWaites 01/09/2008 02:13 PM

Try searching the DIY forum.

But I do remember how they did it. They epoxy or silicone egg crate to the back of the tank. Then they use the foam to build up.

o.c.d. 01/09/2008 11:28 PM

Yes I read a article about using it on the bottom of a tank and buddy use ] shaped plastic cutouts and silicone them to the bottom so the foam wouldn't lift

5speedT 01/10/2008 09:43 AM

Im worried about it rotting over time or absorbing water.

o.c.d. 01/10/2008 07:56 PM

Daniel Knopp is the one who wrote the article, and says some Polyurethane Foam (PU) as long as they are the nontoxic PU. The anchor used is H shaped not [ shape and glued with special cement.Also he tinted to PU to be stone gray (not from spray can) then formed by hand.It is saltwater resistant and doesn't need to be rinsed or soaked. Looks Cool , Doesn't say anthing about rotting

mflamb 01/10/2008 08:47 PM

I used pond foam on my 390 after seeing it on a couple of other tanks. I like it. Just remember...it doesn't stick to glass. It does stick to acrylic.

FishTri 01/10/2008 09:33 PM

I cut strips of eggcrate, foamed them, dropped shells in for texture, and glued the eggcrate strips to the glass and plastic overflows with a tube of silicon. Then I filled in the gaps between the glued up strips with more foam straight from the can.

[IMG]http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/11180GreatStuff.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/11180GreatStuffStrips.jpg[/IMG]

The finished tank looks great (one day I'll do a build thread...) The only thing I might do differently is to use a darker foam.

One hint: when you fill in the gaps after the strips are glued up, its hard to control the amount of foam, and it expands between the seams, so you get a raised seam. Go slow, put in less than you think you need. If it expands too much, after about twenty minutes it forms enough of a skin that you can pat it down with your hand and work it flush with the strips.

Suggestion: practice on some scrap first. If I remember, I was able to use the can over a twelve hour period without it totally clogging up, although I tried to lay out enough work that I would use an entire can in one session.

Good luck!

5speedT 01/11/2008 09:10 AM

ok thanks! I guess im gonna give this a go. Did you use any sealer on the foam or did you just put the sand right on it while it was drying? I hear you have to seal the foam with epoxy or something. Looks good.

FishTri 01/11/2008 11:18 AM

Never heard of the epoxy sealing; you might want to look into that a little more, in that it could help over the very long term to protect from UV and the foam getting brittle and breaking down. I've seen this discussed as a possibility, but I have never seen a post with anyone who experienced the foam failing over time, so I just did it.

First I cut strips of eggcrate to the contour of the back of the tank and the overflows. Cut them undersized (not as wide) because the foam will expand beyond the edges.

Lay them on a flat surface, with wax paper underneath. The wax paper was great! Stuff peels right off.

Apply the great stuff. I used short (3"-6") strokes on a diagonal starting from the top left of each panel, working back and forth, so that the diagonals ran rising from the left edge up towards the right side. Don't worry about filing in the little squares - the foam will work its way down. Smooth even strokes - like spray painting. Control the width of the foam with the speed of your stroke. It expands like crazy, so I tried to keep moving at a good clip to get the most coverage.

I sorted my shells into different sizes:

Large - A couple minutes after I sprayed the foam I stuck these in on edge to create a shelf. Getting them to stay vertical was a challenge, 'cause they wanted to lay over. A little extra foam on the underside helped.

Medium - after the little shelves were in I "artistically' placed some of the medium shells.

Small/Tiny - then I sprinkled the tiny shells and fragments across the entire surface.

Let everything cure for 12-24 hours. Especially where it went on thick.

Then flip the panels over. I used a blade out of a carton cutter to scrape off the foam that had gone all of the way through. This gave me a perfectly flat back to glue to the glass and overflows.

After the strips are glued up to the back of the tank you can spray foam between the gaps. If it expands too much, pat it down with your hand after a skin has formed. You can work it this way fifteen or twenty minutes after you spray it, and for another hour or so as it cures. Gives you nice flat seams the same height as the pre-made panel on either side.

SPRINKLE some of the Small/Tiny shells on the seams. Just throw it at the seam and it will stick. Otherwise you'll end up with clean seams (no shells) that will look obvious.

5speedT 01/11/2008 12:20 PM

thanks alot for your reply. Im gonna use your method of the eggcrate and stick the eggcrate to the back of the tank...now to find some eggcrate..lol

FishTri 01/11/2008 12:50 PM

Home Depot, Lowes, etc. I did my 210 AGA tank with two sheets of 2'x4' eggcrate.


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