my plywood and foam Reef
 

initial construction
[IMG]http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/12254aquarium_00000.JPG [/IMG]
closeup of foam
[IMG]http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/12254REEF_004.jpg [/IMG]
in the wall
[IMG]http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/12254DSC00382.JPG [/IMG]
one year later
[IMG]http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/12254DSC00262.JPG [/IMG]

can't get last one any bigger,, but you cannot tell the live rock apart from the foam

That is awesome!!!Common you can't tease us like that,with one small pic...more,more,more,please....

Did you do a build thread on this? Looks really good. Is that great stuff foam?

unfortunately i did not do a build thread,, i started building it in july 05 and did not put water into it until june 06..
the last pic was originally 5.8mb so to get it to a size that would fit this forum i had to reduce it small.. i know of no other way to make it bigger,,,

fuzzyt - yes that is plain old great stuff,, after a year you litterally cannot tell live rock from foam rock

So how did you overcome the foam floating up? Is that on a PVC frame? Sorry for so many Qs, just curious. :)

lets try this
[IMG][IMG]http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o258/itili/DSC00262.jpg[/IMG][/IMG]

there is a partial pvc frame and the rest is just sprayed right onto the painted plywood!

That is awesome, what type of foam did you use?

did you use anything to "seal" or paint the foam with ?

The Great Foam doesn't need to be sealed. It is essentially polyurethayne. When it sets it is non toxic and does not leach. You can either use the Great Foam from home depot that will come out of a can white or somewhat yellow and a 16oz can will cost you about $6, or you can get the Fountain and Pond foam from the pond section that is black (Beckett markets it) 16oz of it will cost your $13. It is the same thing, just has the black dye in it.

When you spray the foam in it will expand to about 1.5x2 times what it came out of the nozzle like.

I just did this last night on the back and still need to do one side. Now that I see this, I'm going to build a cave

thanks SirSmapty is this the same for "standard" styrofoam ?

no, you need the great stuff. Walmart has it for $3-$4 a can.

I rarely reply to posts, as you can see in my post count, for fear of offending some one by accident. BUT, this DIY project came out amazing!! I've read several posts concerning plywood tanks, but that's beautiful, you should be very proud of you system.

izzy

Texreefer,

Excellent job! That is amazing!

Thanks for the pics and the ideas you have generated!

...and just in time for my build too!
The front glass goes in my plywood tank Monday....
next step... planning rock layout and..... GREAT STUFF layout!

Thanks again!

thanks for the kind comments.. i hope it will help inspire new ideas.. by the way the tank is a 120, 4'x2'x2'

How long did you have to let it cure?

That is something really different!!!!

How do you keep from having detritus settling in the nooks?

jhuggins... just long enough for it to dry,, no other curing needed

Eklikewhoa.. good flow and it is basically bare bottom behind the structure so i can aim a powerhead every now and then and blow out any accumulated detritus

How did you seal (waterproof) the plywood box?

How did the costs compare to purchasing a tank of similiar size?

Thanks!

How much live rock did you add to it? I have a 75 gal I am filling up and it would be great to use some great stuff to make some caves and stuff out of. What would be the easiest way to keep it from floating (sorry I don't mean to hyjack your thread, Your project and tank are awesome.)

sealed inside seams with fiberglass (although this was probably overkill) the inside and out were given several coats of marine grade epoxy.. i don't know about a new tank,, i've never bought one.. but this one cost me about $150
$50 for glass
$50 for paint
$50 for other materials

i have about 100# of live rock but only about 20# in the display. the rest is in my 40 gal deep sand bed refugium with a bunch of live rock rubble in the sump.. since the foam is a closed cell foam it hold zero biological filtration capability..
easiest way to keep from floating is to build small pvc frame and silicone it to the bottom, or you can take an ordinary brick and enclose it in your structure and that should give enough weight to keep it on bottom

That setup is TOOOO SWEEET!

Does the foam need anytime to cure? After everything dries, can the setup be used right away or does it require many rinse-ings? I only ask because I remeber when DIY concrete rocks was the thing for awhile but it required a long curing process and washing process.

Thanks

no curing