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View Full Version : Reasons Against foam Rock Wall?


HeadleesSon
02/27/2015, 07:44 PM
I am thinking about building a foam/rock background.

Any one think there are good reasons not to go that way?

Puffyluv
02/28/2015, 05:31 AM
If you break the seal put over the top of the foam, it will poison the tank...

dkeller_nc
02/28/2015, 06:16 AM
No, properly cured foam (or glue) won't poison a tank. That said, you do need to make absolutely sure that it's fully, completely cured, so I'd wait at least a week at normal room temperatures (curing in air) to make certain before I put it into a tank.

There are, however, a couple of aesthetic downsides to these types of constructions. The first one, IMO, is that it destroys the illusion of depth in a tank. A good way to visualize this is to take a look at AGA winners from the freshwater world here (http://showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/2014/) (click on the "view entries" - I suggest starting with the 200L - 320L category). You'll notice that most of the contest participants are all very careful to leave an open space in the aquascape, and this is illuminated for the photo to give the impression of sky or open water.

Similarly, an open tank background (blue, black or just clear glass) gives the viewer the illusion of the reef continuing on in the background in a marine tank. This is one reason the "fruit stand" look of days past in reef tank aquascaping has fallen out of favor - filling the back of the tank with live rock certainly allows maximum structure for coral placement, but can lead to a claustrophobic look.

The second aesthetic reason has a more practical maintenance aspect. Any surface in a reef tank will grow algae. Depending on conditions in the tank, that might be green/brown/red "pest" type algae, or it might be coralline, or a mixture of both. If it's growing on the back tank wall, all one needs to do is scrape it off with a razor blade to restore the original appearance. With a foam/rock/gravel background, the only way to restore the original appearance is to remove it from the tank and soak it in vinegar (to remove coralline) and bleach (to remove green/brown/red algae).

kmbyrnes
02/28/2015, 06:33 AM
That link has some amazing tanks!

Puffyluv
02/28/2015, 06:47 AM
Wow, I didn't know you could cure it in such a way it would be okay if the seal broke...I must be a decade or more out of date on this!!!

Does anyone have any links they approve of for this process? The correct materials to use, so on?

Great thread! :)

dkeller_nc
02/28/2015, 06:50 AM
That link has some amazing tanks!

Yes indeed. Enough to make me reconsider the decision to give up the freshwater side of the hobby a few years back. The interesting thing about the "aquatic garden" branch of aquarium keeping is that the equipment can be just as expensive and the water chemistry management just as complex as reefkeeping. Many, if not most, of the tanks pictured in the AGA contest winners run intense metal halide lighting, CO2 injection managed by pH controllers, and automated dosing systems for plant fertilizers and trace elements.

This (http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2009/9/freshwater) article gives a nice overview of the different types of planted freshwater tanks, and here's (http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/2014/1/aquarium) a really incredible aquarium that was converted from a reef to a planted tank.

Puffyluv
02/28/2015, 07:06 AM
Hey, dkellernc! :) I know you, I think! :) Fancy meeting you here! Pretty cool, come to a national forum and learn something from a hobbyist in your own state! Yay, internet! :)

dkeller_nc
02/28/2015, 07:16 AM
Well, if you frequent a certain LFS in clayton, we might've met in person. ;)

julie180
02/28/2015, 09:43 AM
I did a rock/foam wall on my 220 recently and I am ecstatic with it. One issue I encountered is inverts, starfish and snails climb up the back and have found themselves outside of the tank. I solved the problem with screen tops.

Make sure you leave plenty of room below your overflow. Mine was so close that when my starfish and cucumber would sit there, they were blocking the overflow. I just cut the eggcrate down a little bit and solved the problem.

ca1ore
02/28/2015, 09:54 AM
Yes indeed. Enough to make me reconsider the decision to give up the freshwater side of the hobby a few years back. The interesting thing about the "aquatic garden" branch of aquarium keeping is that the equipment can be just as expensive and the water chemistry management just as complex as reefkeeping. Many, if not most, of the tanks pictured in the AGA contest winners run intense metal halide lighting, CO2 injection managed by pH controllers, and automated dosing systems for plant fertilizers and trace elements.

This (http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2009/9/freshwater) article gives a nice overview of the different types of planted freshwater tanks, and here's (http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/2014/1/aquarium) a really incredible aquarium that was converted from a reef to a planted tank.

Yes indeed! I 'cut my teeth' on freshwater planted tanks (early user of all the Dupla equipment) and I'd suggest that a really top notch planted tank is every bit as challenging and equipment-intensive as a reef tank.

Don't like fake rock foam walls myself; I suppose using something to cover overflow walls has some utility (though I just used flat rocks), but I much prefer a clean back with a navy blue background.

CStrickland
02/28/2015, 12:22 PM
I made some foam stuff for my tanka month ago, and did a bit of reading beforehand. I'm sorry i didn't keep the links, but I sort of remember a few things that might help you decide.

Curing is important, but it isn't the end of the story.
The foam, like many plastics, isnt stable when exposed to uv light. This is why there is a special kind for ponds, it is black and more expensive because it is meant for use outside in the sun with animals in the water. The regular great stuff is not, it is for inside walls, so it doesn't have the sunscreen treatment.

I used great stuff and covered it really well to keep the lights off it, I have since noticed that I did not do a perfect job, and you can see the foam in a couple spots :0 it's just a couple pieces, so I'm not too worried, but if I was going to do a big wall I would use the pond stuff.

I wouldn't worry much about the seal. On mine the foam made a smooth surface, but I trimmed a couple and it didn't fill up like a sponge and sink how I thought it would. I guess each little bubble is its own seal or something. Which is good because I think after a while the CuC would breach it in the course of their duties (I wouldn't put an urchin in there). You can scratch it with your fingernail and break the crust, I guess some bad gas could come out then but just a tiny little bit.

HeadleesSon
02/28/2015, 04:02 PM
So, I am thinking I may do this just to cover the overflows. that might create kind of a canyon feel as there are two corner overflows. It would leave the back of the tank open.

Corriebh
02/28/2015, 06:21 PM
We did this in our 40 g saltwater tank and we did like it but we learned that the foam we used (which was made for ponds) floated. So we sprayed it onto a screen and then put coral rubble and shells on it which was not heavy enough to hold the screen and foam down. When it floats it is a pain in the rear, so either anchor it down with something or keep in mind that some foams float.

whiteshark
02/28/2015, 06:28 PM
I have yet to see one in a reef tank that comes close to being as aesthetically pleasing as a solid black background. In fact, I've yet to see one that even looks nice. But that's personal preference I suppose.

prickles
02/28/2015, 07:56 PM
I really prefer the look of foam. you don't have to scrape the back, just let the coralline grow on it! I have two sides of my tank foamed with the black pond foam. This is my fourth tank that I have had foamed during my 8 years experience. I don't know of any issues that I have had.