156 Gallon Foam Rock Wall and In-Wall Build

giants4pc · 08/02/2010, 11:11 AM

I would like to document the progress of the this project. I really got the idea and motivation from Speckled Grouper. Her thread and help is really what I am going by. It will be slow moving to get the tank up and running in-wall, but I plan on constructing the foam rock wall in the coming weeks. This will be an upgrade from my current 90 gallon in-wall. Here are some preliminary photos:

156 Gallon 60 x 24 x 25 Oceanic. It is used with a nice dark blue background. I plan on using 2-3 Vortechs so I will leave the cutouts for those. Even if I don't use three, I think it will be pretty cool to see the dark background.

I have all the material on order. I will first begin by framing out the eggcrate. My intention is to use two pieces for the back and two pieces each for each overflow.

giants4pc · 08/02/2010, 09:06 PM

Started making the rock part of the wall this evening. I have some rock on order so I don't want to do too much until I see what I have to work with. The basic shape of it with eggcrate is done as well as some of the rock mounting.

Obviously there is still a great deal of rock to add before foaming.

giants4pc · 08/05/2010, 07:27 PM

I got 40 lbs of Marco rock in today. So, the zip tie part of the project is nearly complete. I still have more rubble that I plan to just lay down when I am ready to foam. Here are some shots of how the rock looks tied to the eggcrate.

I should be getting the foam tomorrow. Next step is to lay the structures down and start foaming. This will secure the crate and give it that stability. I can then mold the foam to my liking.

ddeneve · 08/05/2010, 10:59 PM

You should see how much water the foam wall displaces, just because I'm curious.

wtildens · 08/06/2010, 05:03 AM

Nice tank, I'll be following along.

giants4pc · 08/06/2010, 06:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ddeneve

You should see how much water the foam wall displaces, just because I'm curious.

I'm not happy about that. I was hoping to go bigger than 156 just for that reason, but ultimately, the fish room behind it is only going to be 4 feet wide so I had to live with it. 4 feet in width is better than no fish room at all. I don't have a lot of rock in my current 90 so I am hoping that by using this on the back and taking only what I have now, it will still leave plenty of room for swimming space and coral growth.

EnderG60 · 08/06/2010, 06:33 AM

PUT MORE ROCKS ON! it will float like it is now trust me!

giants4pc · 08/06/2010, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EnderG60

PUT MORE ROCKS ON! it will float like it is now trust me!

Did you silicone it to the back glass though? By my observations, according to the original thread that I followed, I have just as much, if not more, than Speckled Grouper. I am in no rush at all, so I think using a great deal of silicone on the back and letting it dry properly will be sufficient to keep it down.

giants4pc · 08/07/2010, 05:21 PM

I started foaming today. I used four cans - one for each piece. Since I ordered five, I should be good once they are fitted into place. The last can can be used to close the seams and touch up any area I missed. You definitely need to wait a good 30 minutes for the foam to become tacky - otherwise, it just creates a mess. I will wait a good 24 hours now, fit them into place in the tank, cut the excess, wait another day or two, then start the epoxy step.

giants4pc · 08/09/2010, 08:04 PM

Structures cut to tank layout. Overflow structures had to be cut in half. I really want to silicone all pieces to the back, so that is why I am doing this now. Next, epoxy and apply substrate to remove the eye sore that is the stark black of the foam. I am liking it very much so far - pictures don't do it justice.

Once it has all been siliconed, I will touch up the foam with the corners and so on...

customcolor · 08/10/2010, 01:12 AM

the white rocks will get darker and the pond foam will get grayer...all in all...in 6-9 months you wont be able to sell the difference by color alone

giants4pc · 08/11/2010, 08:39 PM

Epoxied and added the substrate earlier this evening. Here are some pics:

Now I need to let them dry. I didn't go through nearly as much substrate as I thought. This is fine though - I will keep it for the bottom once I get the tank up and running. Next, after they dry is to epoxy the backside just to be sure. Then, fit them into the tank, silicone them in place, foam the crevices and joints, epoxy any foam, and apply the rest of the substrate. It is a fun project that is looking very good.

Gillundr · 08/12/2010, 10:07 PM

NICE WORK! I'm just curious, did you make any caves through the foam? I always wondered about doing a foam wall build and thought it would be cool to put in some rubber hose or pvc and zip tie that in then foam around it to make caves and stuff. With a rubber hose you could make it turn a corner and use a Y in there to branch off or something. I'm not sure how well it would work but always wanted to try it out.
Great Job, I can't wait to see the end results! Makes me want to try it.

giants4pc · 08/15/2010, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gillundr

NICE WORK! I'm just curious, did you make any caves through the foam? I always wondered about doing a foam wall build and thought it would be cool to put in some rubber hose or pvc and zip tie that in then foam around it to make caves and stuff. With a rubber hose you could make it turn a corner and use a Y in there to branch off or something. I'm not sure how well it would work but always wanted to try it out.
Great Job, I can't wait to see the end results! Makes me want to try it.

I thought about making caves with plastic bottles and/or pvc couplings and stuff like that, but ultimately I did not. I stuck with just the rock and foam. I did make several ledges, but nothing in the sense of distinct openings. I have enough rock from my current 90 to make it look deeper than it actually is, and that is what I wanted from the start. Here are some completed pics. They aren't the best quality, but I can say with certainty that I am very pleased. I now need to touch up some spots where the sand didn't stick well, but as is, it's about 95% done.

Left side:

Right side:

Center:

front view :

Angled front shot -disregard the two stand alone pieces in front:

As I mentioned in the first post, this will be an eventual in-wall build, but that is on hold for quite some time. I will take a long time to slowly cure this.

NanoReefWanabe · 08/15/2010, 09:31 PM

foam wall and dry rock need no "curing" so to speak...only cycling..

giants4pc · 08/16/2010, 10:49 AM

Yah, I just figured in the months that I am waiting for the house to be built, I might as well get some used saltwater in there from water changes and get some water flow. It can't hurt.

kayaking2 · 08/16/2010, 11:04 AM

I'm tagging along. I love watching DIY projects like this. The rock wall came out looking pretty good. Can't wait for you to get water in there with some fish and corals.

lusenut2 · 08/23/2010, 12:08 PM

Im tagging along for the build. I just started the foam wall for my 120 yesterday.

lusenut2 · 08/23/2010, 12:13 PM

What Exopy did you use?

marc111 · 08/23/2010, 07:42 PM

I would like to offer one suggestion; Try to break up the rectangular outlines a bit. Nature rarely has straight lines. A few rocks poking out and around vertical corners along with foam contours that round the corners can do wonders for making things look more natural.

Mark

lusenut2 · 09/13/2010, 10:04 AM

Any updates yet?

T Diddy · 09/13/2010, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lusenut2

Any updates yet?

what he said...I'm in the middle of my own buildthread now on reef discussion. Any updates or tips are appreciated.

giants4pc · 09/23/2010, 08:04 PM

I will post a pic soon. It's done and sitting in a basement ready to be put to good use.

~sp0ok~ · 09/24/2010, 01:39 AM

nice work..im doing my wall now....

[IMG]http://i52.*******.com/fdav5w.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i52.*******.com/10qwh8i.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i54.*******.com/250nfns.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i53.*******.com/2zxxe9d.jpg[/IMG]

sry just wanted to show you

lusenut2 · 02/23/2011, 12:24 PM

How is the tank doing?

08/02/2010, 11:11 AM	#1
giants4pc Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: connecticut Posts: 1,699	156 Gallon Foam Rock Wall and In-Wall Build I would like to document the progress of the this project. I really got the idea and motivation from Speckled Grouper. Her thread and help is really what I am going by. It will be slow moving to get the tank up and running in-wall, but I plan on constructing the foam rock wall in the coming weeks. This will be an upgrade from my current 90 gallon in-wall. Here are some preliminary photos: 156 Gallon 60 x 24 x 25 Oceanic. It is used with a nice dark blue background. I plan on using 2-3 Vortechs so I will leave the cutouts for those. Even if I don't use three, I think it will be pretty cool to see the dark background. I have all the material on order. I will first begin by framing out the eggcrate. My intention is to use two pieces for the back and two pieces each for each overflow.

08/06/2010, 05:03 AM	#5
wtildens Registered Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Maryland Posts: 74	Nice tank, I'll be following along. __________________ 40 breeder mixed reef, home made LED lighting. NEW! 180 Current Tank Info: 55G reef

08/10/2010, 01:12 AM	#11
customcolor Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: kaukauna, wi. Posts: 3,879	the white rocks will get darker and the pond foam will get grayer...all in all...in 6-9 months you wont be able to sell the difference by color alone __________________ PLEASE DONT USE GREAT STUFF (THE YELLOW STUFF) IN YOUR TANK........USE POND FOAM (THE BLACK STUFF).. I BEG YOU! Great stuff====$5 a can 24-48 hour cure Epoxy to cover it====little as $5 for small projects or up to $100+ for larger projects and another 24-48 hour cure I hope you covered it well cuz if you didnt it will start to break down in a few months sand is another added cost to cover up the yellow. Pond foams====$9-$15 a can 24-48 hour cure DONE! You can cover it with sand if you want to (YOU DONT HAVE TO) though but thats added cost again Current Tank Info: 75 gal under way

08/12/2010, 10:07 PM	#13
Gillundr Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Clinton Posts: 1,025	NICE WORK! I'm just curious, did you make any caves through the foam? I always wondered about doing a foam wall build and thought it would be cool to put in some rubber hose or pvc and zip tie that in then foam around it to make caves and stuff. With a rubber hose you could make it turn a corner and use a Y in there to branch off or something. I'm not sure how well it would work but always wanted to try it out. Great Job, I can't wait to see the end results! Makes me want to try it. __________________ RG 120 display -40 sump - ATB 840 skimmer - 2x250 MH, 2x54 Actinics, Ice Cap LED moon - Vortecs and Koralias for flow. SPS dominant. Current Tank Info: 120g tank 40g sump 2x250 watt MHs 2x54 watt actinics ATB 840 skimmer Vortecs and Koralias for flow

09/24/2010, 01:39 AM	#24
~sp0ok~ Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 503	nice work..im doing my wall now.... [IMG]http://i52.*****.com/fdav5w.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i52.***.com/10qwh8i.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i54.***.com/250nfns.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i53.*****.com/2zxxe9d.jpg[/IMG] sry just wanted to show you __________________ The great question... which I have not been able to answer... is, "What does a woman want? Current Tank Info: in the works

08/02/2010, 09:06 PM	#2
giants4pc Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: connecticut Posts: 1,699	Started making the rock part of the wall this evening. I have some rock on order so I don't want to do too much until I see what I have to work with. The basic shape of it with eggcrate is done as well as some of the rock mounting. Obviously there is still a great deal of rock to add before foaming.

08/05/2010, 07:27 PM	#3
giants4pc Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: connecticut Posts: 1,699	I got 40 lbs of Marco rock in today. So, the zip tie part of the project is nearly complete. I still have more rubble that I plan to just lay down when I am ready to foam. Here are some shots of how the rock looks tied to the eggcrate. I should be getting the foam tomorrow. Next step is to lay the structures down and start foaming. This will secure the crate and give it that stability. I can then mold the foam to my liking.

08/05/2010, 10:59 PM	#4
ddeneve Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Bergen Country, NJ Posts: 55	You should see how much water the foam wall displaces, just because I'm curious.

08/06/2010, 06:33 AM	#7
EnderG60 Plumbing Engineer Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Atlanta GA Posts: 3,260	PUT MORE ROCKS ON! it will float like it is now trust me!

08/07/2010, 05:21 PM	#9
giants4pc Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: connecticut Posts: 1,699	I started foaming today. I used four cans - one for each piece. Since I ordered five, I should be good once they are fitted into place. The last can can be used to close the seams and touch up any area I missed. You definitely need to wait a good 30 minutes for the foam to become tacky - otherwise, it just creates a mess. I will wait a good 24 hours now, fit them into place in the tank, cut the excess, wait another day or two, then start the epoxy step.

08/09/2010, 08:04 PM	#10
giants4pc Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: connecticut Posts: 1,699	Structures cut to tank layout. Overflow structures had to be cut in half. I really want to silicone all pieces to the back, so that is why I am doing this now. Next, epoxy and apply substrate to remove the eye sore that is the stark black of the foam. I am liking it very much so far - pictures don't do it justice. Once it has all been siliconed, I will touch up the foam with the corners and so on...

08/11/2010, 08:39 PM	#12
giants4pc Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: connecticut Posts: 1,699	Epoxied and added the substrate earlier this evening. Here are some pics: Now I need to let them dry. I didn't go through nearly as much substrate as I thought. This is fine though - I will keep it for the bottom once I get the tank up and running. Next, after they dry is to epoxy the backside just to be sure. Then, fit them into the tank, silicone them in place, foam the crevices and joints, epoxy any foam, and apply the rest of the substrate. It is a fun project that is looking very good.

08/15/2010, 09:31 PM	#15
NanoReefWanabe Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Barrie, Ontario, Canada Posts: 6,639	foam wall and dry rock need no "curing" so to speak...only cycling..

08/16/2010, 10:49 AM	#16
giants4pc Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: connecticut Posts: 1,699	Yah, I just figured in the months that I am waiting for the house to be built, I might as well get some used saltwater in there from water changes and get some water flow. It can't hurt.

08/16/2010, 11:04 AM	#17
kayaking2 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 174	I'm tagging along. I love watching DIY projects like this. The rock wall came out looking pretty good. Can't wait for you to get water in there with some fish and corals.

08/23/2010, 12:08 PM	#18
lusenut2 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Ocoee, Fl Posts: 1,580	Im tagging along for the build. I just started the foam wall for my 120 yesterday.

08/23/2010, 12:13 PM	#19
lusenut2 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Ocoee, Fl Posts: 1,580	What Exopy did you use?

08/23/2010, 07:42 PM	#20
marc111 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 198	I would like to offer one suggestion; Try to break up the rectangular outlines a bit. Nature rarely has straight lines. A few rocks poking out and around vertical corners along with foam contours that round the corners can do wonders for making things look more natural. Mark

09/13/2010, 10:04 AM	#21
lusenut2 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Ocoee, Fl Posts: 1,580	Any updates yet?

09/23/2010, 08:04 PM	#23
giants4pc Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: connecticut Posts: 1,699	I will post a pic soon. It's done and sitting in a basement ready to be put to good use.

02/23/2011, 12:24 PM	#25
lusenut2 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Ocoee, Fl Posts: 1,580	How is the tank doing?

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