DIY foam rock wall

[bmoore92]

Anyone have pictures of their diy rock walls? I'm looking to build one for a 36" 65 gallon tank and trying to get an idea on costs and tips for building it. I would love to see some pictures and some prices.

Thanks

 

[TheChef]

depending on how much depth you want for the wall, each can of foam can cover about 2x2 feet in a couple inches of expanded foam (just put a single layer, real thin). Each container of pond&stone knockoff foam was about $11, but if you get the great stuff brand it should still be less than $20 a can. If you lived in miami I would say just swing by and grab a bunch of portland cement from me, but its only $10 per 100lb bag

i used eggcrate and zip ties to create a back shelf on my tank, and covered the back of the eggcrate w/ blue painters tape to prevent the foam from expanding back past the eggcrate

I used a 2:1 mixture of coarse aragonite sand to cement, but you can probably get away with more sand if you want more texture or dont have many complex shapes in your background. It turned out well, but I am excited for it to get covered in coraline and other stuff

I let it sit in a big bin of water after letting it harden a bit, and did a complete water change every 3-5days; I didnt use a powerhead or anything like that, just still water. After a few weeks the pH stabilized and I coated the back in silicone and pressed it into place

 

[bmoore92]

That looks great in your tank! I'm looking to do a full cover on the back glass and keep a minimalist aquascape up front. Would you recommend the arogonite/concrete mix over using live rock rubble? I feel like the rock rubble might add some more realism. Thanks for the pictures and Id love your input.

Britt

 

[TheChef]

if youre going to use cement at all, its best to use aragonite in the mix, as pure portland cement dries with a really unnaturally smooth surface.

if you dont want to use cement and just go w/ rubble that will work just as well, you'll just have to use some epoxy and sand or something similar to fill in the gaps between the rubble and the exposed foam

 

[bmoore92]

I've only done research on the live rock rubble but I like the idea of more custom shapes with the concrete/arogonite mixture. Thanks for the help and the pics. Hopefully we can get a few more pictures of some setups

 

[birdsnest]

I did the same with the pond foam and egg crate. Zip tied a few skeletons on the frame, coated the whole thing in surfboard epoxy and sprinkled over some aragonite and beachsand with still tacky. After coralline covered it all you could not tell it was a fake rock.

 

[bmoore92]

I did the same with the pond foam and egg crate. Zip tied a few skeletons on the frame, coated the whole thing in surfboard epoxy and sprinkled over some aragonite and beachsand with still tacky. After coralline covered it all you could not tell it was a fake rock.

So you used the aragonite/cement combo as well?

 

[birdsnest]

No, I did not use any cement at all. Just sprinkled some aragonite and sand over the wet epoxy to give it texture. By not using cement and having the whole thing covered in epoxy I did not have to cure it in water.

 

[ebushrow]

depending on how much depth you want for the wall, each can of foam can cover about 2x2 feet in a couple inches of expanded foam (just put a single layer, real thin). Each container of pond&stone knockoff foam was about $11, but if you get the great stuff brand it should still be less than $20 a can. If you lived in miami I would say just swing by and grab a bunch of portland cement from me, but its only $10 per 100lb bag

i used eggcrate and zip ties to create a back shelf on my tank, and covered the back of the eggcrate w/ blue painters tape to prevent the foam from expanding back past the eggcrate

I used a 2:1 mixture of coarse aragonite sand to cement, but you can probably get away with more sand if you want more texture or dont have many complex shapes in your background. It turned out well, but I am excited for it to get covered in coraline and other stuff

I let it sit in a big bin of water after letting it harden a bit, and did a complete water change every 3-5days; I didnt use a powerhead or anything like that, just still water. After a few weeks the pH stabilized and I coated the back in silicone and pressed it into place

This is a great idea for an already established tank! Awesome! I think it would be great using pond foam and some larger pieces of live rock at the bottom to hold it down.

 

[Gopi]

Does the foam expand unevenly like that or do you have to shape it? I'd love to try this out!

 

[TheChef]

^ foam expands predictably, but the nozzle is pressure sensitive and the more you squeeze it the thicker the bead of foam. It also dries relatively quickly, so you could layer fairly effectively.

Its pretty easy to create the eggcrate skeleton so in theory there are limitless shapes you can create with this method (think overhangs, needle holes, stalactites/mites, etc)

 

[TheChef]

No, I did not use any cement at all. Just sprinkled some aragonite and sand over the wet epoxy to give it texture. By not using cement and having the whole thing covered in epoxy I did not have to cure it in water.

love how nicely it got covered in coraline btw, did you seed the tank? and how long did it take for good coverage?

 

[bmoore92]

No, I did not use any cement at all. Just sprinkled some aragonite and sand over the wet epoxy to give it texture. By not using cement and having the whole thing covered in epoxy I did not have to cure it in water.

Yeah I'd rather not have to cure because it will be going into an existing setup. How well does coralline cover the epoxy/sand?

 

[birdsnest]

It only took a few months before coralline had covered the rock wall and you could not tell what was real or fake.

 

[bmoore92]

Thanks for the responses so far everyone! It all looks great! I was planning to go with a basic wall just to give the back glass more character but now I'm intrigued with the possibilities of some more exotic designs. Keep the pictures coming! Great thread.

 

[914joe]

here's a good old thread:

https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/do...orial-info-thread-rocks-walls-floors-etc.html

 

[Mlamp89]

I am about to do a full foam Rock wall for my new 150. Basically going to take egg crate and place pieces of used live Rock along with plumbing on the eggcrate and then foam all around, sprinkle salt crystals onto the foam for texture. After it dries, I'll coat it in resin and sprinkle sand around. My question for everyone is this. What resin should I use? And should I bleach the live Rock first?

Thanks