FoamBack Project 101

rebelprettyboy

rebelprettyboy

Active Member
That ric is freakin sweet. Looks likes it about to be 3 very soon lol.
and the aquascape in the 40s look nice. I cant wait til mine is finally set up. Still debating if I wanna try this foamback or not. I know mine will be ugly
 
maxalmon

maxalmon

Active Member
Try doing a 20g tank and do a practise tank....If it doesn't look good, all you do is peel the foam away from the LR and start over....It's much easier to do than it looks... I just finished doing my nano, I'll post pics of this project a little later.
 
cedarreef

cedarreef

Member
wow, that's amazingly beautifull!!! Love the light, too... have the same one for my 46 gal, but i think mine is bigger
 
maxalmon

maxalmon

Active Member
Here's another little project, Biocube......

It's easier to lay the tank on it's back when making the gridwork design and when applying foam


Once I had the back cut to size, I added 3 shelves, later on I'll attach live rock to these areas

Once you have the shelves cut to size, it's easier to apply a tiny spot of foam to keep them inplace
 
maxalmon

maxalmon

Active Member
Chunks of LR to use on the design

Because this is a smaller project, I did about 1/4 of the back at a time, apply foam, then dust with sand, then lay the LR where you want.

I had a layer of plastic on the counter so that it was easy to move the project while working.

And the final results!...I'll set this tank up tomorrow and post more detailed pics
 
maxalmon

maxalmon

Active Member
2 photos above, you can see how the foam continues to expand, just give it a day or so.
I usually let these projects cure for about a week, I've found that even after a few days you will sometimes have a small bubble of foam appear from no where. Plus it's easier to sculpt the foam when it's totally cured. Beware...This foam is sticky!!!!
This project used about 1/4 of a can of foam.
 
mch2o

mch2o

Member
dude I haven't seen your thread for a minute but that looks great man.
When I get my 55 g up for a frag tank that is what i will be doing. Very nice. Couldn't of planed it or show it to us reefs better man
.
Thank You.
 
grubsnaek

grubsnaek

Active Member
thats one of those things wit this hobby, when you find something you like, it carries over to other parts of the hobby. the nano is gonna look crazy.
but as far as the 40 goes. with it not having a sand bed, will the fuge be enough....
 
maxalmon

maxalmon

Active Member
I think it'll be ok, I'm considering dividing the 80g fuge into compartments and putting in a 30" section with a sandbed, this should help buffer the pH..I'll still have 150lb or so of LR scattered between the 3 tanks.... With this setup I have 180g of available volume, but will probably use something like 120g as the fuge water level will be much lower.
The other 40g I may divide into 2 sections with a foam divider and make 2 dedicated species tanks. I'm leaning towards a seahorse tank and a Mantis tank. Like I mentioned earlier, I'm going thru another "Change" and leaning towards smaller tanks and more of them, but the problem with a bunch of smallers tanks are water changes and water quality due to lower volume, I figure with all these tanks and the fuge centrally plumbed, I'll be able to enjoy the tanks without all the trouble.
 
maxalmon

maxalmon

Active Member
This little guy is kinda shy, but lovin all the places to zoom in and out of...
Odd coloration, he's almost a pale yellow and brown.
Snake Blenny, I think
 
A

alexa11

Guest
Wow, i just read through your thread, really neet! It looks great!
 
maxalmon

maxalmon

Active Member
Originally Posted by Grue
http:///forum/post/2800660
WHy do you dust with sand before applying LR?
Grue
The foam has a very smooth and shiny surface, dusting with the sand gives the surface texture and makes it more realistic looking, also gives it more natural coloration as well.
 
kevin34

kevin34

Active Member
engineer gobies are so sweet
and in that tank you dont have to worry about it knocking anything over. Looks awesome
 
grubsnaek

grubsnaek

Active Member
it is an engineer goby, i have two of them. they like to dig threw sand. something different for him now. hahaha
 
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