Foamback reef tank

Discussion in 'I made this!' started by maxalmon, Jan 15, 2009.

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  1. maxalmon

    maxalmon Flamingo Tongue

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    Sorry, guys. I got sidetracked with a waterchange. I have a complete series of photos along with all the details you will need to start this type of project. I'll try and upload the pics a little later
     
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  3. maxalmon

    maxalmon Flamingo Tongue

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    first thing to do was cut the gridwork for the bottom of the tank, I'm leaving 3/4" of empty space around the front and sides to allow for foam expansion.
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    Next thing to do was design the gridwork for the back wall, one of the interesting things I found was that it's easier to lean the gridwork up against the tank, then use a marker to create the desing to cut out and you totally eliminate having to measure to see if it fits. In this first image you can kinda see the dark outline of what I plan to cutou, this first piece will also house the overflow box and a hidden powerhead. The reason for the "V" shape on the background is that I need an unobstructed black area for the "stage" when I'm photographing corals

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  4. BluePhish

    BluePhish Teardrop Maxima Clam

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    looks good so far!
     
  5. maxalmon

    maxalmon Flamingo Tongue

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    I've found that tin snips are one of the easiest ways to cut gridwork, trick is to lay it flat on a surface and then just clipping, took me about 45 seconds to cut out the above piece

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  6. maxalmon

    maxalmon Flamingo Tongue

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    There is a considerable amount of prepwork before you start a project like this, key is to "think things thru" I've seen a bunch of people just grab a can of foam and start spraying. I have to build all the supports for the live rock and mechanical items.


    I decided to cover the overflow box with saran wrap just in case there were any problems, that way I can remove or make changes without tearing the whole thing apart. All you do is wrap it like a gift
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    Using one of my other tanks that has an overflow, I determined that the overflow top needed to be 3/4 of an inch from the top of the aquarium, just for support and to make things easier in the desing of the other projects on this wall, I created a stand for the overflow to sit on, this is not neccessary, but will make it easier for me to work on the other project.
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    overflow sits on this stand
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  7. maxalmon

    maxalmon Flamingo Tongue

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    A few people have mentioned that the UV from the lights will cause the foam to breakdown, but I plan on using a marine expoxy on top of all the exposed foam areas that is supposed to inhibit the UV and stop the foam from breaking down. This tank all the foam will be permanent, On my 215 I plan on making the panels removable.
     
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  9. maxalmon

    maxalmon Flamingo Tongue

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    Next project. Here is the hidden maxijet 1200 that will sit on the bottom of the tank, kinda on the left hand side. I'm designing it so that it sits flat on the bottom and blows water across the entire bottom of the tank and will push all the detritus to the right side, up the side wall and hopefully into the overflow. (this may be hard for me to explain, so wait for the finished image so that you get the idea)

    Pretty simple, just design a box to cover the MJ. then cover it with foam and use a bread knife to remove excess foam. The cord will be hidden by another idea I have as well, this will be about 4 projects away
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    This entire unit will fit against the back wall and will be covered with foam and then I have a really cool piece of LR that will sit ontop of this shelf and a few other pieces that will fit in front and around the sides, this is also the flat area that I need for the photography stage, you can also see that the back part of the tank that doesn't have foam is directly above this area
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  10. maxalmon

    maxalmon Flamingo Tongue

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    The idea is to blow the water across the back of the tank, along the floor and then up the righthand side....If it doesn't work, then the fishies have cool places to hide.
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    Kinda forgot to take pictures of the contraption under the overflow, the idea was to hide the overflow box and create a cave for the fish to hide/play in. The entire structure will be covered in foam but will be hollow inside
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  11. maxalmon

    maxalmon Flamingo Tongue

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    Getting ready to start applying the actual foam

    I'm using Beckett Waterfall sealant, that can be found in the garden section of just about any HomeDepot. This particular product seems to be mentioned by more reefers who have done a foam back than any other foam product. expansion is about 1 to 3. Very tacky product and they are not kidding when they say to "use Gloves" this stuff will not come off your skin.
    I have 4 cans of this product

    So far, project list and cost is fairly minor,
    1.5 sheets of Gridwork $9.00
    4 cans of foam $52.00
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  12. APC

    APC Gigas Clam

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    Cool. Cant wait to see this done. Neat idea.