Questioning a Foam Reef Background

[HeavyHittah]

Im thinking about doing this type of background for a 75, you know something a little different then just painting the back. but i have a couple of questions....

1) The foam known as "Great Stuff", what color does it cure?

2) Can you apply anything to it thats reef safe in order to change the color? like grey spray paint, brown spray paint??

3) Will coralline attach to it?? if not, will adding more sand and rock to it allow for the corraline to attch to it??

4) does anyone have some pictures of some foam reef backgrounds and/ or build threads, that'll show me ideas how to do mine??

Thanks in advance

 

[ccCapt]

1- If you buy the white, it dries white, If you get the black, it dries black.

2- I've seen poeple sprinkle sand over it while still wet.

3- Yes

4- Here a thread from RC with a few pics.

 

[Bifferwine]

My LFS will foam people's tanks for them. It doesn't take long for the foam to become covered in coralline and it looks just like real rocks. The only drawback is that it takes up space in your tank that would otherwise be holding more water.

 

[fatman]

It is plain old polyurethane foam insulation, given a different name. It contains: modified polymeric MDI, diphenylmethadisocyanate, tris (2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate, dimethylether and hydrocarbon propellant mixture. Gives off harmful vapor of solvents and isocyanates (potential human carcinogen). You want to put this stuff where? Inside your tank! It is very fragile and they put it outside human comsumption water tanks, not inside where it would be protected from physical damage. Does this tell you anything. They put it outside, not inside. :twocents:

 

[messiah023]

Here's a thread with a nano (tons of pics). It looks like their's dried white, then over time it turned a bit brown/orange.

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=69501

 

[HeavyHittah]

fatman- i have seen alot of people using foam on the inside of their tanks as background, including some tanks of the month on RC. I dont see why it would be harmful if people are sucessfully using it in their systems.

 

[IraqVeteran]

1- If you buy the white, it dries white, If you get the black, it dries black.

2- I've seen poeple sprinkle sand over it while still wet.

3- Yes

4- Here a thread from RC with a few pics.

That was an interesting thread that you found.

 

[fatman]

People have done a lot of things over the years and then later gone gee that was so obviously wrong why did we all do it. For an example, Benzene used to be the most common solvent used in the food industry for extractions of flavorings and such. It removed the caffeine from coffee for a decade or more. Then they decided it might be and then proved it was highly carcinogenic. There were several chemicals given pregnant women for years for morning sickness until after over a decade of children being born with no arms, just little hand at their arm pits, or fused fingers (flippers) were found out to be the result of these medications. There are plenty of natural cheap sources of carbonate rocks for aquascaping reef tanks, why would anyone want to use a building product made from dangerous chemicals in there reef. Try limestone or Rock from here http://www.mariculturetechnology.com/Rock.htm it is cheap. Besides the foam looks gross, takes up space and does not serve as a good receptor for bacteriological filtration or the bacteria which provide the nitrification. It is a lot like a castle or mermaid statue in a reef tank. I suggest you use something that belongs there, as it will perform and look much more natural and very, very, likely safer.

 

[HeavyHittah]

totally understand you fatman. . .cool beans