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"Great Stuff" question(s)...

5K views 9 replies 6 participants last post by  brooksie321 
#1 ·
For those who have built a background/w this...will it allow you to layer it after it dries ?
Mostly about will it stick to the bottom layer or not ?
I want to build a background, but have a built in part that I think needs to be made in two parts. One layer at first and then work on that part. And after it is complete then add more on top of that. But it needs to stick to the bottom layer.
Next of course is the question of does it stick to the glass or does it need to be "glued" in some way so it don't just float up out of the water. What holds it in place in the tank ?
 
#2 ·
Yes you can. It will stick to itself.

If you've never used it before, use it on a small area first before going crazy with it. It expands more than you would expect.

When you layer it, be sure to let it fully dry (8 hours) before another coat. If you don't, than the bottom coat will keep expanding after you've put on a coat above it and it will probably have undesirable results.

The stuff really cool, but also really messy to work with. Wear latex or rubber gloves and shirt/pants that you wont mind throwing away afterwards. If you get it on your skin wash it off right away before it starts to dry.
 
#4 ·
A good idea could be to use slate tiles to attach is to your aquarium. Build the foam background on the slate tiles (you can get 12"x12" slate tiles at home depot for less than $2/each), and then silicone the foam/slate assembly onto your aquarium. The slate will also help weigh it down so it isn't as buoyant.

I've never tested if Great Stuff sticks to slate, but I imagine it would. Probably good to test it first. It will need to stick well. Foam backgrounds are very buoyant, and need to be fastened really securely to the aquarium or they will come loose and float.
 
#5 ·
Because a couple of you have said it doesn't stick to glass I have a solution to that one. I'll find at least four non-toxic items which silicone will stick to well and glue them to the four corners of the tank wall. It's an end glass so should be easy to find something like that.
Fairly small aria of 10"x 12". It needs to be shaped like a mushroom so
the great stuff can wrap around it. Since it will be covered/w the great stuff it can have a big blob of silicone on it.
Just trying to work out a few details before doing anything.
 
#6 ·
I highly recommend embedded weight in the foam. Even silicone has a bad habit of coming loose at some point. It may stay for months and then when something like a small bump moves it, it can come shooting to the top. Kind of acts like a submarine broaching?
When it shoots up it can break glass tops or lights that are a mess to pick out of the substrate.
African cichlid folks deal with this a lot. Might advise doing some reading about the hazard first?
 
#8 ·
Not sure about how it adheres under water but I have it in my dart frog vivariums I always spray it in give it 24 hours to dry and go from there I've never had it come loose and my enclosures are all about 75-80 at 90% humidity with plants and things growing from it. IMO 8 hours isn't enough time because most of the time the outside is hard but the stuff against the glass is still curing and expanding and may shift if there's to much weight
 
#9 ·
Thanks Noble. I intend to put down a layer and let that dry at least a day
before adding to it. Think I'll need three or four layers at least as I need to carve into it after two layers to make a space for the filter pick up and then cover it. I'll not take up a paragraph to explain it but the end
result is supposed to be a home made HOB filter with slow water flow.
Also it is intended to look like a rock outcropping...wish me luck.
 
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