Best type of flevopol substitute

[Rain_Frog]

In your opinion, what do you guys think is the best type of flevopol substitute? Anybody experiment with both?

[defaced]

I've used Ace and DAP. DAP is worthless, Ace is great. I've been meaning to try out Quickrete but haven't had the time.

[Rain_Frog]

woah, kinda disappointing so far with the poll. I thought perhaps since Flevopol is the big hit right now with making backgrounds, more people would at least tell what they use...even if they don't have an opinion which is "the best."

[defaced]

I wouldn't say it's a big hit. I still see probably 10 people make silicone/dirt mix backgrounds to every one person making a binder based background.

[sbreland]

Unfortunately it really depends what you are trying to do with it as to which one is better. I just finished applying my felvopolish background and it is still drying, or I would post a pic. I used lots of tree fern fiber, a little bit of jungle mix (cocofiber with bark bits also) and mixed in the Ace binder first. The Ace is really thick like Elmers glue, so naturally it didn't really distibute throughout the mix very well, so I added about a half bottle of the Quickrete instead of water and it made kind of a slurry. After the Quickrete it was a little thin, so I added a little more of the Ace til I got kind of a loose pasty mix. This was pliable enough to work with but also kinda meshed together and held it's form enough to mold. I was kind worried it wasn't going to set up right but as the first bits dried it becae rock hard but stable and there was no more concerns that it was going to peel off the back. I guess to completely answer your question, if you need something that you need to paint on and then lay material in to have it stick, go with the Ace. The Quickrete is too thin and will not hold worth a crap, but when you add it to a mix to give it strnegth it works like a charm. I think the Ace would work the same way but you would just have to thin it down to get it to mix well. PM me if you have any more ?

[Thinair]

I've only used the Ace concrete primer a few times. I blended it with cocopeat, and regular peat with a few stray bits of tree fern fiber. It was tricky to get a workable mix that wasn't too wet... I used dry, unexpanded cococoir, and it made the background able to absorb water and hold moisture for longer once it dried. A few small fans blowing on the tank for five days helped a bit...

After almost two years of plant growth, the background isn't even visible anymore. And to think of all that patching and re-patching...

I thought using the 'flevopol method' would make my vivs cool and Euro. It didn't seem to matter in the end, so it's back to painting with silicone...

--Carlos

[Dancing frogs]

I've only used ACE, and Weldbond.

It seems like the Weldbond took much longer to dry, and costs more besides, so I definatly like the ACE better.

[hoyta]

I used Dap, and its F%^$&&* worthless, and used the quickrete, and had good results. The only thing is that the quickrete is less bang for the buck- The Ace was cheaper, and you got alot more. I'd go with Ace

[sbreland]

I wouldn't say you get more, it's just that you don't thin the Quickrete stuff. If you thin out the ACE you do end up with more, but it just depends on your application as to whether you will thin it or not and ewventually end up with more.

[Rain_Frog]

Very interesting, these are the kind of answers I was looking for.

I have significant doubts that the "falling apart" has anything to do with the concrete binder "rehydrating." I think its more likely the cocopeat expanding. Anybody try a relatively inert mix like sand? Besides, it was designed to be added to concrete.