3M Spray Adhesive

The 3M stuff is quite noxious, I'd be careful with that.

Silicon method isnt bad if you wear gloves and use a thick layer of silicon.

Yes. I tried the 3M spray a few times back in 2006. It works but not that well. You get lots of bare spots and it doesn't stick as well as the silicone does.

Other options include epoxy.

Unfortunately silicone is still the easiest method in terms of material accessibility and knowledge required for use, but it does have multiple drawbacks. I'm thinking about working on designing a paintable silicone that will make it easier to apply via a paintbrush, but I'm still on the fence.

I always wondered about sprinkling peat onto the great stuff while it was still sticky. Any one tried that?

A while back a few people talked about applying the coco fiber directly to the foam prior to curing, don't remember how it turned out though.

I once tried the peat directly on foam method. The peat stuck for a while, but by the time the tank was 6 months old, it was pretty much bare foam. luckily it was also quickly covered in plants, so was not very noticable.

The foam isnt a great adhesive while it cures. The reason why silicone has been the most common method is because its the easiest to do for a quality job.