[darts707]

hello, for a background would i need to add egg crate in the background for grip so the foam wont slide off later on? or is adding expanding foam directly to glass perfectly fine? this is going to be a heavily planted vivarium and just wanted to hear any opinions

 

[Bighurt]

Expanding foam will stick to glass.

The trick is to make the first layer as small a bead as possible. In my experience rows of 1/4" beads allows the best contact to glass. Often when you go full flow the expanding foam pulls away from the glass while curing.

You will always get some foam pulling away, but with a thin layer first it's easy to build on with subsequent layers.

I do the same thing when adding foam to silicone.

Additionally I would let the foam cure a full 24 hrs before carving or adding a second layer and make sure the glass is clean! I use some solvent before foaming to ensure there are no oils present.

 

[Mohlerbear]

I haven't used the egg crate onto glass then GS yet. You'll want to silicone wherever you apply GS on your glass. I've heard it'll eventually peel away if not.


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[Sammie]

What I do is I glue pieces of cork bark/driftwood to the back pane before applying the foam, that way the foam has more to grab on to.
I never bothered with covering the hole back with silicone but I'll put a few beads of silicone here and there for some extra grab.
So far I never had a background pull off.

 

[Aldross]

Eggcrate then foam is more for if you want a removable custom background. It gives you a solid back so you can make it outside the viv.
I do like Sammie, silicone some wood in place then place a few tracks of silicone then spray the foam on. Go slow and do it in several layers if you intend to carve it later.

 

[darts707]

Thank you everybody for the great answers! I will try the beads of silicone! And yes I'll be adding wood to wall as well, hopefully that gives a good grip and lasts longer

 

[darts707]

Btw ... Where can I huy cheap black silicone??? Is any cheap brand OK? Does it have to be waterproof? I went to an aquarium store and bought a 3 OZ black silicone for $12!!! That's barely going to fill up the corner!

 

[Encyclia]

I have had great luck with this stuff (brown and black) and it is free of organotins. Really easy to work with, too. Also, if you are trying to adhere wood to the back glass as some in this thread have suggested (and I agree), clear is just fine. GE Silicone I is safe. You won't see much of it, if any, if you are gluing to the back wall.


CRL 33S Bronze Silicone Sealant 33SBRZ | PKsupplies.com

CRL 33S Black Silicone Sealant 33SBL | PKsupplies.com


Mark

 

[darts707]

OK so first I glue with silicone any driftwood I would like right? Let it cure 24 hours and then next day I add beads of silicone around the back of the tank and then spray foam how I want it to be...let it dry... And then cover the whole foam background with black silicone and add cocofibers... Is this right? This is my first vivarium I'm making out of foam and silicone

 

[darts707]

And that cheap!! The silicone I bought was the size of my hand! I'll check Lowes or home depot and see if they have that... If not I'll order online

 

[gope]

I just bought GE silicone1, bronze and black, at my local TrueValue Hardware. You can order it online and ship to the store for free. Lowe's had it in clear only.

 

[Aldross]

And that cheap!! The silicone I bought was the size of my hand! I'll check Lowes or home depot and see if they have that... If not I'll order online

Both have it. Its a couple dollars more but no shipping.

 

[darts707]

Ok I'll post a new thread of my construction and how I'm building

 

[darts707]

So any silicone is fine right?

 

[Encyclia]

The True Value option is good. I have heard you can get brown and black Silicone I from them. Ace Hardware also has their own brand that I have used quite a bit, but it's not cheap ($7.50 or so a tube). Be careful with Lowe's and Home Depot for colored silicone. I have never seen black or brown Silicone I at either place but they both carry black and brown Silicone II. Silicone II has organotins in it so I would avoid those.

Mark

 

[darts707]

I'll visit ACE hardware store as well then! So their brand is fine then right? So anything containing organotins is a nono right?

 

[darts707]

Is this one good?
Says. Silicone II 10.1-oz. Black

 

[darts707]

And then there's this one(clear) that don't have black! GE Adhesives & Fillers All Purpose Silicone I

 

[Encyclia]

Silicone II has organotins. I won't use that for any of my tanks, but some other folks use it. There are other options than what is available at your local store. If it was me, I would slow my roll enough to order safe silicone online, if you can't find it locally. Here is another thread where Silicone II is discussed.

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/99418-black-brown-silicone.html

Mark

 

[darts707]

What do you guys think of using clear silicone for background? Like rubbing it all over and adding coco fibers? Or is black better?