[DragonSpirit1185]

I found this kind of GS at Walmart. $3.70 a can....well I picked it up and the tag in fron said $2 something but I look at my receipt and it was more.
Gotta watch out for Walmart people lol...
I've never seen the black can before.
Seems it would works better since it is for big gaps...
So would this fill in more and I would have to use less or does it just expand a lot more and will cause an issue?

Pic:

 

[Neontra]

I practiced with the black can 2 times in a 10 gallon. It expands way too much. Some people say they've even had cracked glass. It expands about 6-8 times it's original size IME.

 

[Mitch]

It expands WAY too much. WAAYYY to much!

 

[phender]

In addition to the black can (expands too much), there is a red can (dries hard) and a blue can (dries flexible). I find the flexible door and window sealer (the blue can) works best for me.

 

[Feelin Froggy]

Has anyone tried the pond GS? Not sure the color of the can... but I know the foam is black. If so where can you get it? Because Home Depot, Lowes and WalMart dont have it...

 

[ConFuCiuZ]

Has anyone tried the pond GS? Not sure the color of the can... but I know the foam is black. If so where can you get it? Because Home Depot, Lowes and WalMart dont have it...

I tried the tetra black foam that is safe for aquariums. They sell it at Blackjungle.

 

[phender]

Has anyone tried the pond GS? Not sure the color of the can... but I know the foam is black. If so where can you get it? Because Home Depot, Lowes and WalMart dont have it...

It is usually in the outdoor/pond/pool section at my Home Depot, not with the other Great Stuff. It is a lot more expensive (~3x I think). The black color is actually a minus for me. It makes it more difficult to tell whether or not I have covered it with silicone.

 

[CREEPlNG_DEATH]

I just bought the g/s big gap filler 20oz yesterday from lowes for $1.70 a can, couldn't pass it up im gonna use on my 55 gal project today, besides you can always remove what you don't need.

 

[DragonSpirit1185]

I just bought the g/s big gap filler 20oz yesterday from lowes for $1.70 a can, couldn't pass it up im gonna use on my 55 gal project today, besides you can always remove what you don't need.

Well what I'm ondering is if it will expand to the point of breaking the glass....or pulling itself off the back of the tank?

I just can't see myself buying the blue W&D GS.....that shizz os $5-$6 a can when there is cans for $3

 

[DragonSpirit1185]

A couple more questions guys...

How many of you have used silicone in between the glass and the GS?
Or even think it's neccesary?
I thought about using that stone type spray paint....although the GS might just pull that off lol.

How many cans does it usually take for a 10gallon vert?

 

[BonnieLorraine]

I put black silicone between the great stuff and the glass, I wanted a clean background and I've read it helps the great stuff stick to the glass. After I foamed to the sides, I just carved away the excess silicone with a razor blade. I used the waterfall great stuff, and I was able to do a 12"x18" background with one can.

 

[jibfest]

It expands WAY too much. WAAYYY to much!

Expands too much?? Stupid question but could you just not put so much in?? If anything you should get more for your money, I use Touchnfoam landscape. On sale often at about $4 per can. Its black which is WAY better no matter what anybody says lol, denser, and I've never had an issue with it pulling away from the glass.

Ryan

 

[DragonSpirit1185]

I haven't seen too many people at all have an issues with it pulling off. The ones that I have seen have this issue they spray it all on there instead of doing sections..

Jibfest I would love to know where you're getting TouchN'Foam black at.
I've only seen Kmart have TouchN'Foam
All the black GS here is like $14 a can

 

[ghutch0203]

I use gs big gap filler and gs pond on all my tanks and have never had one crack or fill more then I wanted. Whatever you dont want can be carved out! I would assume one can would work for a 10 but dont take my word. Ive never done a viv that small. All mine are 20 plus.

 

[jibfest]

Well I buy it from Rona here in Canada, but it looks like you can get it from a bunch of places in the US,
Touch 'n Foam - Spray Foam Insulating Sealants
its reg about $9 per can here but reg goes on sale for about $4. Usually anything we have in Canada you can get in the US for about 1/3 the price or less

 

[Neontra]

For a 10 vert, 1 12 oz can. I have learned something though. Don't waste your time siliconing the glass first. Please. The *only* reason great stuff foam comes off and shrinks is because of pressure buildup and release. I recommend to everyone to poke a few holes with an old chopstick or meat skewer after it's formed a decent crust, to release the pressure while it's expanding so it won't shrink off the glass.

 

[fieldnstream]

The first GS background I did was on a 55. I put down a good layer of silicone first. After about a year I decided I wanted to remove it, it was bonded so well it wouldn't budge. It took hours of cutting out piece by piece then scraping with a razor blade. So I feel like that time the silicone really helped the GS stick. The last GS background I did was on a 18x18x24 Zoomed. Put silicone on first again. Was trying to sanitize the tank after I traded/gave away the inhabitants and the entire background (3 sides) came off in one big piece...silicone didn't help the GS bond at all. I guess sometimes the silicone helps, but it may not be necessary, especially in such a small tank. I used the big gap filler GS once, but it did expand way to much (like almost halfway into the 55 gal). I usually just use the red can, but have had problems getting coco/peat to stick (but I've never tried opening the cell structure by carving).
Hope that helps...

 

[DragonSpirit1185]

The first GS background I did was on a 55. I put down a good layer of silicone first. After about a year I decided I wanted to remove it, it was bonded so well it wouldn't budge. It took hours of cutting out piece by piece then scraping with a razor blade. So I feel like that time the silicone really helped the GS stick. The last GS background I did was on a 18x18x24 Zoomed. Put silicone on first again. Was trying to sanitize the tank after I traded/gave away the inhabitants and the entire background (3 sides) came off in one big piece...silicone didn't help the GS bond at all. I guess sometimes the silicone helps, but it may not be necessary, especially in such a small tank. I used the big gap filler GS once, but it did expand way to much (like almost halfway into the 55 gal). I usually just use the red can, but have had problems getting coco/peat to stick (but I've never tried opening the cell structure by carving).
Hope that helps...

So it exspaded outwards half way toward the front of a 55?

 

[fieldnstream]

Yeah, it could have been more like 30% or so, but it sure seemed like halfway. Thats why I tore it out...because it was taking up so much space. I have heard that spraying the foam with water will slow/stop the expansion, so if you use the big gap you can try that. The only time I tried spraying was in the Zoomed that was a total flop...not sure that's what caused the weak bond but its something to keep in mind. But yeah that stuff expands a bunch. Didn't break the glass in the 55, but I don't know about the 10 because that glass is going to be thinner. Guess you can try it, just may work and if it explodes 10's aren't that expensive to replace. Good Luck.

 

[CREEPlNG_DEATH]

A couple more questions guys...

How many of you have used silicone in between the glass and the GS?
Or even think it's neccesary?
I thought about using that stone type spray paint....although the GS might just pull that off lol.

How many cans does it usually take for a 10gallon vert?

Well I wouldn't use it on a 10 gallon but for bigger tanks I don't see using the big gap filler being a problem as long as you don't go crazy with it. And I used 1 blue can for 2 10 gallon horizontals covering 2 sides so one can should be more than enough.