foam live rock question

[ST3PH3N]

can you add foam live rock to an established tank or do you have to drain it?
thanks
Stephen

[RayAllen]

In every application ive seen this is done before setup. Do you plan on using it as filler?

[ST3PH3N]

In every application ive seen this is done before setup. Do you plan on using it as filler?

Yes I plan on using it the give it a fuller look.

[RayAllen]

Then you will defintaley have to drain it. The problem is it will have to cure at least 24hrs Im sure to be on the safe said, make sure you add some sand to it as well to coat the foam or it will stick out like a sore thumb.

[ST3PH3N]

Then you will defintaley have to drain it. The problem is it will have to cure at least 24hrs Im sure to be on the safe said, make sure you add some sand to it as well to coat the foam or it will stick out like a sore thumb.

Dang. I guess I'll do it the hard way and buy live rock LOL. Thanks for your help.
Stephen

[MKCindy]

Foam live rock floats, so you need a way to weigh it down. Usually it is glued to the tank floor, back or other rock. So it has to be drained. I guess if you fill it with rock, it defeats the purpose and anything metal could leech out.

[captexas]

I would think that as to the "curing" issue that you could do so in another temporary tank or vat of saltwater so prevent it from affecting your display tank. As MKCindy stated a big issue is being able to keep it in place. I believe Ace had some difficulty with that issue on his new tank even though he worked very hard to make sure it was secure with eggcrate. I think if you spray the foam over a piece of rock, even a piece of limestone, they weight of the rock would help offset the bouancy of the foam.

[MissT]

Yeah, for sure you have to do something to weigh down the foam... and using only eggcrate doesn't work. If you check out my build thread, I gave a fairly detailed description of what I did to make it work. The thread is titled "New 115 cube SPS tank"
LMK if you have any more questions

[ST3PH3N]

i was going to use some of my bigger peices to weight the foam down

[MissT]

It's best to spray the foam directly on the rock because if the rock is just on top of it, and ever gets moved, your foam will go to the top really fast. When I filled up my tank, there were a few nickel size pieces that went stray while spraying and even though they were on the glass, that stuff is so bouyant that they were at the top in no time. Tank's been full of water a couple days now, and the structure is staying put though.
I will say though, that without the paint, I wouldn't have been able to stand the foam at all. Yellow is not a good color for rock LOL.