dogofwar
CCA Members
I'm still not convinced that there's not a non-aquarium source of the foam for these things that's not like $20 for a 8 foot by four foot sheet...
My Mattenfilter/Divider
- Thread starter RIFT_LAKES_RULE
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Lively
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Hey Dog - there might be. Waiting on an email to find out if the stuff I found online has any chemical treatements - and pricing. I hate companies that hide that information and forces you to give out your email to find out how much!
dogofwar
CCA Members
There are tons of industrial and commercial uses for foam...
I've been known to do the 5g bucket test for fish safeness
I've been known to do the 5g bucket test for fish safeness
Lively
Members
As soon as I found out it is called "reticulated" or "outdoor" foam I started getting hits on the right product. Hopefully I'll get some info from this company - here is another link i found. Some of the links are broken.
http://webpages.charter.net/bobalston/BuklFilterMedia.htm
http://webpages.charter.net/bobalston/BuklFilterMedia.htm
Sonny Disposition
Active Member
Wow. I didn't know they did that. Mine hasn't done that yet, and it's huge. It's in the basement-fishroom laundry room, which has old wood paneling on the walls.
Maybe I'll stick to bacopa.
Maybe I'll stick to bacopa.
Lively
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I don't think it could do it to wood - drywall is very soft compared to wood - it didn't dig into that ladies fireplace mantel
George
CCA Charter Member and person in charge of the we
Oh, you would be surprised. Given enough time ivy can destroy a concrete wall. Wood is actually pretty easy. Tree roots have been known to split rocks.
George
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I thought about ivy as I was typing that. I've seen grass take root in a crack of concrete and somehow they make it all the way to the soil. Amazing how they can do that.
My thinking on this one was those roots try to attach anywhere including the mantle. I suppose, given enough time it would eventually gain hold - but it doesn't take much time to do it to drywall!
My thinking on this one was those roots try to attach anywhere including the mantle. I suppose, given enough time it would eventually gain hold - but it doesn't take much time to do it to drywall!
OK, I did some math - hopefully correctly. If you buy the regular mattenfilter Poret foam from Swiss Tropicals, the cheapest you can get it is $53.98 / cubic foot in the case lot, or $84 in the smallest box-shipping incl. This is 2 inch thick stuff or 4 inch thick stuff. You can get 1 inch thick reticulated foam at aquaticeco.com (item # PF7) for $48/cu. ft., or $45.62 for 4 or more cu. ft. (plus shipping). The question is, are they the same? The Poret foam will supposedly last 10 years or longer in the aquarium. It comes in blue or black. The ret. foam is in off white or beige like color. How well will it hold up? I don't know.
Joel
Lively
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Joel -
I dunno... Dog wondered out loud, I got curious so I started looking. I'm not as concerned about how it holds up (my guess is it will do the same as it is also made for water flow - most plastics are pretty much inert in water it is light/sun that degrades them) I found some in black as well - that is the one I'm waiting to hear back on.
I dunno... Dog wondered out loud, I got curious so I started looking. I'm not as concerned about how it holds up (my guess is it will do the same as it is also made for water flow - most plastics are pretty much inert in water it is light/sun that degrades them) I found some in black as well - that is the one I'm waiting to hear back on.
maddog10
Members
It would be half as thick. Less area for bacteria to colonize. It would still stop/filter particulate matter (fancy name for fish poop).
Lively
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1" I'd double it up for maximum effect.
maddog10
Members
Then it would be more expensive than the Poret material :lol: (unless you get a bulk discount from an industrial supplier).
Lively
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I've not double checked MrK's math - but he did cubic foot, not linear foot - so it would still be half as much.
maddog10
Members
Wasn't very good with math (or English, Science, History). Did ok in Gym though!
Lively
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lol - got a tutorial this weekend from hubby so it's fresh in my mind. We were calculating how much soil we needed to fill a 6" raised bed for a veggie garden.
I've not double checked MrK's math - but he did cubic foot, not linear foot - so it would still be half as much.
And that's why I did cubic foot, so you could make a better comparison when shopping! Make sure you use the same amount of stuff!
Another advantage with the 1 inch stuff is that you can make the thickness whatever you want - if you want more than 2 inches but 4 is a bit much, just use 3! However, it probably won't be as strong as a single piece of the same thickness (in construction, 2 one by fours are not as strong as one two by four).
Pore size is another consideration. The aquatic eco-system stuff is 20 ppi, which I thick is probably better than the 10 ppi Poret (too big - much less surface area for bacterial growth) or the 30 ppi Poret (too small-will clog easily).
Joel
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Sonny Disposition
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