# Polystyrene craft foam background?



## Beardedfrogger (Oct 22, 2016)

Hey all quick question can I use hobby foam to carve a background then seal and insert it into my Viv? I have issue with my hands and working outside of the Viv would be much easier on me with that said can I use any of the available foam panels/blocks that can be bought at hobby shops? Thanks all and happy frogging!

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## DerpyDartFrog (Sep 17, 2015)

Hi Beardedfrogger,

It might depend on the size of tank and background you're looking at working on.

Can you give some examples of viv size?

I know some folks build staging areas outside of the vivarium, with the same dimensions then break the mold away to work on the form background.

More context might help spark some ideas.

Good luck,
DDF


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## Beardedfrogger (Oct 22, 2016)

Hey ddf thanks for the reply I'm not working on anything large right now mostly 24x24x18 exo's just want to make sure that as long as the foam is sealed it will be safe . I was even thinking of using a thin piece of Styrofoam and using great stuff on top then carving and sealing the whole thing before siliconing it to the back of the tank

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## DerpyDartFrog (Sep 17, 2015)

I would avoid the prefab foam, unless someone else can chime in on safe brands. Some of them have radical chemicals and one issue is that not all hardware stores will carry the same stuff, and the colors or brands might be slightly different even within the same city.

You can use light diffuser, found at most large hardware stores, for support of your background. If you cut the light diffuser several inches short of the overall background it wont get in the way of final installation and will give you additional support when imbedded into silicone.

Rounding the back edges of your background will help when sliding the background into place once you're finally finished.

Hope that helps, and good luck!


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## Beardedfrogger (Oct 22, 2016)

Very good point Derpy and great advice thanks!

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## AOA (Jan 19, 2017)

I have used the pink foam from HD on many viv and aquariums and never had any problems. We tested several types of materials with developing coho salmon eggs and had excellent success. The following items were placed in the aquarium right in front of the spray bar in the coho tanks. All tanks had over a 90% hatch rate. This was a decent (not perfect) experiment even though some of the products were placed in the same tank.
Great stuff
titebond III 
GE II silicone
Dry Lock concrete water proofing
Gorilla Glue
Pink foam treated and exposed

Hope this helps although I've never tried to breed dart frogs. The water in the test tanks was kept at 40-43 degrees so not your average jungle environment. My heated aquarium and paludarium have been submerged and blasted with water for over 4 years now and all my fish breed with no issues.
Good luck
JD


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## Woodswalker (Dec 26, 2014)

You can also spray great stuff foam onto cut pieces of egg crate. Great stuff does not stick to saran wrap or waxed paper, so you can lay those down on your work surface behind your egg crate before you start foaming to get a nice, flat backside. 

There are concerns about the pink styrofoam and GEII silicone, and you can do a search to see what people have had to say about them. The styrofoam leaches an endocrine disruptor, and GEII contains a mold inhibitor, both of which, to my understanding, have long term effects that may not be seen for a few generations. 

It's worth considering what the half life of the pink foam is, how well sealed it is, and how long you expect your tank to run. Some people won't use it because of the risk it presents. 

Everything I've read about great stuff suggests that it is inert once cured, and it is made from tree sap, if I remember correctly, as is gorilla glue. I'd suggest looking up and reading the MSDS on your materials before committing to them.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Polystyrene is a proven endocrine disrupter.


Pumilo said:


> Your endocrine system, or your frogs in this case, consists of your glands, hormone, and receptors. An endocrine disruptor can work several ways. It can mimic a hormone, block the effects of a hormone, or stimulate or inhibit the proper production of a hormone. This can cause problems all kinds of fun problems in you or your frogs bodies. This goes into a little more detail. What Are Endocrine Disruptors?| Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program | US EPA
> A google search will provide pages and pages of information saying that polystyrene is a proven endocrine disruptor and that it does leach compounds. polystyrene endocrine disruptor - Google Search
> 
> In short...Styrofoam's bad unkay? Polystyrene...It's bad.


GE Silicone 2 has Organotins in it. Organotins are another endocrine disruptor. 

This doesn't mean these things will kill your frogs. It does mean that they MAY present breeding issues, now or at any time in the future, including generations later, even after being put in a "clean" viv.
I'm of the school of thought, that if there are safer materials that can be used, use them. I choose to exclude styrofoam and GE silicone 2, from my builds.


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## Beardedfrogger (Oct 22, 2016)

All great points thanks guys I'll build on egg crate that will work great!

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## Woodswalker (Dec 26, 2014)

Styrene's MSDS has lots of notes about liver toxicity in many test species. Styrene is the foundation from which polystyrene is made ("poly-" meaning, "many"), so I would expect polystyrene to lead to similar biological effects. It's actually not said to have teratogenic effects, at least in the various species on which it has been tested, but there are lots of mentions of necrotic spots, tumors, and abscess-like lumps on the livers of the test animals. It also has harmful effects on the nervous system, and presents other risks as well.

Citing my source: Styrene (PIM 509)


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