# Great stuff alternative "black"



## evolvstll (Feb 17, 2007)

Has anyone seen or used this. I was walking around OSH hardware and noticed this stuff, 7 a can. This particular can comes in black, so would be better than the yellow or white of great stuff. ALso better than the 12 a can for the black filler for ponds at HomeDepot. Can says safe for fish............, not sure how much it expands............we will see........





















I have a few tanks I am going to start on soon. We will see how it works.


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## Leucs2008 (Mar 8, 2008)

Oh, let us know how it works!! Id like to find something other than GS!


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## Vivarium Concepts (Mar 6, 2008)

*We've used the black 'Touch-n- Foam' , frequently.
Between the Touch-n-Foam, and the Becketts Pond and Waterfall Foam, we will never use Great Stuff again.

*


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## pl259 (Feb 27, 2006)

When I use foam, that's the only foam I use. The black exterior Touch N' Foam works well for me on silicone-less construction. Call it the "grab and smash" technique. Lay down the foam, grab some material, and smash it in. You have to work quickly, use large and fine sized materials, and smash down the foam if it expands too much. I use materials like coarse and fine peat, cypress bark mulch, long fiber coco.
It takes a little practice and a lot of fine sized material to avoid the foam showing through too much and you definately need to wear gloves.


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## Losthawken (Oct 9, 2006)

What is the difference in cost between this stuff and GS?


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## edwing206 (Apr 9, 2008)

Not even a dollar usually.


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## pa.walt (Feb 16, 2004)

i think i read that great stuff also has a black version of the foam. about the only foam i have seen in pa. here is the becketts. wish i could find some of the other black foam makers which is cheaper.


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## MattySF (May 25, 2005)

I have seen the great stuff black pond foam at an ACE hardware her in SF and was tempted but, it wasn't necessary at the time to have. The fact it was priced at $10. bones made it easy to walk away.

Still think about it sometime though..... Hopefully it puts out a geater volume than the fomo product.


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## jlb (Oct 15, 2006)

I purchased the Beckett's Pond Foam and used it on my tank. Cindy from Vivarium Concepts recommended it. I think it works really well. It expands and has a lot more texture than great stuff. There are a bunch of nooks and crannies for the silicone to stick to where the great stuff I used cures really smooth. I had to use some Great Stuff because I ran out of Beckett's and the silicone/crushed coco has already rubbed off some areas. Beckett's is more expensive though. Get it in the lawn/garden department at Home Depot.


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## UmbraSprite (Mar 2, 2007)

Handi-foam is what I use and it also comes in black....


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## IN2DEEP (Aug 7, 2007)

I used the black beckett's pond foam in my viv. After a year, the purposely exposed foam is turning into an funky brown color. I've only got 2 13watt CF's lighting it (my plants are stretching bad). Do all the black foams usually do this??? I'm trying something new for my next viv. I'm covering sculpted foam using Gorilla Glue mixed with compressed peat granules that I made into a powder with a coffee grinder (about 3/4 glue and 1/4 peat). The more peat mixed, ther darker the brown :twisted: . It's almost black. I did make jet black by adding Crayola Powder Paint (black tempera), it looked like black silicone. Still, I'm not taking any chances with long term UV and covering the "wet" glue in thick layers of powder untill I don't see shiney places with grinded peat granules(black), cork barkk(tan), green beaked moss(army-od green), coco bedding(orange-ish), and soon a piece of tree fern panel I just remembered I have. Making the stuff into dust with a coffee grinder has allowed me to make more a more realistic tree surface, it could work for making fake rocks if you had the right color. It will take some time before I know if this turns color too.


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## pl259 (Feb 27, 2006)

I've only used the TouchN'Foam, and haven't noticed any change of color. Some of my tanks are going on two years old and have a little more lighting. However there's not alot of exposed foam and they're cover in peat/coco and plants. There is some verbage on the can about not discoloring in sunlight.


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## IN2DEEP (Aug 7, 2007)

I'm pretty sure the Beckett's pond foam I used said it wouldn't discolor, since it's intended for outside pond repair. It did though. At this point I'm just hopeing it doesn't start degrading. It's still got a shiney surface! I can deal with the color issue, just aslong as it doesn't break down. It never was truely black, kinda more of a dark silver.


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## Label (Jun 15, 2009)

If you read the back label of TnF it says" It wont discolor like other black foams and actually takes on neutral tones over time."


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