# Black Expandable Foam - like great stuff... but better



## steelcube (Mar 17, 2004)

The best and easiest background I've ever seen. It's black and fish safe. People use it to make water feature for ponds. 

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... 2728&Nty=1

SB


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## Guest (May 7, 2004)

i posted in anther area here about the same thing but last week some time. have you used it yet? did you think it set up with a harder surface then Great-stuff does? what about it's water proofness? did you think that once the water got to it that it seemed a little weaker? any photos of what you used it on? even though it's like 3 times as much and per can you get less, do you think it's worth it?

here is a link to my project: http://www.terra5designs.com/gallery/ph ... y_one.html


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## tkavan01 (Mar 17, 2004)

the hand cleaner stuff is more expensive then the foam, typical though...
i may buy a can and check it out sometime.


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## Guest (May 7, 2004)

*hand cleaner?*

I think it would be great to have a few of us that are interested in testing the safety and quality of the water fall expanding foam - there are about 4 products i know of, and then after a month report back here with the news, data, results or what ever. 

mod? would that be possible?


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## Ed Martin (Mar 25, 2004)

I ordered some, I get all my dog stuff from Drs Foster Smith so just added a can into the order. 
I'll let a glob of it harden in an old cup then imerse it for a couple weeks or so and see if there is degredation. I'll post the results. 
Ed


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## pa.walt (Feb 16, 2004)

to me i would use the black stuff before using the great stuff.
what is great stuff used for and what is the black expanding stuff used for. if you use it for a waterfalls then to me it woud be safe for animals. plus if it wasn't safe why would the places that sell animal related stuff sell it. the only reason i have not gotten any is i'm a cheap and i have yet a need to buy any. to me i spend 100.00 on a frog i am not going to use something that is to insulate my window jambs. 
this is just my opinion.
walt


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## Marty (Feb 27, 2004)

*very nice*

hey, what's the cement like mixture? Where can i get that stff and under what name is it sold?

Looks great




Terra5 said:


> i posted in anther area here about the same thing but last week some time. have you used it yet? did you think it set up with a harder surface then Great-stuff does? what about it's water proofness? did you think that once the water got to it that it seemed a little weaker? any photos of what you used it on? even though it's like 3 times as much and per can you get less, do you think it's worth it?
> 
> here is a link to my project: http://www.terra5designs.com/gallery/ph ... y_one.html


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## kyle1745 (Feb 15, 2004)

Great stuff like silicone is non-toxic after it has cured. Now even the back stuff will be toxic before it has cured.



pa.walt said:


> to me i would use the black stuff before using the great stuff.
> what is great stuff used for and what is the black expanding stuff used for. if you use it for a waterfalls then to me it woud be safe for animals. plus if it wasn't safe why would the places that sell animal related stuff sell it. the only reason i have not gotten any is i'm a cheap and i have yet a need to buy any. to me i spend 100.00 on a frog i am not going to use something that is to insulate my window jambs.
> this is just my opinion.
> walt


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## steelcube (Mar 17, 2004)

I never tried great stuff before, so I do not know how to compare the two. It seems quite solid and no degrading so far.

I know of a guy who has used the two and he is on the board now. Maybe he is better in comparing the two.

SB


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## pa.walt (Feb 16, 2004)

about the black stuff. so the only thing that is good about it is the time it takes to "harden" and the color. like what some people are now using black silicon besides the clear. 
i guess the real thing is what type of chemicals are in the various "stuff' products and how bad they are.
has anyone here used the stuff besides terra5
also about the viv cement there are 2 places that sell it, one i think is terra5 and the other is
the one sponser on here. vivaruim concepts i think it is. probably got the name wrong. i'm bad with names. 
walt


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## Guest (Sep 21, 2004)

*Beckett Foam Sealant (black) for my first setup*

I'm getting all of my supplies together to setup my first viv. I found and bought the Beckett Foam Sealant while at Home Depot. It is more expensive than Great Stuff, but their website lists it as "fish safe" and I like the fact that it is black. As I get things going, I'll post what my experience is, using it. 
http://www.888beckett.com/Index.cfm...t&CommerceCategoryID=44&CommerceProductID=428

The listing for it, on Beckett's webpage shows what I bought and has a spec sheet in PDF format for viewing (the spec sheet doesn't really say any more than what is on the can itself, however.)


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## rjmarchisi (Feb 16, 2004)

I would be curious as to compare the "ingredients" list of this black foam to the great stuff foam. If anyone has a can handy would they be able to scan it in or type the list up somewhere?

rob


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## Guest (Sep 21, 2004)

*Becket Foam Contents*

Beckett Water Gardening - Waterfall Foam Sealant

Contents: Polymeric Isocyanate Prepolymer, Non-flammable Propellant, Black Dye

Under First Aid, it's listed as One-Component Polyurethane Foam

(This is what is on the 12 oz. can I have)


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## Guest (Sep 21, 2004)

Hey Deven, I keep getting a "client's only acess" screen when I click on your project link. Can you fix it?


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## Guest (Sep 21, 2004)

I have used both the black foam and great stuff. The black seems to be stiffer, but great stuff is stiff enough to hold most anything up in a viv I can think of. As for the difference between the 2, there isn't much of one. Some people like the black foam because it provides the added security of being made for ponds, but to those who have their doubts, both great stuff and the black foam are toxic before they are cured and non toxic after. Both are just as good for viv projects, and both hold up well under wet conditions, just one's significantly cheaper. It's been tried and proven that great stuff is safe for frogs so it shouldn't even be an arguement. Its up to you, but great stuff is the better buy.

Dustin


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## Ed Martin (Mar 25, 2004)

I just wrapped up a viv where I used the black foam and regular great stuff. I bought 2 cans of the black foam, and sprayed a small bit from the first can on a board and dunked it in water for a couple months. It held up fine. I went to use the first can the other day and there was no propellant left in the can. I chalked it up, and used about 1/3 of the 2nd can for the new vivarium because I wanted to only hit the spots that were going to come in contact with water. So I picked up the 2nd can today and that too was out of propellant. I stored it the same way I store great stuff so I thought that was pretty interesting. I’m going to write the manufacturer to see if you can store the remaining foam after you break the seal, because it becomes a lot more expensive if you cannot spread the use across multiple projects. 

Also if you use it, keep in mind that it expands about 3 times as much as the regular great stuff. 

Ed


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