Float Islands

I've been reading about floating islands and I was wondering if anyone had one in their pond/lake and what they thought of it.

Thanks!

Well, I've been busy answering my own questions. I've made several with various materials obtaining various results. Haven't gotten it down "just right" yet, but I'm getting closer. If you want to know how NOT to do it, I'm the girl to ask! I was going to post my findings here, but when I saw how long it was getting, I thought, that's too much. So if anyone wants to know, just email me.

Enjoy!

Please post about it! I want to hear and I'm sure others do, too. I've seen the floating islands in our local pond store, and they are pricey.

I've considered actually having some sort of "island" in my 100gal in the fall. I guess it wouldn't technically be an island, but I was thinking more of something that floated and could withstand the weight of frogs and such. I wanna have other animals with my fish too. Anyone have experiences with something like that in a tank? Thanks.

Adam

Floating Island DIY.

My goal was to first reuse materials around the house. If that wasn’t practical, than use materials easily found at local stores, preferably cheap.

Failure One

My first floating island was made from a plastic quart strawberry container and two water bottles tied on with string. It took about five minutes to make and looked a little like a catamaran. It was real cute and about the size I was looking for, but while it floated just fine, I didn’t plant it because I had no hopes for its longevity. The plastic bottles were too thin and I figured the temperature changes would cause it to collapse, which it did on the third day, sinking.


Failure Two

I took an old wooden frame and a nursery flat that happened to fit, drilled a few holes in the wood and the plastic, and lashed them together. It was about four times the size I wanted, but it looked okay. I gorilla taped and wedged empty plastic milk jugs under it and planted it by putting a thin layer of gravel on the bottom of the flat, and filling it with about three to four inches of spoil and plants. It worked, but, the amount of plastic jugs needed to keep it buoyant caused it to have too much depth and not be able to move freely except in the deepest sections. All in all, I spent probably two hours on it and the end result was tacky and un-inspiring.

Failure Three

I spent money! I know, I know. I wasn’t going to, but desperate times called for it. I went to Lowe’s and bought the expanding insulation foam used on windows. I was told, “Watch out, it really expands!” And boy, does it! I used a spare clear plastic steamer basket, bottom side up, placed several cork plugs on it, and sprayed the foam on. As I sprayed, it looked like a frosted wedding cake; within seconds, it looked like the blob that ate N.Y. City. It took about ten minutes tops to apply the foam. You have to work fast because the foam will start to gel in the nozzle after a few minutes. It says on the can it is a one time use, and it is. Whatever isn’t out of the can in the first 15 to 20 minutes, is never going to leave the can.

It cost $5.35 for the 12 oz. can of foam. The steamer basket was a left over from a broken steamer. The corks were left over from a previous project, but for a dozen of them, at a dollar a pop at the time I bought them, I doubt I’d buy more to make more islands like this one, though I might try planting a single cork to see how well that works.

The hardest part was waiting for it to cure. The label said, 24 hours. But that was for a small thin line of foam and this was several inches thick. I decided it needed a minimum of a week. Though it was unlikely that it would leech anything gross into the water (as it’s water resistant,) I decided to soak it in a barrel prior to putting it in water with fish anyway to be on the safe side.

I was more than a little thrilled to see just how high it floated above the water. I applied downward center pressure to get an idea of just how much weight it could handle, and it was impressive. I allowed it to fill with water to see what would happen when I let go, and that’s when I discovered what a throughly “im-prefect” job I had down distributing the foam around the basket. To be fair, this was, to some extent, deliberate: I didn’t want a “perfect” shape, I was striving for something irregular to obtain a more “natural look.” I over did it, and were I to fill this vessel with soil, it would list most grievously and dump its contents in the water. Currently, I’m pondering as to whether or not I should get another bottle and attempt to distribute the foam better, or to call it a failure and move on.

For now, I’m going to leave it floating and see what effects the sun has on it over the next month. The manufacture of the expanding foam recommends it be painted to prevent sun damage. Obviously, I’m not going to do that for this project.

Success One

Someone suggested pipe insulation from the plumbing department. Great, except it’s Summer and I’ve only found that available in the Wintertime. So a few weeks ago, I did the next best thing, I went to the toy department and bought Fundoodles, you know those long skinny foam things kids play with in the swimming pool. (Priced $3, $ 5, and $8.) They had three kinds and I bought all three. My eight year old discovered them and immediate put them to use. Finally, today, I nicked one back. The $8 Fundoodle was a “baton” (?) weapon like thing, and that’s the one I used. I pulled the baton part off and matched the hole to a square Fushia start plastic pot. I originally cut the baton to the length of the pot, but that was too much. I cut it by half, and that was still too much foam, but I’m letting it stay for now as I’ve only got dirt in the pot and no plant. After it’s planted and settled for a week, I’ll adjust the foam if needed.

While I was at the store, I also looked for the “thingys” people use to float their drinks in the pool. Obviously, if it can float 12 oz. of drink, it could float 12 oz. of soil. Unfortunately, you can’t buy Summer things in the Summer, you have to buy them in the Spring. So, while I’m sure it’ll work.... I can’t speak from experience.

Now, from all I’ve read and seen, this foam, likely the expanding foam, is likely to break down in the sunlight. Time will tell. If it lasts through the winter, I’ll consider it a fair investment.

PVC

I haven’t mentioned PVC. There are several reasons for this. While I have plenty of spare PVC pipes, other people don’t and have to actually go buy it to have scrapes. Too, when I went to price out the joining parts, it added up to more than I wanted to spend, especially after making my second island and I knew how much trapped air was required to lift an island. Plus, a PVC island would end up being a variation of a rectangle and I wanted something more free form. So, despite it being the first thing everyone suggests, I will graciously allow someone else to experiment with it.


Styrofoam

People suggested it, but you know, I think it’s gross. Again, I’ll let someone else use it.


My Next Experiments:

It is my intention to try out the Black Waterfall Expanding Foam. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find it here locally, so that means, mail order, so it might be awhile before I get to it.

My thoughts are to make a mold, either with wet sand or with damp dirt, that way, I could better control where and how the foam expands. The other foam stuck to anything, so it’s likely this one will, too, so it’s important to have it form against something you want it to stick to. I’m also considering making several islands at one time. That way, I could use up one bottle making a single layer on several island on the first day, then add a second layer the next after the first has cured, etc, until I have all of them finished.

And, too, I’m thinking of getting a large cork and using it for a single plant float. My concern is, I’ve noticed that while it is important to have lift under the bottom, too much lift causes it to be tipsy. We’ll see.


Ideas welcomed!

You think you've added everything. ..

I meant to mention that I cut the Fundoodle with a kitchen bread knife, and also, I meant to add that I intend to check out other planting medium, such as coconut husk and cocoa mat.

Thanks for posting this!

Maybe the spray foam will pick up some sand from your mold and look even more natural. It sounds cool.

Foam bottom with a wood surface.build it like a tray and fill it up with dirt. Or am I totally underestimating how difficult this is?

After foam has been outside for a long time it starts to crack and become really brittle. I'm not sure how long it takes for it to crack, but it doesn't take that long for it to become kinda brittle. I don't know if that would affect it much or not. It might also depend on how you apply it. It might work good for a couple of years at least. Yes it expands really quickly, makes it really hard to be exact unless you cut it (if you cut it, it no longer looks quite as good).

Fundoodle things can support quite a bit of weight. I've used it for quite a few purposes...

Foam bottom with a wood surface.build it like a tray and fill it up with dirt. Or am I totally underestimating how difficult this is?

No, it isn't difficult in the least, in fact, easy is what I'm striving for. The original idea was to reuse items laying about the average house or easily purchased for a minimal cost. Foam boards aren't something most people have laying about the house, least, I know I don't, and I've never seen any anywhere other than kickboards at the public swimming pool. But then, I don't get out much.

A quick google has swimming pool kickboards priced from $6 to $30 plus shipping and handling. Don't know why the big difference in price. No clue if the $30 board is more durable, or merely more "fashionable."

Some of it too is, it was my goal to make it with a minimum of tools. I'd like the island to not be square or round, but free formed. To make a free form wooden tray, I would have to either bend multiple strips, or get some plywood and band saw out the shape. Last time I checked, plywood wasn't cheap, and price is a priority, since otherwise one could just buy one at the pond shop.

I do think it is a good way to go none the less. I'll look up pool supply places and see what they have. Thanks!

What sort of plants are you planning to grow on these floating islands? It sounds interesting, but I would think the islands would need to be fairly large if growing plants with any kind of height. Otherwise they may become top heavy and blow over in the wind. I'm assuming these are going in an outdoor pond.
I know you didn't like it, but blocks of styrofoam could be cut to desired shape and covered with sphagnum moss, coconut coir, or something similar to give a more natural look. Just looking around my room here I noticed some styrofoam packing inserts that my computer was encased in. They already have hollowed out spaces that could be filled with soil. Covering them with coir etc... and having plants growing out of them would look kind of cool. The island would have little hills on it as the edges are not all the same height.
Another thought, if you liked the look of your strawberry container catamaran, you could try using galvanized wire or something stronger than string to hold it together. Put it right through the sides of the bottles, then fill the bottles with the expanding foam. Once filled they should be fairly rigid. You would need to poke a hole in the back of the bottle before trying to fill it with the foam though.
Good luck.

What sort of plants are you planning to grow on these floating islands? It sounds interesting, but I would think the islands would need to be fairly large if growing plants with any kind of height. Otherwise they may become top heavy and blow over in the wind. I'm assuming these are going in an outdoor pond.

Small things like miniture cattails and blue-eyed grasses. I like to keep things to scale and the pond isn't big enough for a big island. Eventually, I'd like to have one inside a tank as well, but the bottom will have to be attractive by that point! I don't consider myself overly narrow minded, but when it comes to ponds and aquariums, looks matter!

I'd like to experiment with different island depths. I'd like to make an island that rises several inches above the water level, and I'd like to make one that floated several inches below the water surface. It would open up more possibilities for plant material. Have you ever seen those "living roofs" ? There are lots of plants that will grow happily in thin soil. And yes, tall plants would require a broader base to support.

I know you didn't like it, but blocks of styrofoam could be cut to desired shape and covered with sphagnum moss, coconut coir, or something similar to give a more natural look.

Leave it to a frog to come to my aid! You know, I've been sometime now looking for coconut coir here locally. I have gone to every nursery I could think of with no luck. Looking at your smiling face... I've been looking for it in all the wrong places! I'm going to hit up the reptile stores! Thank you so much!

Just looking around my room here I noticed some styrofoam packing inserts that my computer was encased in. They already have hollowed out spaces that could be filled with soil. Covering them with coir etc... and having plants growing out of them would look kind of cool. The island would have little hills on it as the edges are not all the same height.

I know, I know, and it's so readily available, too. Everyone has it to get rid of! I just hate how it crumbles and falls to pieces everywhere.

Another thought, if you liked the look of your strawberry container catamaran, you could try using galvanized wire or something stronger than string to hold it together. Put it right through the sides of the bottles, then fill the bottles with the expanding foam. Once filled they should be fairly rigid. You would need to poke a hole in the back of the bottle before trying to fill it with the foam though.

Oh, it's always so embarrassing when people state the obvious! Why didn't I think of that?! I'll give it a try and see how difficult it is to get it right!

Good luck.

Thank you!

Kickboards - Dollar General, $3.

As for forms, what about that flexible plastic stuff you get at Home Depot which is used for garden borders? You know, it's black and comes rolled up.

Kickboards - Dollar General, $3.

There's something contradictory about a $3 item at a $1 store. We don't have Dollar General. I stopped shopping dollar stores because the stuff is rarely worth the buck. My thrifty friends tell me its too late in the season. I might look anyway.

As for forms, what about that flexible plastic stuff you get at Home Depot which is used for garden borders? You know, it's black and comes rolled up.

I thought about that stuff, and it might work for larger islands, but it doesn't like to do small, tight, bends. A light weight metal would probably work better, but I think I'll just dig a trench and fill it with foam.
My husband brought home a $5 guitar from a garage sale, I might band-saw it longitutelly, and have two forms to play with! Funny, one never sees banjos selling for $5 at garage sells.
My foam island looked pretty good floating empty for several days, then a strange, large, bright, glowing orb appeared in the sky and heated things up. It was like watching someone getting a sunburn. It turned yellow and shrank a little. Probably not an entirely fair experiment, since the foam would be intended to be under the water, not sitting on it, but interesting all the same. (I'm easily amused.) The fundoodle islands live up to their name. It's fun to watch them rearrange themselves.
I've been having fun making this harder than it needs to be. I've been reading about icebergs and water density, and soil mechanics and porosity, and ballast and stuff like that. It's a good thing nature takes pity on fools and doesn't require me to actually know scientifically what I'm doing before doing it - I'd go nuts!
Okay, okay, you twisted my arm. I would NEVER even think about cutting a guitar in half. I'm just messing with your blood pressure.
Enjoy!

How deep is your pond? Maybe floating isn't your best bet. A stationary island could be nice too. Anchored to the bottom of the pond. Maybe sitting on cinder blocks or something like that. Just a thought...

Okay, okay, you twisted my arm. I would NEVER even think about cutting a guitar in half. I'm just messing with your blood pressure.

It's OK if it's an Esteban! Esteban World Tour!

Here's something I did with a Floating Aquarium Log. They are pricey, but I won it in a drawing. I made a liner out of black plastic canvas and fishing line. Don't know if I want to do THAT again. I just bought the water lettuce today, so we'll see how it grows. I had to put it in a container, because it's in a goldfish tank and they eat or pick to death all plants.

 floating_log.jpg   51.89KB   3 downloads

Now I need to figure out something that will hold soil so I can have some marginal plants.

Edited by schambers, 01 August 2008 - 03:39 PM.

Here's something I did with a Floating Aquarium Log. They are pricey, but I won it in a drawing. I made a liner out of black plastic canvas and fishing line. Don't know if I want to do THAT again. I just bought the water lettuce today, so we'll see how it grows. I had to put it in a container, because it's in a goldfish tank and they eat or pick to death all plants.

Now I need to figure out something that will hold soil so I can have some marginal plants.

That's a wonderful idea - the log looks gorgeous!!! Have been playing around with the idea of doing something similar for quite a while now...

Which is dumber, doing something stupid, or telling people you did something stupid?

Long story short, my expanding foam days are over. Additional information..... I learned how to shave a cat today.

I'll let your imaginations make the correlation there, it'll save me a lot of typing.

Anyway.... expanding foam expands in 80 degree weather, but it really expands in 95 degree weather. My project got interrupted shall we say, and after I'm all done with the finally clean up tomorrow, I'll let you know whether or not I managed to salvage anything.

Which is dumber, doing something stupid, or telling people you did something stupid?

Long story short, my expanding foam days are over. Additional information..... I learned how to shave a cat today.

I'll let your imaginations make the correlation there, it'll save me a lot of typing.

Yikes! I hope you didn't need any stitches.