Dock Building Process

Step 1 Started by measuring the aquarium, and figuring out how large and what shape your dock should be. Next, take some 1/4" Hardware Cloth, and cut it to the size and shape you desire, taking into account any ramps or short walls you might want.
Step 2 Cover both sides of the hardware cloth form with Great Stuff (Canned expanding foam). Once the foam has cured, you can use a kitchen knife to carve it into the shapes you would like. Be sure to let one layer of foam cure completely before adding the next.
Step 3 I used Aquarium Silicone, Play Sand, sheet moss, and aquarium gravel for this part. Using the silicone as glue, stick the gravel, sand and moss in place. It works best to do one patch at a time. Smear a thin layer of silicone and press sand into it, or use a thicker layer for gravel. With the gravel, pour sand over it immediately after sticking gravel in glue, to fill in the spots between the pebbles.
Step 4 Once everything has cured (minimum 48 hours), the dock is self-floating. Suction cups anchor it to the wall of the aquarium to keep it from drifting around.

Step 1