DIY background (in progress)

[davescube]

here is the aquarium background that i have just started to do..
the first day..

[davescube]

the second day..
it takes more time to carve than i thought.. =(

[pavemike]

looking good. Keep the pics comming!!!

[smyke]

very nice dave

[davescube]

my misc decoration, havent cement it yet..
abit off shape, and not so detailed..

[davescube]

i wont be counting for the number of day i have spent on it anymore as
i do it very slowly =(
i only use kitchen knife though..
well, here is 5/7 finished carving..
so excited to get it done as quick as possible..

[Kuhlifan]

WHat is the material that you're carving? Is it foam or something else? Will you paint it or seal it when done?

[Rbishop]

Looks like some very good work going on!

[davescube]

it is styrofoam, i will coat it with about 3-4 layers of cement..
and then soak it in the water/added some salt for 2 weeks to get a stable pH reading in the water..
when that is done, i will add some weight to inside of the styrofoam to prevent it from floating..

[Lady G]

Very interesting, I like it!!!

[cdfishie123]

cool

[Kuhlifan]

So are you talking just your ordinary everyday garden variety of styrofoam? I read on here that people use styrofoam for stuff, but I didn't know if it was a specific variety. Also, some people put a sheet of styrofoam under their aquarium when the stand/floor isn't quite level. Is that plain styrofoam too?

[davescube]

i dont really know how many kinds of styrofoam there is in this world o_0
from what i know, some is soft, yet some is more solid..
i prefer a solid one because it is easier to carve and could get a fine detailing..
and yes, that was a plain styrofoam...
are u interested in making one?

[Kuhlifan]

Ha! I have many interests. I'm currently thinking of rehabing an old 55 gallon into a paludarium. I'm looking at a stream setup in front for the water portion, and an all-out jungle in the back including a nice background with at least one waterfall. I'm just trying to figure out the best way to go about it. I was thinking either siliconing stone/rocks/slate to the back glass, or doing the same with cork bark, but the styrofoam may be a better option.

So, when you say you're going to cover it with cement, what exactly do you mean? Are you talking actual stone cement or some sort of glue/epoxy? Also, once it's sealed, do you paint it, or paint and then seal? What sort of paint do you use?

[davescube]

well, i dont have any experience/knowledge on paludarium..
you could probably ask someone that is goon in it =)

i am still new to this fish/plant keeping though..

and no, i dont use paint..
what I was trying to say is to coat the styrofoam with cement..
cement will be the only layer on the styrofoam..

BUT I am still thinking if i should use epoxy resin as the most outer layer..
I worry that my fish will nip at it.. but on the other hand, it might cause the background to become shiny which is not so good-looking and not natural..

[Spunky]

I have not read too much about using foam, I had planned on just playing with it as I go, however if you know what you are doing, I am way better off asking questions!!!
How much salt do you add to how much water? (ratio)
How much extra weight do you for see having to add?
If you are adding 3-4 layers of cement, how thick of layers are you putting on? Are multiple thin layers better than one thinker one?

Today I had planned on covering my foam structure with cement. I have caves and tunnels. I used the foam insulation board (its pink.) This stuff works great for piecing together, but probably not good for carving. I designed it to have two small pockets at the bottom to add extra cement. I am not sure if they are large enough to keep the structure weighted down, we will see I guess!

[Spunky]

oh, btw, davescube, love your puffers! and Kuhlifan, love your kuhlis! i have the black variety.

[davescube]

i will reply u soon spunky..

0k, so here is basically my plan...
i will only silicone the three pieces of foam together..
i wont be silicone it to the back of the aquarium..

1. thinner piece of foam
2. thinner piece of foam
3. carved foam, thicker than (1.) and (2.)
4. hanger to be attached to the back of the aquarium
5. rectangle hole
6. a real heavy metal to be put inside of the hole

will it works? i think so...

[Kuhlifan]

Ain't nuthin cooler than a kuhli. Unless it's two kuhlis.

Here's a dumb question davescube: what kind of filter do you have? I know this seems simple, but this is usually the type of thing that you think of after the fact. Do you use a hang on back? If so, you might have a problem.

[davescube]

well, i dont have filter in that aquarium yet..
so,
i will get an internal filter, hehe...

[Kuhlifan]

Ahh, Ok. I thought maybe you were modifying an old or existing tank. My projects typically end with those forehead slapping moments when I realize I forgot something basic like that. My cousin once drove an hour to bring me his computer to fix because the sound stopped working. The volume was turned all the way down.

[Spunky]

are you sealing the foam, or will it just be exposed to water?

off topic again, but i thought i would let you know that your puffer avatar inspired me... i now have 4 and will be getting 2 more when they come in! great little fish!

[Slappy*McFish]

Have you ever looked into making plastic molds from layouts of real rock?

[davescube]

Slappy*McFish:
i dont understand you Slappy*McFish, my english isnt that good *sigh*

Spunky:
- Firstly, thanks.. those dwarf puffers are sure a cutey one..
- i wont be sealing the foam, i will let them exposed to the water..
they should be fine as long as my fish isnt going to bite it..
- that was a good question, but i havent known how much salt i must add
during curing process >< i would do some research in time to come..
- about the weight, as heavier as possible, i dont want my background to move even abit in the aquarium hehe.. and i heard from someone that
**it takes at least 25 pounds of metal to sink 1 pound of foam**
- isnt pink foam a better choice for carving? thats what i heard, but i couldnt
find that foam here.
- 5 coats of cement should do.. i will first coat it with 4 thin layers and followed by 1 thicker layers..

Kuhlifan
-Haha, thats remind me of something..
i was trying to close my fridge and it just refused to close..
i tried alot of things..
i pushed all the ice cube,fish,vege inside, remove all of them out,
slam the fridge and it just didnt want to close...
so i called my bro to go downstair, and he managed to close it in 5 seconds
u know what, there is a package of plastic on top of the fridge where it was slightly fall off and i didnt notice it ><"

[Kuhlifan]

Welcome to my world :)

[D.J.]

im interested in doing something along this line for my 75g restoration project....

questions for ya....

1a......cement.....like concreat cement? or what are ya talking about?
1b......color......what are ya gona do about the color? wouldnt it just be grey?

2.....salt.....said your gona cure it in salt.....like frshater aquarim salt? table salt? marine salt?

3.....painting.....thinkin about like a log or something coming outa the back of my tank......but it would need to be a brownish.....how would i make it colored but fish safe???

[davescube]

Finally finish with the carving..

so its time to coat my foam, here is the work so far..
i'm waiting for it to dry now after coated it of 2 layers..

well,
i use black coloured grout mix with gray straight cement and get this..

and i willl get the whole coating thing done by today..

here is the pic anyway..
may not be the best, but i do the whole thing without any help from other people, proud of myself haha

[smyke]

looks sweet

[duke33]

Looks good. I would'nt put any metal in the tank. Maybe stainless, but still iffy.

[davescube]

0ops... cant get this thing done by today.. will continue tommorow morning..

before i procceed any futher, i have a question..

when i touch the cement now, it is like touching a charcoal..
it gives off those very fine dusty black particle on my hand..
is that normal?
mine is a mixed of grout and cement..

sorry, if i am not really good at describing it..

[C.Anderson]

0ops... cant get this thing done by today.. will continue tommorow morning..

before i procceed any futher, i have a question..

when i touch the cement now, it is like touching a charcoal..
it gives off those very fine dusty black particle on my hand..
is that normal?
mine is a mixed of grout and cement..

sorry, if i am not really good at describing it..

After it cures, while it's still in the water, take a nice stiff bristled nylon brush to it. That *should* remove any extra material off of it and get you down to the cured base layer. You may have to rinse it and clear the water a few times to make sure you got all the loose material.

That's how I'd do it anyhow =).

Cris

[davescube]

again, more picture...
u can still see the foam after the 1 or 2 layers of cement

[davescube]

so this is the background after final touch...
the background itself looks better than it is in the picture..
it is still wet though, I never really get a chance to see it completely dry...
they suppose to be moist before i finish curing it..

[Que]

It's really looking good dave.

Q

[C.Anderson]

Definitely looks good!!

One suggestion...you might want to take some concrete color and mix it in with a tiny amount of cement to make a lightly tinted 'slip'...and just brush some light coats of varying blueish, reddish, and maybe a mix over alternating rocks. When you take the nylon brush to it much of it will come off...but it'll likely leave enough on there to make the rocks look bunches more natural. Worst case, if you don't like it you can just recover it with the natural grey/green concrete.

Again, definitely looks great, even as/is!

Cris

[smyke]

Looks great.
You could mess with different collors a little but whatever makes you happy.

did you think about hiding things behind it? like heater, filter intake etc? I know its done now but just wanted to throw it out there to make sure you dont realize it when its too late.

[davescube]

lets see what the other colour i might have downstair tommorow...
but i am still considering if i should do something extra about it, i am just afraid that it turns out not cool at all...
perhaps i can play with the colour of the light?? paint it?? possible?

i wont have heater..
for the internal filter, i will placeit at the side of the tank and cover it with some big bushy plant..

now i realise that tank is full of scratches, i didnt know that brushing it with toothpaste would create something like that...

[theotheragentm]

That looks incredible. I wish I had the steady hand to do something like that. I can picture it in my head, but my hands won't cooperate.

[chrismercer]

SWEET! looks awesome man! keep up the good work. post when it is complete please.

[Rbishop]

looking good, dave

[sting ray]

that looks sick, man!

[Derringer]

How much water will this displace?

[Rbishop]

It won'y displace much more than typical decor in the tank.

[davescube]

here what it looks like when curing..
covering the background with wet towel and
i put air stone to a container of water in order to increase the humidity, i wonder if it works..
6 days has passed since i started curing..

[Rbishop]

Nice.

[davescube]

*sigh* i need to carve again...
my bro bought a wrong styrofoam, i have to carve off thoes pinky stuff..
after i did that, i heat it with hairdryer so it is more solid..

after that, i glue the main foam to the 2nd foam with silicone sealant,
basically, i just cover the whole area, i used up the bottle of silicone sealant.. *omg*

and i weight them down..

and also here is the tank.. getting ready for the background pretty soon..

[davescube]

so i glued it in, and let it cure for 48 hours and fill it with water..
tap water pH = unknown
pH in the tank = unknown
i will test it soon..

[Spunky]

Looks great!!!

[davescube]

the result of pH:
*the third day*

(left picture) tap water = 6.0
(right picture) water in aquarium = around 7.6
not sure if this is accurate, my pH can read from 6.0 to 7.6 only..

[davescube]

Please tell this is not going to happen to me.. :eek3::eek3::eek3:

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=155240

[Rbishop]

Did that tap sample sit out overnight in a shallow dish?

[davescube]

tap sample? what do you mean?

[davescube]

Before I am going to buy fishes, I have some question to ask here..

--Will african cichlids nip on my background, I heard someone tell me
they will, is that true?
If they dont, will they be fine with my horseface loach and upside-down catfish?

--Can Harlequin Rasbora be kept in a high pH tank?

[davescube]

latest update...
*just some temporary fish*

[feylind]

i love the little coconut cococabana in the corner! its so adorable

[davescube]

Some people use salt water to speed up the process of getting stable pH..
Can I do the same too?

[Rbishop]

tap sample? what do you mean?

The tap water sample....

[NinjaPenguin]

I'd suggest just doing frequent and regular water changes instead of using additives. Concrete only reaches it's full strength curing potential over 6 to 8 weeks when submersed underwater.

How long did you wait for the concrete to cure in dry air?

[davescube]

I have never let them cure in dry air...
The first week is by moisting it with wet towel..
and followed by submersing it underwater..

[NinjaPenguin]

I let mine cure in dry air for around 10 days with a light spray of water every 8 hours before submersing and have had very little ph change to worry about. Weekly 30% water changes have kept the parameters stable.

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=149957

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=152508

[davescube]

well, after a long consideration,
I have decided to keep african in there...

Here is the update..
Taken this picture last night...

I know my substrate doesnt blend well to the background, but
this is probably the most decent one I could find in town..

I have a question here...
Since the substrate is a new one, do I need to cycle again?
And I have one used filter here.. should I put in there yet?

[Rbishop]

Nice. Don't you have other operating tanks you can take media from?

[davescube]

yeah.. the internal filter...

[davescube]

i have added some plant and some small rocks inside..
will be posting the picture very soon...

[excuzzzeme]

Very nice work Dave! You did a great job on it.

[davescube]

Here is the picture...
I will replace the 2 coconuts as soon as I find a driftwood..

Can someone Id my plants too? :)

I will get a close-up picture later, I know it is not clear

[NinjaPenguin]

Looking good! :)

[davescube]

Just an update, got this picture from my bro at home..
Added 2 driftwood, some plant, stones, and DIY PVC cave

Is that algae on the background? not sure..

[Rbishop]

Nice! But that filter really ruins the set up for me.

[NinjaPenguin]

:iagree: with rbishop!
That internal filter is a bit of an eyesore and the background limits you to the type of filter you can use. How about a DIY overflow with a mini sump at the back? That will make for an interesting post! :)

[PoBoy]

Cool looking background! Looks like you did very good work. Keep it up! I agree, the filter needs to be hidden.

What size tank is it for?

[Luc]

I've seen and read quite some of these projects and I'm hoping to start on this soon as well.
This one looks very nice and interesting, not like the epoxy-coated ones I've seen as well.

But, why is everybody using knives to cut the material & shapes??

You can very easily shape it by using a copper or iron wire (or even a tea-spoon)...

How?
1. Take a solder-iron
2. Remove the solder-tip
3. Insert your customized iron or copper tip (I prefer to have a short, straight tip with a small loop at the end. This cuts under and through the foam in all kind of ways very easily.
4. Plug in
5. Start cutting out the materials
6. There is no step 6....

Let me know if anybody else has used this method before.
You could even do it with a very thin wire that you connect between the + & - pole of a battery (you know the big old ones with a short and a long 'connection-pole'?!)