DIY Background?

[CrimsonBlush]

I'm hopefully getting a tank in the near future, and I'm interested in making a DIY 3D background. From the threads I've read, everybody uses Styrofoam. But, if you don't silicone it to the tank, it pops off and is ruined.

So my question is, is it possible to make a 3D rock look-alike background without having to silicone it to the glass? I don't want to have a permanent background in case I don't want it in the future. Suggestions?

Thanks!

[RodInCALIFORNIA]

just google DIY aquarium backgrounds and you will get all kinds of ideas and examples.

[CrimsonBlush]

I have been and they all use styrofoam which seems to have problems with coming out of place unless you silicone it to the tank. Anybody have ideas of something else to use instead of foam or something to keep the foam in place without it being permanent?

[blue2fyre]

Good luck.
I went searching not too long ago for the same thing and even with the premade 3-d backgrounds you still have to silicone them in. I decided just to paint the back of the tank black instead.

I would love to see an alternative. It would be a huge pain to remove my fish from the tank for a few days while the silicone cures.

[CrimsonBlush]

Thanks, I'll let you know if I find something really good. I may just end up going for a regular background, but 3D would be nice...

[Ozymandias]

in theory you could make a mold then poor resin into it to get the shape then use aquarium safe paint to actually give it more characteristics. as long as it fit well (snug but not too tight) it should work but i'm not sure of the properties (if it floats) so i don't know for sure


Edit: was thinking about this a bit and the resin idea is probably more difficult to pull off then most people are probable willing to deal with

[CrimsonBlush]

How would you even make a mold?

I had a thought though. Would it be possible to take a piece of glass (that is the size of the back wall of the tank) and glue some pieces of plastic to it and then cover it with concrete?

[Ozymandias]

well i would build something in like clay or other sculpture material (hell you could use foam for it even) the pore other plaster or latex or something like it and once it dries pop out the clay/foam and you have you mold. again probably more work and more expensive then some other ideas

[CrimsonBlush]

Not a bad idea though you would need quite a bit of clay!

[Ozymandias]

true and i might try this over the summer (my dad is a potter so we have alot of old clay) also why i said you could use something else it just has to be able to keep it's form.

[Chrisk-K]

Why don't you build with Styrofoam and attach it to an acrylic sheet? Then, you could attach the sheet to the back of the tank with clips.

[odinthejd]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5Ng6GeF9mA

[mellowvision]

I just recently used expanded pvc foam sheet to create a curved background in a 30g I am working on. It's cheap, and easy to work with. I'd recommend using it as your base layer, and attaching your choice of background material to it. then you have a smooth back surface, which you could pressure fit into place under the rim, or silicone in, or use magnets with.

The foam video above is a good one. there are even simpler methods... and not all materials will require the curing and initial wait time as concrete. in fact, concrete may not be a good material choice, depending on the species you plan on keeping.

in terms of alternative methods, there was a good one I saw recently, where the foam was cut really angularly, and instead of concrete, silicone was applied with a putty knife. it was clean and nice looking, but still irregular enough to be believable as stone.

Another material to consider in lieu of foam, is cork bark. Natural cork bark tubes and flats float, so they need to be well anchored, but I've found them to be a great material to work with, that is soft enough to be easy, and strong enough to hold up.

[CrimsonBlush]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys! I really appreciate it! I'll have to research further before I make my choice though.

Thanks for the video od!

Mellow~I have heard things about concrete raising Ph which is not what I want since I'm thinking about getting an angel. But, I've heard that the Ph will lower eventually with many water changes. Is this not true? I've never heard about coating things with silicone though...isn't silicone clear?

[XanAvaloni]

Love the video Odin, v. creative. But I agree with Crimson that concrete is not stuff I would use in an aquarium. It is not nearly as intert as people commonly think of it as being. And there are other materials that are, so why use it? I guess I would have found that vid more impressive if they had added another half-minute or so of that background, in that tank, after 6 months of use, and show us how the fish (and plants, and inverts etc) were getting along that had been in it the whole time. Not saying I know for a fact concrete is bad, just saying I have no testimony or personal experience saying it is harmless.

There's a v. long thread, don't think it's on here, might be at aquaticplantcentral.com ? but anyway, a guy made this utterly spectacular background for a streambed paludarium. He used that expandable insulating foam, comes in a spray can, I think on a thin piece of wood or maybe plexiglas. Sprayed it in the general shape of things he wanted like treestumps and roots, rocks and the like. Then carved it into exact shape with an exacto knife. Then painted it, then coated the whole thing with epoxy. Which made it all inert. He said. The common opinion expressed in comments was that he should work in Hollywood doing special effects, it was that impressive. :)

And I don't understand why the whole back of the tank has to be coated or striped with silicon to hold a backdrop, even a foam one like in the video, in place. You put it in and the bottom is held to the back of the tank by both friction on the sides (if you fit it to proper tightness) and by weight of the substrate for the bottom 2-4 inches or more in a big tank. Then I would think just a couple of spots of silicone in the corners at the top, with maybe a dab or three going across, would be enough to keep that from floating away. Or clips or magnets or whatever. That massive striping of silicon seems like overkill.

Of course I could be wrong. Just tossing out ideas here. Let us see what you come up with Crimson, I bet it will be great. :)

[CrimsonBlush]

Thanks for the suggestions Xan! If I get something going I definitely will make a thread. I will try to find that thread on aquaticplantcentral Thanks for the tip :)