got me a big hunka hunka styrofoam! 3D background ideas please!

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BettaFishMommy

finkids make me happy :-)
Mar 17, 2008
5,354
2
62
Deadmonton, lol, Canada
Real Name
Sherry N.
hey all, i was able to get a big piece of styrofoam for free from my kiddo's school, roofing is being redone there - they were gonna chuck it in the trash due to it not being in perfect shape so i asked if i could have it. it measures 4 feet x 4 feet x 4 inches thick. looks clean and i can't see any signs of spills/contamination on it. i'm gonna make me a couple of 3D backgrounds! :D figure i can get two backgrounds for standard dimension 55 gallon tanks outta this piece easily.



i don't want to go the concrete route, and want to keep these as light as possible. not even sure if i'll keep them for my tanks but might sell them instead if they turn out good enough.

anybody that has done the styro backgrounds without the concrete, please share your experiences and ideas! i need to know which paints/dyes are best to use, which sealants (epoxy?), and which tools work best for carving. i want to keep this as low cost as possible!

i'm planning on making one of them look like underwater tree roots/trunks, and the other will be rock wall/ledges/mini caves. both will be segmented into 3 pieces each to allow for heaters, filter tubes, etc, and to make installing them in the tanks as easy as possible.

help me out folks, and toss some great ideas my way! thanks!
 
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