# DIY backgrounds (56k)



## ka NUK

Hi all.

I've been getting some positive feedback and questions about my 3D foam backgrounds used in my tanks. Here is one recently completed for my office tank:









Here is one currently in progress. Layers of foam glued together with pure (non-mildew inhibitor) silicone and shaped with knife and rasp:









Hidden plumbing, driven by a 300 gph pump in the sump. Three jets are just above the sand substrate and should prevent settling out of debris:









I used hose barbs, Ts and elbows meant for lawn sprinkler system:









Covered by a couple of layers of tinted patching cement. The last layer was covered with a few different types of sand and gravel to create texture. Some was left smooth (right side). The water outlets are visible in the "boulders".









Next up: Layers of painting, tinting and highlighting with artists acrylic paints and sealing with West System marine epoxy. The background will go in my Malawi tank.

Cheers
ka NUK


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## Sunstar

Looks really good. I just finished doing that on a betta tank myself. click on the link in my sig that say WIP by it. If you are curious. 

About your epoxy, how long do you cure it for?


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## ka NUK

Thanks! I saw your 3.5 gal ...looks great! 

My installation is not glued to the tank, just fits extremely tightly. The tank frame keeps it from floating. It can be removed for periodic cleaning of any trapped detritus, and to trouble shoot the plumbing.

About the epoxy:
I use marine epoxy designed for long-term immersion. It will be completely hard in 24 hours, but I give it a couple of extra days just in case. After this I soak the background for a week or so and change the water frequently. The epoxy avoids Ph increase by the curing concrete and any non-fish safe paints I may have used. Two coats of epoxy are usually plenty, the last of which gets a fine sprinkle of colloidal silica during curing to achieve a matte finish. (Gloss = bad)

Cheers
ka NUK


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## _Green_

this is probably a real dumb question, but what does the (56k) in the title stand for?

Thanks
Ross


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## Prodicus

Wow. That office tank background is amazing! I would have like to see how that was made. This would be great for the DIY area, if we had one.


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## desjardo

56k means he is using dial up and pics and such are slow.
Yes this would be a great DIY. There are several very good tutorials on the web on making them as he did.
I looked at this for my newest 90gal but was unsure about silicone and a new 90gal. Looks like you can make it work without sticking it. 
COOL!


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## Calmer

56K is a warning to people on dial up that there is a big load of data to transfer such as pictures. I remember this from the old dial up days with my 33.6K modem freezing on data overloads.


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## desjardo

lol yep. As if I had that b/w.


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## _Green_

lol I suspected something alond those lines, but thought I'd ask just in case.


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## ka NUK

Prodicus said:


> Wow. That office tank background is amazing! I would have like to see how that was made. This would be great for the DIY area, if we had one.


Thanks! I made the office tank background the same way. Just different foam shapes to represent a layered rock (slate) arrangement. I also included some roots to get a river bank look.

56K was indeed a warning to slow connections, as I plan on adding more pictures to this thread.

Cheers
ka NUK


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## ka NUK

desjardo said:


> I looked at this for my newest 90gal but was unsure about silicone and a new 90gal. Looks like you can make it work without sticking it.
> COOL!


Not gluing in the background is a bit of a trade off. You have to make sure it fits exactly if you are using the rim to support the background. In a 90 gal you may need a different system, as that much foam will have a lot of flotation. It may exert enough force to pop the top frame off the glass (depending on how well it was installed).

The advantages of having a removable backdrop is the ability to re-design easily and clean any hidden areas (cichlid caves, plumbing etc).

ka NUK


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## ka NUK

Forgot something when carving the foam: The tank has a 1.5" diameter siphon tube which feeds the external overflow. I left space for the tube, but no way for the water to enter the perforations in this tube. A couple of minutes with a drywall saw and a bit more concrete resulted in this:









There will be no equipment visible in the tank. The heater is located in the sump, and return jets are well camouflaged. I also started the painting process. The first layer of tint (Acrylic paints) has been applied. Dark washes to create shadows and dry-brushed highlights are still to come. As is the epoxy coat.









Cheers
ka NUK


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## Katalyst

That looks great! One of these days I'll get around to making one of those, I hope! Unfortunately the only styrofoam I'm using on tanks is on the outsides of 3 walls to keep them better insultated in my basement over the winter! 

Thanks for posting photo's!


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## ka NUK

Thanks!
 (I'm chuckling at your foam use.) I have Koi in the basement which is about +5C now. I don't think I've fed them since October. Cold basements don't help paint dry any faster ... 

Here it is after a black wash









and after some dry brushing (note the "nostril" water returns from the sump)









Good thing this is going into a Malawi Cichlid tank ...it seems I used some left over crushed coral as texture material. Note the tiny shell









On the other hand the next step is epoxy coating, making my choice of paints and gravel type somewhat irrelevant. (I hope )

kaNUK


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## ka NUK

*1/2" check valve?*

Prompted by this thread I've come to realize that in case of power failure almost all the water in the tank can siphon out through those low jets. The sump is designed to accommodate a little siphoned volume from the surface jet, but not 4/5 of the total tank volume.

I need some way to stop this siphon. 
One option would be to drill a small(ish) hole through the hose just below the water level. It will decrease the pressure at the jets, but also break any siphon once the water drops below the hole.
Second option is a check valve. I have a 2" flapper check valve on my pond setup, but have never seen one suitable for 1/2" (inside diam.) hose. Any ideas?

ka NUK


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## ka NUK

I drilled a small hole just beneath the water line. It worked great to break the siphon when I turned the pump off. I coated it and installed it after soaking for a couple of days. I'm using carbon filtration and will do frequent water changes just as insurance against traces of toxic compounds.



















The fish seem to like it 

ka NUK


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## Sunstar

Looks really good. Nice choice of random colour. Makes it look realistic.


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## ka NUK

Thanks Sunstar!

A good coat of algae, as seen on the real rocks in the foreground, will go a long way to adding realism. It also gives the fish something to nibble on.

ka NUK


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## ka NUK

Well, the coat of algae is coming along nicely! I also had some extra vals and some moss (growing emersed on the top of the background) which I threw in here instead of the compost 



















Cheers
ka NUK


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## pat3612

Looks great really relistic.


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## ka NUK

more algae...









ka NUK


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## Abner

*My DIY*

I did a background once. Tank was took small and i got lazy so didn't come out the way i planned but i think it was nice.


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## Abner

Forgot to mention the best part....the whole back was open with caves so the fish went in there and my kids liked watching them hiding out(the back was facing the living room).


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## characinfan

ka NUK said:


> more algae...
> 
> ka NUK


Looks amazing! Thanks for posting your DIY instructions.


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## Shattered

Amazing. What type of paint/epoxy did you use? Where did you get them? 

My next project "might" be a turtle terrarium for my son's room. But this is still hung up in the spousal approval stage.


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## ka NUK

Shattered said:


> Amazing. What type of paint/epoxy did you use? Where did you get them?


Thanks 

I have a habit of "building stuff" (like model trains) so I have a collection of "crafty stuff" around the house. I use whatever I can find under the epoxy layer. I like water-soluble acrylics. Stay away from solvent based (spray?) paint, as it will eat the foam.

Spend extra money on the epoxy. This epoxy is made for marine (underwater) applications and very long lasting. It's also easy to mix and apply with a brush. The hard part is getting a non-glossy finish. Sprinkling fine sand into the final coat of epoxy is fairly effective. Scuff sanding after curing also works. I wash the cured epoxy with hot water and soap to remove the waxy film secreted by the epoxy. Don't expose this type of epoxy to UV (sun) light, as it will yellow and crack in a year or two unless covered with a UV resistant finish. My oldest one lasted about 6 years underwater without ill effects.

Here's a more recent pic of the tank that started this thread. Algae and moss are threatening to take over the background...









ka NUK


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