I thought about painting the back of my fish tank but I wanted something more. I surfed the net and came across several interesting aricles on how people created their own rock back grounds. Looked like fun so I'd thought I give it a try.
Supplies I used:
1. 6 4'X6' Styrofoam sheets 2" thick. Purchased these from Home Depot in the insulation section.
2. 1 Box of Quickcrete
3. 2 boxed of powered concrete dye brown and red
4. Many, Many aquarium sillicone tubes
5. Mini Flame thrower gun, the one that carmelizes your custard desert
6. Cheap paint brushes
7. Utility knife, steak knife
8. 50# bag of solar salt from Lowes
I first started out by glueing together my styrofoam pieces together and staggered them like bricks for each layer. I glued three layers together creating 6" thickness for the wall and 8" thicness for the ends of the tank. If you plan to have a lot of rock structure than 6" would be a minimum starting point. If you were going to have a fairly flat wall than 4" would suffice.
In this pic. I already had my styrofoam layers glued together and I started to carve out my rock formations on the wall.
Once you have glued your styrofoam layers together you can use a utility or stake knife to carve out your wall. You can trace some lines in on the wall if you'd like. When you do this there will be a lot of styrofoam pieces flying all over the place and your wall will have jagged edges. Use the heat gun and hold a few inches away from the styrofoam and melt your wall in place. This smoothes out the rough edges and prevents little pieces from breaking off.
When you do this, you have to think of filtration. I knew I was going with cannister filsters so I cut out two holes on the top and bottom part of the wall on opposite sides of the tank. You also have to cut out a chunk behind the wall to make room for your intake valves. This is why you add extra styrofoam on the edges.
My styrofoam wall is actually made up of three pieces. You will not be able to put it in as one piece. Do a dry run first to make sure your pieces fit in the tank.
To give the wall strength it is best to cut the walls in an interlocking pattern rather than just cutting it straight up and down. You do not have to make the dimensions exactly match the tank. In fact it is better if you don't. When you apply concrete to the pieces it'll make them bigger and you will not be able to fit them in your tank. I purposely made my wall 6" shorter than the actual length of the aquarium.
Once you have carved out your styrofoam pieces you can start to add your concrete. Before you do you can experiment with some paint color. I used the paint dye for concrete. There are others out there but make sure they are non-toxic.
Here's a pic of the different color shading I was working with. No big deal here since you're going to cover them in concrete right after.
Now you're ready to apply concrete. Follow the directions on the concrete mix, I don't remember which one I used, but guy at HD told me which one to use b/c it was the same stuff koi pond builders use.
You'll need to apply at least 3 coats of concrete. Do not add too much water or the concrete will be too runny and it'll be more likely to crack. The first coat of concrete is used to just cover your styrofoam wall. You'll need to work quick because the concrete dries really fast. Give it a few days to dry AND while the concrete is drying it is VERY important to lightly spray it every 1/2 hr or so. This will prevent the concrete from drying too quickly and you'll have reduce the cracks. I did this for the 1st 8 hrs between coats.
2nd coat can be used to play with your color scheme. Mix it in the concrete and apply it over your 1st coat.
3rd coat is crucial. Make sure you got your colors right and make sure you've made more than enough to apply concrete in one sitting. You don't want to be out of concrete and remix again. It'll be pretty hard to get the same color combo just right.
Now this is the time to place your wall in the tank. Use a lot of silicone and it'll stick to the back.
This application can be a little lighter and this is to just smooth out any rough edges you haven't caught from the first two applications. This is where a brush will come in handy. You can use the brush to smooth out your concrete. The edges of the concrete wall will not be flush against your tank on the sides or bottom. Just as you were caulking a floor board, you can do the same with concrete to fill in the edges and gaps and also between the interlocking pieces of your wall. It will look sloppy if you leave the gaps showing.
After you're down, get the spray bottle again and lightly spray the entire surface of the wall. Repeat this every 1/2 hr for at least the 1st 8hrs. You don't want the concrete to dry too quickly or it'll crack. It is also important to not to use too much water when you make your final batch. Your concrete will be thinner and be more prone to cracking.
Now your wall is completely dry..
You can do a little sanding. I started off with 100 Grit and way all the way up to 240. I sanded down the wall to get rid of any rough patches. Your concrete will be gritty so it's important to smoot it out. My wall is as smooth as a pebble.
it's time for the curing process. Concrete will leach hardness to your water so it is important to leach all that out before you add fish.
Fill up your tank with water, throw in your salt. I used about 5 lbs. per application. The salt will leach out your concrete quicker. Make sure you have plenty of water movement. Keep salt in there for at least 48 hrs.. no more than that. Drain water and refill. You'll probably need to do this for at least 2 weeks. You will be safe when your Ph level remains steady for a few days.
Pic of curing tank. I had two airstones and two powerheads moving water around.
Finished product with no fish.. building my cycle.
I think that' it.. it's been awhile.. Oh.. the tank will be pretty darn heavy with your wall.. get some big people to help you move it.
Here are some links that helped me out a lot.
http://www.aquariumlife.net/projects/diy-decoration/17.asp
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/diy_background.php
..thanks for dropping by.
Supplies I used:
1. 6 4'X6' Styrofoam sheets 2" thick. Purchased these from Home Depot in the insulation section.
2. 1 Box of Quickcrete
3. 2 boxed of powered concrete dye brown and red
4. Many, Many aquarium sillicone tubes
5. Mini Flame thrower gun, the one that carmelizes your custard desert
6. Cheap paint brushes
7. Utility knife, steak knife
8. 50# bag of solar salt from Lowes
I first started out by glueing together my styrofoam pieces together and staggered them like bricks for each layer. I glued three layers together creating 6" thickness for the wall and 8" thicness for the ends of the tank. If you plan to have a lot of rock structure than 6" would be a minimum starting point. If you were going to have a fairly flat wall than 4" would suffice.
In this pic. I already had my styrofoam layers glued together and I started to carve out my rock formations on the wall.
Once you have glued your styrofoam layers together you can use a utility or stake knife to carve out your wall. You can trace some lines in on the wall if you'd like. When you do this there will be a lot of styrofoam pieces flying all over the place and your wall will have jagged edges. Use the heat gun and hold a few inches away from the styrofoam and melt your wall in place. This smoothes out the rough edges and prevents little pieces from breaking off.
When you do this, you have to think of filtration. I knew I was going with cannister filsters so I cut out two holes on the top and bottom part of the wall on opposite sides of the tank. You also have to cut out a chunk behind the wall to make room for your intake valves. This is why you add extra styrofoam on the edges.
My styrofoam wall is actually made up of three pieces. You will not be able to put it in as one piece. Do a dry run first to make sure your pieces fit in the tank.
To give the wall strength it is best to cut the walls in an interlocking pattern rather than just cutting it straight up and down. You do not have to make the dimensions exactly match the tank. In fact it is better if you don't. When you apply concrete to the pieces it'll make them bigger and you will not be able to fit them in your tank. I purposely made my wall 6" shorter than the actual length of the aquarium.
Once you have carved out your styrofoam pieces you can start to add your concrete. Before you do you can experiment with some paint color. I used the paint dye for concrete. There are others out there but make sure they are non-toxic.
Here's a pic of the different color shading I was working with. No big deal here since you're going to cover them in concrete right after.
Now you're ready to apply concrete. Follow the directions on the concrete mix, I don't remember which one I used, but guy at HD told me which one to use b/c it was the same stuff koi pond builders use.
You'll need to apply at least 3 coats of concrete. Do not add too much water or the concrete will be too runny and it'll be more likely to crack. The first coat of concrete is used to just cover your styrofoam wall. You'll need to work quick because the concrete dries really fast. Give it a few days to dry AND while the concrete is drying it is VERY important to lightly spray it every 1/2 hr or so. This will prevent the concrete from drying too quickly and you'll have reduce the cracks. I did this for the 1st 8 hrs between coats.
2nd coat can be used to play with your color scheme. Mix it in the concrete and apply it over your 1st coat.
3rd coat is crucial. Make sure you got your colors right and make sure you've made more than enough to apply concrete in one sitting. You don't want to be out of concrete and remix again. It'll be pretty hard to get the same color combo just right.
Now this is the time to place your wall in the tank. Use a lot of silicone and it'll stick to the back.
This application can be a little lighter and this is to just smooth out any rough edges you haven't caught from the first two applications. This is where a brush will come in handy. You can use the brush to smooth out your concrete. The edges of the concrete wall will not be flush against your tank on the sides or bottom. Just as you were caulking a floor board, you can do the same with concrete to fill in the edges and gaps and also between the interlocking pieces of your wall. It will look sloppy if you leave the gaps showing.
After you're down, get the spray bottle again and lightly spray the entire surface of the wall. Repeat this every 1/2 hr for at least the 1st 8hrs. You don't want the concrete to dry too quickly or it'll crack. It is also important to not to use too much water when you make your final batch. Your concrete will be thinner and be more prone to cracking.
Now your wall is completely dry..
You can do a little sanding. I started off with 100 Grit and way all the way up to 240. I sanded down the wall to get rid of any rough patches. Your concrete will be gritty so it's important to smoot it out. My wall is as smooth as a pebble.
it's time for the curing process. Concrete will leach hardness to your water so it is important to leach all that out before you add fish.
Fill up your tank with water, throw in your salt. I used about 5 lbs. per application. The salt will leach out your concrete quicker. Make sure you have plenty of water movement. Keep salt in there for at least 48 hrs.. no more than that. Drain water and refill. You'll probably need to do this for at least 2 weeks. You will be safe when your Ph level remains steady for a few days.
Pic of curing tank. I had two airstones and two powerheads moving water around.
Finished product with no fish.. building my cycle.
I think that' it.. it's been awhile.. Oh.. the tank will be pretty darn heavy with your wall.. get some big people to help you move it.
Here are some links that helped me out a lot.
http://www.aquariumlife.net/projects/diy-decoration/17.asp
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/diy_background.php
..thanks for dropping by.
