Epic Overhaul/Builds: 3D Backgrounds 300g-125g-120g

[JK47]

I couldn't get anyone over to help me move the 120g tonight. No way I am ending this weekend without a BG done.. I did it myself instead I lifted each end of the tank and set them on two layers of 2"x6" so the tank was taller than the bulkhead fittings on the bottom so I could turn it around and flip it on it's back. A 120g glass tank with BH's to damage on the bottom is not easy to move on your own (for me anyway) I needed it on it's back to fix the leak and seal the BG in place.

Disclaimer = (don't try this at home kiddy's)



It's much easier to turn it around on the stand than for one person to lift it. The 2"x6" boards make it easy to slide.











Man am I glad a took an extra day and painted this background.. It came out nice to look at while working...



I added a vertical board under the other 4 to stabalize it while flipping it over so it didn't come out from underneath me.





Touch down!!!




LOTS more pics in a sec.. 120g BG just got "foamed in" for good.

 

[aclockworkorange]

Dang that BG is huge! It comes out really far.

Sorry I didn't make it up today... Had a lot of sleep to catch up on. Back to work in the fish dungeon tomorrow--we got a couple thousand fish coming in from Singapore, no big deal.

 

[JK47]

I thought the whole, "let the lid hold the BG down" idea was a good one, buuuut that was a fail.. It floats REALLY well and was pulling the 3 pieces away from one another and looking odd. I decided to use the pond foam to finish the install the right way and permanent this time. Still can't find safe black silicone but I'm done waiting...

I pushed one side up to pool all the left over water from it being full earlier.





Last chance to make any changes to the plumbing. It looks 100% to me but I'm sure I'll find something I don't like about it later. Meh.. The only thing I ended up doing was tightening down the Loc-Line, I forgot to.









Safety first kiddy's! This foam is super sticky and it says wear gloves, do it... I still maqnage to get it everywhere every time I use it..



I jacked everything up so I cold get a good layer of foam under each panel.

 

[JK47]

The last BG I installed I used clear silicone, this tank gets black "Great Stuff" pond foam, the next will be black silicone and the last BG will be whichever I decide I like the best of the 3 methods. Before you use pond foam have a clean place to put it down like an old paint tray and newspapers, this stuff keeps coming out of the tube even after you stop spraying. Allot more so than silicone does IMO.



Right side panel goes here, this was not thick enough. I had to add more later once the panel was back on.



^ ditto....







I added some foam into the thicker areas where the panels come together. This stuff slices off with a razor so it can't hurt and that was the area that was bothering me before foaming it. I'll get the excess off tomorrow and we'll see how it looks. I'll add pics in the morning.







And now onto the 300 BG.. Feels good to be able to focus on this one finally. Those overflow towers came out perfect huh? Completetly worth taking an extra day to do it right now I won't be staring at a crappy "paint over it" job every day.





I will get everything flipped back upright like it was last night, I sure hope I fixed that last leak. One thing I didn't see mentioned on the great stuff foam is being PH inert or not. I'll test the PH as well to see if it leaches anything and let you guys know.

 

[JK47]

Dang that BG is huge! It comes out really far.

Sorry I didn't make it up today... Had a lot of sleep to catch up on. Back to work in the fish dungeon tomorrow--we got a couple thousand fish coming in from Singapore, no big deal.

The BG in those pics was all pulled away from the back, I was trying to dry it out. I posted the pics of it "foamed down". I like how far it comes out TBH, it gives it depth when looking at it from the front. This tank is going to be understoked anyway so I'm not worried.

 

[Natalie]

Great update! I'm anxious to see how the background looks once the pond foam on the front is carved away. I really like the trunk on that background, but the seams where the 3 pieces fit together seem to be pretty obvious. Maybe the foam will blend them in better.

Does pond foam smell at all?

 

[JK47]

Great update! I'm anxious to see how the background looks once the pond foam on the front is carved away. I really like the trunk on that background, but the seams where the 3 pieces fit together seem to be pretty obvious. Maybe the foam will blend them in better.

Does pond foam smell at all?

Thanks girlie! The foam smells a little but is about 10 times better than new silicone if that helps give you an idea? Resealing tanks is allot worse.

As far as the seams, I can tell too. Once I am done you won't be able to though. Keep in mind most people with 3D backgrounds only show "finished" tank shots. I am showing every step of they way and trying to guinea pig for MFK'ers down the road. That's why I'm doing each one differently. If I don't like it I can always buy another and start over.

Pics from this morning with the foam all expanded and dry. Time to start to cutting..









Here is where I screwed up. On the left side I didn't add any foam but I did on the right (next pic) I did.









Shot from underneath. Also the worlds most useless bulkhead fittings the face of the planet.. Keep em coming AGA..

 

[R1_Ridah]

First off.. I love this build man. Excited to see the end result.

What made you decide to go with the black foam oppose to clear silicone? It seems that it will be a lot more work to remove the excess foam especially in the seams where the pieces fist together? Does it just pop off or do need to score it with a razor blade?

 

[JK47]

First off.. I love this build man. Excited to see the end result.

What made you decide to go with the black foam oppose to clear silicone? It seems that it will be a lot more work to remove the excess foam especially in the seams where the pieces fist together? Does it just pop off or do need to score it with a razor blade?

I don't like the idea of giving people advice on BG's in the future if I am not willing to try it myself. I don't like puking crap I read, I like speaking from experience so I'm trying something different in every tank. I've already done the clear silicone, blacks next. Thanks for the compliment bro I'm stoked you enjoy the thread! Good to know people appreciate the effort.

The foam "rips" off really well and has a 3D look too. I just stabbed it with a knife and ripped off about 1" at a time. I am already done and have the tank moved again if that tells you anything.. Easy peezy..



I stab with the pointed end of the knife and put my thumb over the foam and pull up. Rips a perfect "scratchy" line every time. Razor blade on the edges of the glass for cleanup. I like the foam much better than silicone and it cures faster. These were the sizes I was pulling off at first. I switched to about 3 times that long and it worked better.









The scraps I pulled out.



Back in it's final position and filling up as we speak.





Background DONE... Now I need to go buy a couple of Eheim 2217 classics and get it cycling. I still need to do the 300 gallon BG, build sump, drip system, skin the stand, scape it, build and skin a stand for the 120g, scape and plant it, buy a stand for my 10g, build CO2 system and lighting, buy the eheim 2211 for it, figure out what to do with the last BG and my 125g (a tank I hate..) lots more left to do.

 

[R1_Ridah]

Looks great. Good to know how easy it is to remove the excess. At least now I know for any future projects I may have my questions and doubts has been answered on this thread... Good job..... In the end this probably should be a sticky as it provides great detail instructions for back ground installation.