# Sticky  DIY: Styrofoam backround



## BigChuckP

Today I had enough of my mirrored background on my 40 gallon and I decided to do a lil diy project to fix it. I'm going to cover the back and perhaps that sides with sheets of styrofoam and then add some layers and texture to the sheets. Then cover the styrofoam in concrete and acrylic paints. I hope to get results at least half-way close as good as Killarbee's diy'd background. 
So far I have not made much progress because I ran out of silicone. Turns out one tube isn't going to be enough. I have only got the back covered with styrofoam so far, tomorrow night when I get back from the CSU game and am sober I will get some more silicone and continue with my project.
Here are some pics of my progress so far.
View attachment 83530

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## DiPpY eGgS

keep posting, this will be educational!


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## BigChuckP

I should say before I started siliconing the styrofoam in I cleaned the inside with rubbing alcohol a couple times to make sure the tank was clean.
When the tank was dry I siliconed the sheets in. I put lots of silicone on the back of the sheets and siliconed the sides of the strips, this will hopefully keep water from getting behind the styrofoam.
I left a strip on one side where my powerhead and heater will go. I didn't want to try and hide my equip behind the bg, with an emp4 it would be hard.
After putting the sheets in I added layers and terrain to the sheets.

View attachment 83546


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I had to keep an area clear so my emp4 would fit.
View attachment 83550


Here's the lil guy that will be in this tank when it is all done
View attachment 83551


**Do this in a well ventilated area, I think I am a lil high on these fumes...










DiPpY eGgS said:


> keep posting, this will be educational!


Will do!

Next I will be adding the first coat of cement.


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## Fresh2salt

keep us posted on your project. cant wait to see it when your all done.


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## BASSFISHERMAN

is the center brace broken on that tank?


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## BigChuckP

Did some more work on the background today with "great stuff" My levels were rather extreme and I wanted to smooth them out some so I used some "great stuff", which is the yellow foamy stuff you seen in this picture. 
Next step is sanding the great stuff once it dries to make the concrete stick better, then laying the first layer of concrete.
View attachment 83612




bassfisherman said:


> is the center brace broken on that tank?


yeah


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## DiPpY eGgS

very interesting chuck.. at this point i am having quite a time imagining what this is going to look like when you are through.. lol again.. interesting!


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## BigChuckP

Any suggestions are welcomed, this is my first time doing this


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## EZmoney

it is looking good so far. i can't offer any advice, but i hope to learn more thru this thread... keep posting your progress. GL!


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## PiranhasaurusRex

BigChuckP said:


> Any suggestions are welcomed, this is my first time doing this


Paint/concrete/whatever it before you silicone it in the tank.


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## BigChuckP

PiranhasaurusRex said:


> Any suggestions are welcomed, this is my first time doing this


Paint/concrete/whatever it before you silicone it in the tank.
[/quote]
? Care to elaborate?


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## PiranhasaurusRex

BigChuckP said:


> Any suggestions are welcomed, this is my first time doing this


Paint/concrete/whatever it before you silicone it in the tank.
[/quote]
? Care to elaborate?
[/quote]

Make your styrofoam wall with whatever pieces you want. Paint/Concrete it on the side that will be seen. On the back, it doesn't need concrete. After the concrete is dry, put silicone on the back and then stick it in place. This way you keep concrete from drying on the sides and back of your tank.


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## BigChuckP

PiranhasaurusRex said:


> Any suggestions are welcomed, this is my first time doing this


Paint/concrete/whatever it before you silicone it in the tank.
[/quote]
? Care to elaborate?
[/quote]

Make your styrofoam wall with whatever pieces you want. Paint/Concrete it on the side that will be seen. On the back, it doesn't need concrete. After the concrete is dry, put silicone on the back and then stick it in place. This way you keep concrete from drying on the sides and back of your tank.
[/quote]
Thought about doing that but if it dosen't fit when I am all done that would suck, I wouldn't want to saw it to get the dims right. This way is better, I added some concrete last night, I taped up the glass but not the bottom because I don't care if it is on the bottom, my sand will cover it up. Will post an update tonight after the second concretin'


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## PiranhasaurusRex

Cool. I'll be checking back. I think I am going to to this soon. There is a real good one @ www.cichlid-forum.com as well


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## BigChuckP

PiranhasaurusRex said:


> Cool. I'll be checking back. I think I am going to to this soon. There is a real good one @ www.cichlid-forum.com as well


Yeah that guys is awesome, I think it is done on a 150 which would be a hella lot a work. Mine is just a 40 and I just spent 4 hours on the concrete! So I applied the concrete today, it's looking good! I am going to touch it up tomorrow and add some paint to it. I have acrylic paint right now but I think I am going to take it back and get concrete pigment, not so sure about the acrylic paint, anyone knows if it is safe? Says, "water resistant".
The styrofoam and "great stuff" was just a foundation for my shapes, the concrete is what really gave my background its shape. 
Let me know what yall think, look good, bad, horrible, stellar, etc.? Suggestions?

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## CraigStables

thats looking excellent!









And I would go for the concrete pigment, as I think overtime the acylic could be harmful to your fish.


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## BigChuckP

CraigStables said:


> thats looking excellent!
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> And I would go for the concrete pigment, as I think overtime the acylic could be harmful to your fish.


Yeah your right, I just got back from Home Depot with some pigment, it's cheaper than acrylic paint too!


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## bmpower007

Nice coming along great, take some pics when water is in it.


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## piranha threat

Looks sweet! I think you should have only done the back. Still looks great though!


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## divine

Your project looks great.


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## BigChuckP

bmpower007 said:


> Your project looks great.


Thank you!


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## mbierzyc

bmpower007 said:


> Nice coming along great, take some pics when water is in it.


I have to say that it looks excellent. Gotta admit that I didn't think it'd turn out well when I just saw the styrofoam beginnings, but that cement job made it look very nice. Makes me want to try something like that out.


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## PiranhasaurusRex

Waterproof and water resistant are NOT the same thing. Going with the pigment was a good choice.


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## AnKleBiTR

Looks great Chuck! I tried to do a DIY on this type of background, and got overwhelming silence when I started posting, so I stopped. My background turned out better than I ever would have expected, and it was significantly cheaper than buying a pre-made from "professionals". My experiance was that siliconing the styrofoam in and then concreting it once everything dried seemed to work very well. Also, I used an acrylic fortifier that is supposed to make the quickwall even more waterproof. Keep up the great work. It's going to look amazing when your aquarium is full of water.


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## Onion

That looks perfect!







I think I copy that if its allright with you.


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## EZmoney

super cool bg! this is a great diy project. very nice work!


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## BigChuckP

I have to say that it looks excellent. Gotta admit that I didn't think it'd turn out well when I just saw the styrofoam beginnings, but that cement job made it look very nice. Makes me want to try something like that out.
[/quote]
I thought the same, I am using a lot of concrete to make up for the lack of styrofoam so this tank will be heavy!



AnKleBiTR said:


> super cool bg! this is a great diy project. very nice work!


Thanks GG!

Tonight I will be doing more concrete and doing all the painting, perhaps adding the fortifier too, if not I'll just cure it by keeping it moist for 5 days and then filling it for 3 days with salt water.


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## b_ack51

Would this idea be bad or would people like it? Get like a bigger block of styofoam and then shave away to you get the shape/background you want. Then paint or whatever the face of it to give it the color.

Thought of this like when people do ice sculptures.

Question: Where you do you place the filters?


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## BigChuckP

b_ack51 said:


> Would this idea be bad or would people like it? Get like a bigger block of styofoam and then shave away to you get the shape/background you want. Then paint or whatever the face of it to give it the color.
> 
> Thought of this like when people do ice sculptures.
> 
> Question: Where you do you place the filters?


You could do that for sure. Just get a big piece cut it to the size of your aquarium, silicone it in, thin layer of concrete, with a thick layer over top and paint the bg while doing the second layer.
Check this link out
http://www.thecichlidgallery.com/article_styrobackground.htm

I am putting my filter on the left side of the tank where that open area is. I hope it fits...
The heater will go on the left side along with a powerhead.


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## divine

After finishing my fiberglass cave. I have thought a lot about my next tank when i buy a house. Concrete is pretty high on my list. after seeing how you project is coming along I am definetly going to give in a try. Keep us posted.


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## deezdrama

I have to also admit i thought it was going to turn out crappy but damn that background looks great!!!!


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## BigChuckP

divine said:


> I have to also admit i thought it was going to turn out crappy but damn that background looks great!!!!


You're not the only that thought it would turn out bad, I was thinking that too. I was feeling pretty good about it after adding the concrete.


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## divine

what kind of paint are you using? I think it looks pretty good without paint


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## BigChuckP

divine said:


> what kind of paint are you using? I think it looks pretty good without paint


Concrete pigment. Can buy it at homedepot for 3.99, they have charcoal, terra cotta, red, and a brownish one. I just got charcoal because the cement was a good color already. I considered not painting it because I have no painting skills and I thought it looked alright without it, but I ultimately decided it needed some tone. 
Here she is.

In this pic the light is in the back showing off the features of my background.
View attachment 83932


Here the light is in the front of the tank making the bg look flat and bland but you can see the paint better.
View attachment 83933


I can't wait to fill this baby up and see how she holds up.


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## rchan11

Professional work!


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## gasman

well impressed!!

cant beleive how its turned out!

it looked mickey mouse earlier
















gasman


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## matc

You should submit a diy article...i know there's already an article on it but yours a lot more better !


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## PiranhasaurusRex

The pics looked really dark on my computer. Don't know if it is the pics or my computer, but I lightened them up and man does your background look really good.


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## BigChuckP

rchan11 said:


> The pics looked really dark on my computer. Don't know if it is the pics or my computer, but I lightened them up and man does your background look really good.


Thank you to all who have followed this thread, my background has exceeded my expectations as well. I am surprised how easy this was to do. Yall should try it when you have the time, I would suggest not trying to do it in an apartment, rather a garade or outside if it is not too cold, I kinda have destroyed my place doing this project, I now have cement pigment, cement, and silicone on my carpet, oh well it was worth it, my brandtii will look awesome in this tank when she is up and running.
I'll post some pics when there is water in the tank and when it is set up.
Thanks again for the comments!


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## AnKleBiTR

BigChuckP said:


> DO you have a pic of your tank now? I am using quickrete concrete because I couldn't find the quickwall. The concrete has a lot of rocks and such in it so I sift all the big pieces out. Do you think I could use the fortifier on regular concrete? Did you let the concrete cure for 3-5 days after applying it by just keeping it moist or is it not needed if you use the fortifier?
> 
> Tonight I will be doing more concrete and doing all the painting, perhaps adding the fortifier too, if not I'll just cure it by keeping it moist for 5 days and then filling it for 3 days with salt water.


HERE is a link to my gallery. I am fairly certain that you can use the fortifier on all of QuickCrete's products. I would suggest it even more if you are using regular concrete. The Quickwall is SUPPOSED to be more water resistant. I wet-cured the concete for three days after I laid it down by misting it with a spray bottle four+ times a day. I live in Maryland, and it's pretty damn humid here until winter, so I got lucky that the concrete didn't dry too quickly. After three days I filled the tank with salt water (about 20 pounds of water conditioner salt to 135 gallons) and let the background cure for three days with two powerheads creating current in the tank. After three days I drained the tank and filled it with fresh water and let that go for three days. I repeated the fresh water change ever three day, three times. It took 12 days total (yeah math!) and when it was done the background really is as hard as stone. I think I read earlier that you bought the concrete pigment, which I think is a much better solution than trying to paint the concrete with any acrylic paint. Best of luck!


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## Slim

Very awesome loking Chuck. Great job. I should do it for my 75, probably take to long though. Whats the estimated total time of the project start to finish.


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## AnKleBiTR

Slim said:


> Very awesome loking Chuck. Great job. I should do it for my 75, probably take to long though. Whats the estimated total time of the project start to finish.


Took me 14 days in my 135. Most of that was waiting for material to dry or cure.


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## BigChuckP

AnKleBiTR said:


> Very awesome loking Chuck. Great job. I should do it for my 75, probably take to long though. Whats the estimated total time of the project start to finish.


Took me 14 days in my 135. Most of that was waiting for material to dry or cure.
[/quote]
Do it! I want to do it for my 75 once I am sure this one was successful. Also when I have room to house the 4 pygos living in the 75.
Remember, have patience!


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## BigChuckP

Not much to update about...I kept the background wet for the past 4 days by spraying it with a spray bottle and covering the tank up with plastic trash bags to keep the moisture in. Yesterday I cleaned out the bottom and filled the tank up with warm water and lots of salt, probably 4 pounds. There are two powerheads circulating the water. On tuesday I will empty the tank of the salt water and fill it back up with clean water, I will then repeat this 2-3 more times. 
Here is the tank with the salt water solution in it.
View attachment 84389


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## SharkAquarium

Stellar !!!























2 questions,,,,,,,,,,

1) You said you used QuickCrete, which comes with stones (gravel). If you sifted out the larger gravel, why use Quick'Crete', rather than another Quick products without the stones? In the second ( and third ) layers, did you take out ALL the stones? How thick was each layer (first, second, third)? If you were going to use BROWN pigment in the cement, would you suggest using it in all layers, or just the last?

2) Why the SALT water bath? In most concrete pools, there is a ph leaching caused by the lime in the concrete. Ever hear of an initial high ph problems with these backgrounds?

Again, S T E L L A R !!!


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## BigChuckP

SharkAquarium said:


> Stellar !!!
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> 2 questions,,,,,,,,,,
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> 1) You said you used QuickCrete, which comes with stones (gravel). If you sifted out the larger gravel, why use Quick'Crete', rather than another Quick products without the stones?
> *Because I had already bought the quickrete and had opened it. It was not such a pain to sift out the big stones and the smaller stones give the background a cool texture where as quickrete drywall would probably not have this unique texture.* In the second ( and third ) layers, did you take out ALL the stones?
> *Just the ones that got caught by my sifter, so there were some still in the mix but they were pretty small. How thick was each layer (first, second, third)? The first layer was thin, it was just something for the second layer to hold onto, the second was the thickest and the third was basically a touch up layer so pretty thin. The second layer was when I did most my sculpting, I think, if not I would if I were to do it over again.* If you were going to use BROWN pigment in the cement, would you suggest using it in all layers, or just the last?
> *Depends on what you are going for. If you want to have a brown background with some black shadow effects then i would use the brown pigment in every layer and the black in just the last layer. If you want to just go with the color of the quickrete as the main color and just some brown highlights or shadows then I would just use it in the last layer.*
> 
> 2) Why the SALT water bath? In most concrete pools, there is a ph leaching caused by the lime in the concrete. Ever hear of an initial high ph problems with these backgrounds?
> *The salt water bath helps to cure the background, curing makes the concrete stronger and salt is supposed to speed up this process. I have had no ph problem with this background. Perhaps there is an intitial ph spike, I didn't test my water till after the 3 3 day-long rinsing sessions (Fill with water and lots of dechlorinator for three days and repeat twice more) so I wouldn't know if there was one during this time, but I never saw one afterwards.*
> 
> Again, S T E L L A R !!!
> *Thanks!*


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## BigChuckP

A couple updated pics of this tank. There is only one inhabitant, the small brandtii
View attachment 92237

View attachment 92238


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## EvilRaven1031

thats amazing man


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## DiPpY eGgS

I really hope you get those plants going in there, Chuck.. the tank looks incredible! 
Great job on the background, and thanks for the info!! very good..

u should clean this up with a new thread topic, and send it to a mod to get it pinned!


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## patriotsfan

wow that is some nice work . thats one of the best looking tanks i have even seen.


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## BigChuckP

Draven said:


> wow that is some nice work . thats one of the best looking tanks i have even seen.


Thank you very much


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## doctorvtec

I deem this pinworthy.

Very good article my friend!


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## BigChuckP

doctorvtec said:


> I deem this pinworthy.
> 
> Very good article my friend!


Gracias Señor!


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## TripDs

although i find a lot of impressive stuff on this site, i never usually comment on them for some reason.

but i just wanted to tell you that you did an impressive job. it looks awesome.


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## werdna

WOW


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## BigChuckP

Flip said:


> WOW


Thanks


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## Joga Bonito

AMAZING man, good job


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## eddy3

Do you have to glue the styrofoam to the glass tank?


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## BigChuckP

eddy3 said:


> Do you have to glue the styrofoam to the glass tank?


No, I siliconed that styrofoam to the back glass, I didn't use glue in this project at all, only styrofoam.


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## eddy3

So you used silicone as a form of glue right?


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## tnpeter

wow that looks amazing...great DIY


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## BigChuckP

eddy3 said:


> wow that looks amazing...great DIY


Thanks


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## sprfunk

Man that is really sweat! I think I might do somthing like that too. Great work tho man







.

Now its time to do your 70 gall......


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## BigChuckP

sprfunk said:


> Man that is really sweat! I think I might do somthing like that too. Great work tho man
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> Now its time to do your 70 gall......


I would but I have no room for my 3 pygos







You should do it, it is really quite easy!


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## Mettle

This was a very awesome project.

How sturdy and durable is that background? Hard as a rock? Does it scratch? Are you building up algae on it? How hard is it to clean algae off of it?

Just wondering about all this as I'm thinking about doing something similar when I set up my 90 gallon for my turtles. My only change would be creating a corner box for filtration/heater to hide all equipment from view.

Kudos on a job well done!


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## BigChuckP

Mettle said:


> This was a very awesome project.
> 
> How sturdy and durable is that background? Hard as a rock? Does it scratch? Are you building up algae on it? How hard is it to clean algae off of it?
> 
> *Where the bg is good and thick it is very sturdy as hard as ...well concrete.
> Brown algae started to grow pretty intensely on the wall as I changed my tank into a heavily planted tank, all planted tanks have a good amount of algae in the beginning. I take a tooth brush and brush it off every week when I do a WC. I think I brushed too hard because I scratched off a bit of the wall where it is thin and I can see some of the styrofoam. This would not have happened if my layer in this area was thicker. When I do this again I will be less impatient and make sure all areas are thick.
> It is rather hard to clean the algae off, it takes time with my method, the toothbrush. You shouldn't use anything too coarse or you will, as I have done, scratch off part of the bg if the wall is thin.*
> 
> Just wondering about all this as I'm thinking about doing something similar when I set up my 90 gallon for my turtles. My only change would be creating a corner box for filtration/heater to hide all equipment from view.
> *I should have done that. I thought about it but I wanted to get experience doing a wall like this first before I made it more complicated.*
> Kudos on a job well done!
> *Thanks!*


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## Icemann

That is amazing!!!!!! I really want to do this now, great great job!!!!


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## BigChuckP

Icemann said:


> That is amazing!!!!!! I really want to do this now, great great job!!!!


Awesome, glad to hear it, just remeber to be patient! That is the best advice I can give, and let the creative juices flow


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## Sloory

G'day mate

I've just stumbled across this thread while searching the net for 
an article on how to do this!
And obviously i've come o the right place! this is looking great!

now to the questions......

1. This concrete that you use, is it real concrete that tradesmen use or 
something different?

2. do you cover the styrine so that none of it touches the water? and 
is styrine toxic to the fish if it does touch the water??

Thanks in advance for the answers









Again, great work there mate!!


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## BigChuckP

Sloory said:


> G'day mate
> 
> I've just stumbled across this thread while searching the net for
> an article on how to do this!
> And obviously i've come o the right place! this is looking great!
> 
> now to the questions......
> 
> 1. This concrete that you use, is it real concrete that tradesmen use or
> something different?
> *It's real concrete, the stuff I got was called "quickrete", apparently there is another option something called "quickrete drywall" which is free of rocks and such. If you use just quickrete then sift it to get the bigger stones out.*
> 
> 2. do you cover the styrine so that none of it touches the water? and
> is styrine toxic to the fish if it does touch the water??
> *Cover all the styrofoam, it is not toxic to fish but would look stupid having a patch of styrofoam showing.*
> Thanks in advance for the answers
> 
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> Again, great work there mate!!












EDIT: What is styrine? Is that what we call styrofoam?


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## Sloory

LOL yes your styrofoem is what we call polystyrine (I think







)

Ok so this quickrete is just a brandname yes? and is actually just the same 
as any concrete that i'd have in aussie land? 
i think it is anyway from what i cant see.
Anyway its off to the hardware stor tomorrow to get some concrete cause i've finished 
shaping the foem. wish me luck eh!


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## BigChuckP

Sloory said:


> LOL yes your styrofoem is what we call polystyrine (I think
> 
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> 
> Ok so this quickrete is just a brandname yes? and is actually just the same
> as any concrete that i'd have in aussie land?
> i think it is anyway from what i cant see.
> Anyway its off to the hardware stor tomorrow to get some concrete cause i've finished
> shaping the foem. wish me luck eh!


Yes that is just the brand name. Some people use concrete that is for drywalling check out both, if you have it, and see which you like best.
Post your results, can't wait to see them!


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## Sloory

G'day

Thanks for your help mate, i'll make a new thread with pics so i don't hijack this one.


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## BigChuckP

Sloory said:


> G'day
> 
> Thanks for your help mate, i'll make a new thread with pics so i don't hijack this one.:nod:


I say you put it in this one so people have more examples to go off of


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## Sloory

Ok so here's the piece sofar, it's been glued with silicon and cut to shape, then 
hit a bit with the heat gun.










And heres the stuff i came up with to do the concrete.










Any comments so far?


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## BigChuckP

Sloory said:


> Ok so here's the piece sofar, it's been glued with silicon and cut to shape, then
> hit a bit with the heat gun.
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> And heres the stuff i came up with to do the concrete.
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> Any comments so far?


Looks awesome so far, if the concrete you have has some pretty big rocks in it I'd sift the dry mix to get them out. 
Can't wait to see the finished product, I like how you've started!


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## Sloory

G'day

well the weathers been bad here this week so i've only just been able to get the first 
coat of concrete done.
I first smeared it on with my hands (latex gloves on of coarse!) and then fixed the look a 
bit with the paint brush (2.5").

anyway its just a brown base colour to start with and i'll and other colours on the next coat 
tonight


















P.S i think i forgot to mention that i've cut it into three so i didn't have to remove all 
of the top braces of my tank when installing it. The cuts are a little wavey with the shape 
of the rock so that it'll look like deep crack once put together....... i hope


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## Sloory

Ok so now the second coat is done.
I've tried to go for an aussie outback kind of rock but it hasn't quite 
turned out how i wanted but i think once the tank is settled and the algea and 
plants start to grow on it, it will still look ok......... i hope.

To get the affect that i've ended up with i made a lighter base colour with the 
concrete then i dabbed with my paint brush some black colour and then some 
yellow colour and then some terracotta colour.
Once the colour was on i got a squirty bottle, stood up the fake rock and 
squirted it abit so the colours started to mix and dribble down the rock.

please let me know what you think.


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## BigChuckP

Any updates on your bg? It looks sweet. I'll definitely use more colors the next time I do this proj. like you have, instead of just black!


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## Sloory

G'day

Well i've fitted it into the tank and filled it with salt water to help cure the concrete.
Then i've emptied it and refilled it with freshwater and left it for 2 days each time with a power head filter stiring the water.










Now i've gotta take it out and clean the rest of the salt out of the tank and also clean the background and then i'm ready to start the setup!!!


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## KangolBrand

if anyone can answer my question ill appericate it very much, Im going to do this on my 125 gallon tank and was woundering... where do you guys get your styrofoam from? wal mark sales little pieces that are not so thick for a nice backround. I need something long enough and nothing under 4inch thick. Also how much does it go for?


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## BigChuckP

KangolBrand said:


> if anyone can answer my question ill appericate it very much, Im going to do this on my 125 gallon tank and was woundering... where do you guys get your styrofoam from? wal mark sales little pieces that are not so thick for a nice backround. I need something long enough and nothing under 4inch thick. Also how much does it go for?


Check out craft stores like Michaels or Hobby Lobby. They usually have big sheets of it. Or also Home depot.


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## Sloory

Lol i actually bought a new queensize bed and it was packaged in perfect big flat half inch sheets :laugh:

i just glued them together with silicon to get the required thickness









otherwise go to a place where they sell beds n stuff and go round the back of the warhouse and ask for some that they'd otherwise throw out! and it should be free!


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## KangolBrand

thanks for the help


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## lexi_lee

Im going to try this out in my extra 10 gallon tank, so far ive sealed it and now im waiting for it to dry to cement it. Can you see the styrofoam on the side of your tank? If not what did to do to cover it?


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## Sloory

Lexi Lee said:


> Im going to try this out in my extra 10 gallon tank, so far ive sealed it and now im waiting for it to dry to cement it. Can you see the styrofoam on the side of your tank? If not what did to do to cover it?


No you cant see it cause i covered the sides with the colour and i've also stuffed some java moss in the sides too. it helps to keep smaller fish outta there too :laugh:

Here's the latest pic of the tank.....


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## lexi_lee

I mean the two sides (not the sides of the back).


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## BigChuckP

You mean you want to put the bg on the sides of the tank like I did? If so then yes, from the outside you will see the styrofoam. I just bought a sheet of black bg and taped it over the sides so I would not have to look at it.


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## altimaser

I think your tank looks amazing, good job on that. Like the step by step as well


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## oblene

good job


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## redbellyman21

this is a very very nice thread, and big chuck ur background rocks... I am happy to see it from start to finish and it is inspiring me to do something for my new tank


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## NeXuS

wow that looks great.


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## blackeye

I am going too try something with my 25gal too start, i have one question though.
After u glue it all together and amonth later dont like it, can u take it apart Or does it just make a mess? BTW your tanks are F'n amazing!


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## 85RBPBRO

Heres my background in my tank. A week or two I should be able to put my rhom in there.


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## kigrind

This looks awsome. I might git-r-done on my 10gallon.


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## BigChuckP

blackeye said:


> I am going too try something with my 25gal too start, i have one question though.
> After u glue it all together and amonth later dont like it, can u take it apart Or does it just make a mess? BTW your tanks are F'n amazing!


The only hard part should be getting the silicone that holds the styro in place off the glass...but if you do a badass job you won't want to take it out


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## mullet

1st off NICE BACKROUND

now some newbie orientated questions

if i wanted to do this outside of the tank what would be the best way to wash it? so it can be installed in a preestablished tank?

i like the idea and results so much im wondering if it would be safe for my other critters 2 tarantulas some firebellied toads scorpions and a veitnamese centipede?

3rd is about the center brace for your tank

i have i think a 55 or somewhere around there the center brace is broken and i was told it probably wouldnt hold under the stress of water. right now my ball python resides in it. but im considering pirahnas and would like to use this tank as i have other arrangements already made for the snake.

thanks in advanced

and my names chuck too


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## moron

very nice............


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## BigChuckP

mullet said:


> 1st off NICE BACKROUND
> 
> now some newbie orientated questions
> 
> if i wanted to do this outside of the tank what would be the best way to wash it? so it can be installed in a preestablished tank?
> *I would not recommend doing this but if you wanted to do this you would have to find a large enough container to cure the background in and find a way to attach the bg to the back of the tank without using silicone.
> I personally would just take the fish out and put them in a container while you cure and install the background in your tank.*
> i like the idea and results so much im wondering if it would be safe for my other critters 2 tarantulas some firebellied toads scorpions and a veitnamese centipede?
> *defintely but there might be a different process for curing, check around the net for styrofoam backgrounds in terrariums*
> 
> 3rd is about the center brace for your tank
> 
> i have i think a 55 or somewhere around there the center brace is broken and i was told it probably wouldnt hold under the stress of water. right now my ball python resides in it. but im considering pirahnas and would like to use this tank as i have other arrangements already made for the snake.
> *i didn't have a center brace but my tank was a 38 gallon and I didn't trust it. I gambled that it wouldn't break and it didn't but I would strongly recommend installing a center brace after you put the background in, will make it easier to install the background.*
> thanks in advanced
> 
> and my names chuck too


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## deezdrama

heres mine














had it up and going for several years now- with no problems- they are alot of work - but one of a kind- and worth the effort i think.
originally mine had many different shades of color from an earthly red to brown and had dark charcoal color in the crevases- but i sealed the piece with fiberglass resin and it dulled the whole piece to pretty much one color- still looks ok though- wish i wouldnt of sealed it though


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## Guest

first pics no longer work


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## Restricted-

I cant see the pics but made one and the concrete is falling off and fading.


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## Medici

i cannot see the pictures you posted here.


BigChuckP said:


> I should say before I started siliconing the styrofoam in I cleaned the inside with rubbing alcohol a couple times to make sure the tank was clean.
> When the tank was dry I siliconed the sheets in. I put lots of silicone on the back of the sheets and siliconed the sides of the strips, this will hopefully keep water from getting behind the styrofoam.
> I left a strip on one side where my powerhead and heater will go. I didn't want to try and hide my equip behind the bg, with an emp4 it would be hard.
> After putting the sheets in I added layers and terrain to the sheets.
> 
> View attachment 83546
> 
> 
> View attachment 83547
> 
> 
> View attachment 83548
> 
> 
> View attachment 83549
> 
> 
> I had to keep an area clear so my emp4 would fit.
> View attachment 83550
> 
> 
> Here's the lil guy that will be in this tank when it is all done
> View attachment 83551
> 
> 
> **Do this in a well ventilated area, I think I am a lil high on these fumes...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> QUOTE(DiPpY eGgS @ Nov 12 2005, 05:51 AM) [snapback]1266718[/snapback]
> keep posting, this will be educational!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Will do!
> 
> Next I will be adding the first coat of cement.


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## yohanan

When you first fill the tank, the lime in the concrete will raise your water ph significantly. this will abate over time with frequent water changes. Be patient


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## Maddogdickson04

How big of a tank will I need for 3 red bellys


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