Easy but awesome backgrounds?

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se7en2686

Medium Fish
#21
Jul 24, 2011
67
0
0
Richfield Ohio
#21
So, i placed this into my tank with the weights on the bottom and it seemed to move pretty easily... Maybe more weights would be better, not
sure. So i bought this stuff from Petco Called, Instant Ocean HoldFast Epoxy Stick Bonding Solution. They said it could be used with fish in the tank but im not sure. Since i know you said you didnt want to pull apart your tank, i tried this before silicone. Anyhow i Lowered the water in my tank like two inches below the rock wall dryed that section of glass and applied the stuff... it seems to be holding good. its a bit expensive when not on sale. its like normally 14 or something it said... who knows. Anyhow i added the water back up after a few hours and there's been a fish in it for 2 days... I know it sucks to buy a fish and just hope it doesnt Die but wasnt sure what else i could do. but the tank looks great.
ill take some photos of it..and upload for ya to kinda check it out and see if this is what you want to do or not.
 

jediinthedark

jediinthedark

Large Fish
#24
May 5, 2004
645
0
0
Baltimore, MD
www.BreakingTheDark.com
#24
I did a project like this several years ago (maybe 6 years?). You should still be able to find my posts from that time on here in the DIY section.
What I discovered is that this project is a great way to really make the tank "yours."
I used a two-part epoxy to seal the concrete and prevent it from leaching into the water. I also used aquarium silicone to adhere the Styrofoam to the back wall. I did this in a dry tank, so I did not have to worry about an in-place change. Personally I would not take on this project on a wet tank. Rubbermaid totes are great for storing fish for a while if you need to do dry work on a tank - filters hang on the walls fairly well too.
For me, everything that stuck to the tank wall (like heaters and canister filter tubes) I had to place on the side walls. I've seen some backgrounds where the designer built these items behind the Styrofoam wall and provided water flow paths to make all that work.

In the end and after a couple years my background started to separate from the Styrofoam board. Once it started to peal off, the calcium buildup (at least that's what it looked like) became unsightly, and I ended up having to remove the background. I think the problem was with parts of the Styrofoam that I did not rough up. The non-flat surfaces held better.

It's more expensive, but real rocks can be applied to the back wall with aquarium silicone (dry tanks). Don't worry about the weight - aquariums are built to handle it. In a wet tank that I couldn't drain, I would find a way to just dry-stack the rocks.

Good luck!

Jonathan
 

Kallen

Kallen

Small Fish
#25
Sep 26, 2009
38
0
0
Kettering, OH
#25
@ jediinthedark - wow, that sounds like a pain. I have hard water where I live and I have to battle the calcium buildup on my filters... I would hate to add to that. As for the filter tubes heaters and the HOB filter on the side, wouldn't work for my setup. It would be both an eyesore and a hazard because of it's location. But then I think having it inside/behind the wall would cause issues..

@se7en, that background looks very realistic. Nice! Hope you post a few more shots of it!
 

AquaMan1

AquaMan1

New Fish
#26
Apr 15, 2013
8
0
0
Vancouver
#26
I'm a big fan of plain black or blue backgrounds...but became annoyed with taping it an re-taping it! I bought a small can of rustoleum black latex paint...it looks fabulous and professional. I used a small roller...four coats alternating vertical and horizontal strokes. I did it while tank still empty...but should be doable during a water change if u can move your filters etc. off the back of the tank.
Cheers
 

exhumed07

exhumed07

Superstar Fish
#27
Apr 30, 2006
1,774
0
36
Illinois
#27
I used duplicolor automotive spray paint on my first 55. it glitters nice and looks good. none of my other tanks have anything on them though. my old 30 used to have a mirror on the back. made the tank look twice as deep as it really was.
 

T

Thyra

Superstar Fish
#28
Jun 2, 2010
1,891
0
0
Yelm, WA
#28
I, too have mirrors on the back of two of my tanks. Have never had a problem even with the betta in the tank. The mirrors are some type of acrylic material.
 

exhumed07

exhumed07

Superstar Fish
#30
Apr 30, 2006
1,774
0
36
Illinois
#30
the mirror i used was originally inside an old projection screen tv that went to crap on me. I just cut it to size and duct taped it to the back. worked great. but i have never been a fan of standard backgrounds u get at petco or such. one thing i thought of was a jave moss wall for the background of my new 55. but decided to just do a jungle val wall. which is going rather well right now. it's getting nice and thick in some spots.
 

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