I'm in the early stages of planning a DIY styrofoam background. Right now the plan is get the foam then cut the foam, but I'm not sure what to do from there. The most common thing I've found online is Readymix Quickrete, then epoxy resin. Some other forums have talked about just putting the cured cement directly in the tank without the epoxy coating, but I know this will drive the pH up.
Is it possible to neutralize the pH by adding wood to lower it or will the cement raise it more than wood can drop it?
If this isn't possible, can the concrete step be skipped and I just paint my foam then resin over it? I'm thinking mainly about weight here because if there's no need for concrete I'd rather not have the extra pounds in my tank.
I'm planning on fixing it to the back with industrial magnets rather than siliconing it to my tank so that if I ever change my mind, have a component behind it break, or just generally need to remove it I can.
Should I add the concrete to weight it down or do you think magnets coming from the back would be strong enough to keep it from floating away?
I'll probably glue to foam blocks together today and start carving tomorrow, but I also might post some sketches of my idea in this thread later tonight.
Is it possible to neutralize the pH by adding wood to lower it or will the cement raise it more than wood can drop it?
If this isn't possible, can the concrete step be skipped and I just paint my foam then resin over it? I'm thinking mainly about weight here because if there's no need for concrete I'd rather not have the extra pounds in my tank.
I'm planning on fixing it to the back with industrial magnets rather than siliconing it to my tank so that if I ever change my mind, have a component behind it break, or just generally need to remove it I can.
Should I add the concrete to weight it down or do you think magnets coming from the back would be strong enough to keep it from floating away?
I'll probably glue to foam blocks together today and start carving tomorrow, but I also might post some sketches of my idea in this thread later tonight.