# My first attempt at a DIY BG



## ChadRamsey (Mar 12, 2010)

Here is the BG that im making for my 70g. I used 2" foam and stacked it 4 deep. I used ONLY a steak knife to do the entire thing. It has taken me months to do, literally, months. Id do a little here and there, then come back to it a few days later. I plan to take the back section off so that it is only 6" deep to free up some space up front.

Please give me some feedback on this. What should i do to it to make it better?

All your input is MUCH appreciated.

Chad


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## duds (Apr 16, 2010)

Looks great. I love the detail you put in to it. And good call with removing the back section. I look forward to seeing it colored!


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## paradigmsk8er (Apr 13, 2009)

looks good. With thick drylok it should keep just enough texture and form but fill it in nicely.

Agreed on the back layer-more importantly it will reduce some of the buoyancy and make it easier for the silicon to keep it down.


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## ChadRamsey (Mar 12, 2010)

Thanks for the comments. I cant wait to rake the drylock to it. BUT ill have to muster up the courage to it JUST like when i began the carving. :thumb:


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## Malawi_Junkie (Nov 26, 2009)

Nice work, the color will definitly bring out the texture. No courage needed for the Drylok, if you mess up just go over it. It's basically latex paint.


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## KiDD (Aug 20, 2010)

That thing looks great!


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## tanpogi (Aug 29, 2010)

Looks great!!  I like the details, it looks natural.. Can't wait to see it finished..


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## mightyevil (Oct 23, 2008)

Very, very , very nice! 

One of my favorites already, lets hope the color looks as good as the detail opcorn:


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## mightyevil (Oct 23, 2008)

oh, and I would not get rid of the layer of foam yet, plan your intake(s) and return(s) first and "test fit". If your intake(s) and return(s) allow for you to remove the layer of styro, then by all means remove it but you don't want to remove it only to find out that you need it to hide the intake(s), return(s) or both and any other equipment like your inline heater... 

Just food for thought, I have had my share of experiences... :roll:


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## FlyHigh (Nov 15, 2009)

Is it one big piece or is it split into sections. Is there a center brace on your tank? If so, and it's one piece, I'm not sure you'll be able to fit it into the tank. Just making sure before you go any further. Looks great though.


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## ChadRamsey (Mar 12, 2010)

mightyevil said:


> oh, and I would not get rid of the layer of foam yet, plan your intake(s) and return(s) first and "test fit". If your intake(s) and return(s) allow for you to remove the layer of styro, then by all means remove it but you don't want to remove it only to find out that you need it to hide the intake(s), return(s) or both and any other equipment like your inline heater...
> 
> Just food for thought, I have had my share of experiences... :roll:


yeah thats what i planned to do.


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## ChadRamsey (Mar 12, 2010)

FlyHigh said:


> Is it one big piece or is it split into sections. Is there a center brace on your tank? If so, and it's one piece, I'm not sure you'll be able to fit it into the tank. Just making sure before you go any further. Looks great though.


yes its all one piece. I removed the top brace already, it was slightly melted in one spot from a heat lamp. im just going to replace it.


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## R-DUB (Jun 3, 2007)

I really like your BG! Looks very realistic. One piece of advice would be to remove even another layer of styro. Making it a total of 4" thick. I really do not see a reason for 6" of foam. Save the space for your fish. You should still be able to hide all of your filters and such even in 4" of space. Good Luck! And again GREAT JOB !!
opcorn:


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## aydtxn (Sep 6, 2010)

looks nice!!!!


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## ChadRamsey (Mar 12, 2010)

R-DUB said:


> I really like your BG! Looks very realistic. One piece of advice would be to remove even another layer of styro. Making it a total of 4" thick. I really do not see a reason for 6" of foam. Save the space for your fish. You should still be able to hide all of your filters and such even in 4" of space. Good Luck! And again GREAT JOB !!
> opcorn:


because of the depth of my carving, i am unable to remove 2 layers of the foam from the back. 1 is all im able.

thx for the compliments though


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## ChadRamsey (Mar 12, 2010)

some of you may remember me and this build up. Some may not.

i havent worked on it, nor posted here in almost a year, to the day.

BUT, im back at and havent lost the burn to get it finished. Just been soooooo busy.

I have my first layer of drylock on and and gearing up for another few layers.

I will post again soon.


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## R-DUB (Jun 3, 2007)

opcorn:


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## Steve C (Oct 9, 2011)

Very nice I like the texture of it so far :thumb:


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## ChadRamsey (Mar 12, 2010)

Here it is after 2 coats of drylock. I just love when you THINK that your doing a great job painting this stuff on only to see many tiny spot and crevices that you missed after your done. Tomrrow i am putting on the 3rd and fine coat of drylock, then its on to the color.

Its still wet in this pic.


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## halffrozen (Sep 24, 2011)

Very nice, I am still amazed at how you guys are able to carve so well, lol I want to try it, but I am afraid I will break it all up.

Looks great though!


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## ChadRamsey (Mar 12, 2010)

Here is the intake hole in the BG. It is triangluar in shape and is about 2.5 inches at its widest point. Do you all think that it will be big enough or should i expand it?


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## ChadRamsey (Mar 12, 2010)

halffrozen said:


> Very nice, I am still amazed at how you guys are able to carve so well, lol I want to try it, but I am afraid I will break it all up.
> 
> Looks great though!


thanks, i must admit that before i actually started to carve i was super intimidated. But once i made my first cut, i couldnt stop. It was actually pretty fun.


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## Steve C (Oct 9, 2011)

Looking good. I hear ya about having to go back and touch up missed spots with the Drylok. I've done two coats on mine and "thought" I had every inch of it covered, but after walking away from it overnight then looking again this morning I could see at least 15-20 small spots that I somehow missed last night.


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## The King Crabb (Jun 28, 2011)

Looks amazing! :thumb: :thumb:

I think that hole will be plenty big enough, so long as it's not more than a 1,000GPH pull. :thumb:


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## ChadRamsey (Mar 12, 2010)

75g tank and im using an FX5


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## theoryguru (Oct 11, 2011)

great job! I'll share my 3D project soon. I can't tell you how many times my wife caught me in the garage hovering over the styrofoam wondering 'where to begin?' then again 
when I started painting. But when you find your groove everything falls into place.
Anyways, looking fwd to seeing it installed.


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## ChadRamsey (Mar 12, 2010)

thx theory

heres my first layer of color


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## luvplantsnfish (Nov 21, 2011)

Wow that looks awesome! What kind of foam is it that you use for something like this?


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## ChadRamsey (Mar 12, 2010)

thx. i used 2" pink board. stacked it 4 high and went at it with a steak knife.

here it is again. in better lighting. you can see the colors better. now i need to put white and grey highlights on it.


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## luvplantsnfish (Nov 21, 2011)

Thats awesome! It looks very real I would never think it was foam.


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## 60gallon (Dec 14, 2010)

WOW, that looks very nice! :thumb:


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## ChadRamsey (Mar 12, 2010)

i finished it the other day with a little highlights. i have been talking with mightyevil and he has given me a few great pointers.

Thx Mighty


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## luvplantsnfish (Nov 21, 2011)

WOW that looks awesome! It looks so real you have done an awesome job.


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## 60gallon (Dec 14, 2010)

WOW! :drooling:


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## vann59 (Jun 20, 2011)

Impressive :thumb:


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## ChadRamsey (Mar 12, 2010)

thank you all so much. i really appreciate it.

i dont know what happened in that pic, but that far right hand rock in the top corner really isnt that light colored in person.


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## luvplantsnfish (Nov 21, 2011)

I think the sun is still hitting that corner you are talking about and that's why it looks lighter.


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## mightyevil (Oct 23, 2008)

ChadRamsey said:


> i finished it the other day with a little highlights. i have been talking with mightyevil and he has given me a few great pointers.
> 
> Thx Mighty


I am here to help!

I also think it looks great! In my opinion, you have done better than myself! And I am very picky with backgrounds! =D>

I could see that background with a planted setup and some nice driftwood pieces coming in from the top...


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## ChadRamsey (Mar 12, 2010)

hey mighty. thanks buddy.

i do plan to plant the tank a good bit. i have 2 amazing pieces of driftwood soaking as we speak. one is a stump and the other is a twisted piece that lays on it side thats full of holes and and twists and off shoots and is basically a mess. With a sand substrate.

the tanks main focus will be the decor, and will have a few cichlid and tetra inhabitants.

im thinking:

1.1 electric blue rams
1.1 apistogramma cacatuoides
1.1 api. paucisquamis
1.1 dicrossus filamentosus
5 or 6 angels

thats IF i can find them that is

and a few cats and a school of tetras


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## SeahorseDeb (Nov 1, 2011)

I have seen a lot of these gorgeous DIY BG, and now I give in and must ask the stupid question. How do u clean the algea buildup off of it? I would be fearful of damaging it in any way. Thanks


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## ChadRamsey (Mar 12, 2010)

hey deb. i actually dont seen the alge build up as a problem. i will leave it. a few ottos could keep it under control maybe.


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## stevenp (Oct 13, 2011)

looks pretty gud and realistiac fair play good job :thumb:


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## WhitzEnd (May 2, 2011)

I am loving it so far. I cant wait to get a new tank and start one myself.


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## ChadRamsey (Mar 12, 2010)

thanks yall

quick question. i picked up this knitting mesh to silicon onto the back side of the BG. Will it allow enough water flow to pass? Or should i look for something else that would?

front side









backside


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## newforestrob (Feb 1, 2010)

nice job with the background,that netting should be fine,I used window screening


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## Mike_G (Nov 8, 2011)

It'd be nice if the mesh was a darker color so as not to draw attention to itself, otherwise your BG looks fantastic! :thumb:


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## ChadRamsey (Mar 12, 2010)

thx guys

valid point mike. but actually its not visible really. there is an overhang that obscures the mesh. you have to be on your knees to notice it. BUT ill shop around a tad for a black one maybe.

Thank again


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## CITADELGRAD87 (Mar 26, 2003)

Shoot it with some black spray and wait a day or two to make sure its dry.

Looks great, so good that I urge you to do something about that mesh. Id just spray it and forget it.


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## ChadRamsey (Mar 12, 2010)

thx CITADEL. your right. i will either spray it or swap it out for a black one. no need to cut corners.


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## philscichlids (Aug 15, 2011)

Hey what was the first coatof dryloc ? Was that black or gray ? And when you added the second color over the first coat what did you use ? Paintbrush , sponge ? It looks so nice ! Got it installed yet ?


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## ChadRamsey (Mar 12, 2010)

hello phil

Drylock comes in white. On the first coat i add black quick crete concrete color. I put 3 layers of that on, to ensure that i covered the entire surface.

On the first coat of color, i just took what was left over from the above mixture ( i used a chinese soup tupperware for mixing) and added a little "buff" quick crete concrete color. 2 layers.

Then on the last coat of color i took the above mixture and just added more white drylock to make it a light tan.

All total there are 6 good thick coats on it.

I ONLY used the $1.99 2 inch paint brush from ace hardware. The cheapest one they had.You know the one that you would NEVER paint anything in your house with. The rough looking one. I chose it because it looked like it would add to the texture.

I hope this helps. Feel free to ask any other questions that you may have.


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## DanniGirl (Jan 25, 2007)

Looks great so far! :thumb: 
+1 on the idea of screen mesh. It's flexibility allows an easier adhesion to the background as well.


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## Secretninja (Dec 25, 2011)

Very very nice. I am actually planning one of these now. I hope mine ends up looking half as good as yours.


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## ChadRamsey (Mar 12, 2010)

Thanks Danni and ninja

Im really not all that artistic. So i am sure you will do just fine ninja.

Actually i have been contemplating not using this BG. Selling maybe. I dont know. I am going to palnt my tank and only have a few pairs of dwarfs and i picked up this insane (in my opinion) pieceof driftwood. And i have to either not use the BG or trim the DW alot. So i am torn at the moment.

Im not sure what i am going to do. :-?


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## Secretninja (Dec 25, 2011)

Styro is cheap, driftwood is not. Just my opinion, but leave the driftwood be, and maybe work out a thinner bg. I found some 3/4'' blue styro at lowes for like 12.95 for an 8x4 sheet. I am going to make a very thin bg with it. I will probably keep most of the thing less than 1 ply thick and add on to a few places here and there. I always thought of these as a way to avoid that ugly tape on background or a plane painted one, not as something that should take up much of the water column. Be sure to let us know which way you go.


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## ChadRamsey (Mar 12, 2010)

Yeah I think I am going to go full Planted. No BG.

I believe I'm going to sell/trade this one.

Not sure. It's tearing me apart.


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## Steve C (Oct 9, 2011)

ChadRamsey said:


> Yeah I think I am going to go full Planted. No BG.
> 
> I believe I'm going to sell/trade this one.
> 
> Not sure. It's tearing me apart.


Well I know you didn't ask for MY opinion...but I'm gonna give it to ya anyway :lol:

Personally I think you'll regret not using that BG that you made, for a couple reasons.

#1 you did a great job it looks really good, and I think it will look fantastic in the tank :thumb:

#2 IMO something like a well thought out and well executed BG shows a lot more care & artistic skill in a tank than a piece of driftwood. Wood looks nice, but anyone can go out and buy a piece of wood to put in a tank. Not everyone can take a piece of styrofoam and make it look like a natural setting of a lake.

Just my thoughts on it


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## ChadRamsey (Mar 12, 2010)

Steve C said:


> ChadRamsey said:
> 
> 
> > Yeah I think I am going to go full Planted. No BG.
> ...


Steve, your wrong my friend! I did ask you for your opinion, thats why i posted this thread to begin with. Comments and feedback. :thumb:

Your right, i may regret it. But i have made a decision to go FULL planted. From the begining, even while i planned this BG, i had the intention of doing low tech planting along with it. But after spending hours a day on the planted tank forums, i have decided to go HIGH tech planted. Dirt substrate. CO2. mega lightening, the whole shibang!

Driftwood was going to be my focal points even with the BG. I love the look of the DW. And with the BG taking up a 6" x 48" area (thats approx. 2 sq ft) and the few pieces of DW and pile of rocks that i want to add, there will not be much room for plants and inhabitants. The floor space would be at a premium.

SO! the biggest culprit of cunsumption of said floor space is the BG. Thanks for all the kind words on how well i did not it construction, i really appreciate it, but i am going to let it go. I am going to post it in the "Trading Post" for a nominal price (most likely just to recover my investment) or for trade, and will even ship it if someone is intersted in buying it.

If i had a bigger tank i could use it.


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## DanniGirl (Jan 25, 2007)

I'm sure someone will purchase it. 
Good luck!


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## Steve C (Oct 9, 2011)

DanniGirl said:


> I'm sure someone will purchase it.
> Good luck!


I agree with DanniGirl 100%...I don't think you will have any problem selling that BG. Someone will jump all over that beauty in a heartbeat :thumb:


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