# Aquaterra Background Installed



## Guest (Jan 25, 2009)

Well I just finished installing my Aquaterra background. It was way more work then I thought but worth it in the end. I decided early on that I could not justify cutting the background in sections for the price it costs. So I planned to remove the top trim, install in one piece then put the top back on. Sounds easy enough :? Well the top doesn't come off as easily as I thought so I ended up taking it off in sections (insert broke it :x )and replaced it with a new one (it was only $40 from my LFS)

I did seal the front to back and installed all my equipment except the return behind the background.

I only have 6 smaller frontosa's and will eventually be adding some other fish.

The tank is a 150 All Glass with a Mission stand and canopy.


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## alicem (Jul 26, 2007)

Gorgeous background! Whew, buddy, you spent some coin on that setup.
You said, "way more work, but worth it in the end," I'd say, absolutely, nicely done.
Congrats!


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## venustus19 (Aug 30, 2007)

very very awesome background... i wish i could buy one 

one thing i would do though is get the clay pots out of there, and that would make the tank alot more natural.... but to each there own...

awesome either way... great looking tank.


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## Guest (Jan 26, 2009)

They are coming out soon, I had 3 male fronts that were fighting too much but I have removed 2 so I will be pulling the pots out soon and add some small rocks it the front. Thanks for the compliments :thumb:


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## wheatbackdigger (May 11, 2008)

Question. I have this same tank, which I believe is 28" tall. Isn't the aquaterra background 24" tall? Is there a 4" gap or am I missing something? I have been thinking about adding a background, but this has been my concern. Can't find one tall enough, without piecing something together.


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## Grey Legion (Apr 11, 2005)

Looks great, one of the nicest background/tank setups I have seen !!


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## Guest (Jan 26, 2009)

wheatbackdigger said:


> Question. I have this same tank, which I believe is 28" tall. Isn't the aquaterra background 24" tall? Is there a 4" gap or am I missing something? I have been thinking about adding a background, but this has been my concern. Can't find one tall enough, without piecing something together.


I had the same problem so what I did was silicone the background on either end so it had about equal space on the top and the bottom then I used rock (slate and river) and built up the bottom and covered it in sand. The rocks are for support and just in case a fish gets crazy and digs a hole I wanted to make sure he didn't get to the back. I also then lined a layer accross the top but with the canopy and the trim you really can't see it unless you duck down. I will add some pics when I get home tonight.


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## wheatbackdigger (May 11, 2008)

Thanks for the info. I was thinking of trying something similar to that.


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## F8LBITEva (Nov 9, 2007)

outstanding!!!


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## fishnmaine (May 29, 2008)

Jseese,

Nice Tanganyika Rock Background and tank....I would agree to get rid of the pots though and get the matching Rock Modules..............I'm still torn between Rocky lV in charcoal color or Tanganyika Rock in grey color. Did you get it from Aquarium Habitats?


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## Maddog (Nov 7, 2008)

that looks mint man! congrats! get more rocks, less flowerpots!


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## cholile (Oct 28, 2007)

beautiful job. the simplicity of it and the minimal other decor go together quite well. i like the pots (especially the larger one in the middle) and they're not nearly as expensive as the sierra modules.

i too was wondering about the height discrepancy. so you've put 2" or more of sand in the tank to cover up the slate at the bottom that you have the background siliconed to?

and then on top you siliconed rock there as well to stop fish from jumping over?

i've been contemplating purchasing the malawi 3D. I'm not sure of the differences in layout, but is it that bad if fish were able to get behind your background? I figure in a tank that's 150G or more what's the big deal? If the fish is rather large (like a front) then if it is hiding back there there should be enough room to either get it out or direct it to the front and then catch it if it needs to be removed. If it is really small then even if you cannot get it, there are a myriad of other places small fish can hide that they cannot be caught and it isn't the biggest deal. Tell me where I'm going wrong since you actually have the background


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## Guest (Jan 27, 2009)

With the rocks on the bottom and on the top there is no way I see any medium fish would get on the other side. With the rocks there is no direct way a fish could get there. It wouldn't be the end on the world if a fish got in the back but it would be hard to catch as the peaks and valleys on the back would make getting a net in there tough.

Your right on with the sand. I just covered the rocks on the bottom. There was only 2 inches on either end so it wasn't to hard to deal with gluing rocks on the top and bottom.

Th hardest part was the top. With a dremel and a cutoff wheel it came off in pieces but for $40 for a new trim it was worth it.


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## chc (Jul 28, 2004)

Is that the Tang model? I can't make it out.....

Super tank either way!


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## Guest (Jan 27, 2009)

Yep it is the Tang model. Thanks!!

Jon


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## Guest (Jan 27, 2009)

fishnmaine said:


> Did you get it from Aquarium Habitats?


Yes I did,

Jon


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## Guest (Jan 27, 2009)

I need an opinion. I am thinking about pulling the pots and adding a rock module but I am toying the idea around of live plants. Not sure on that or not but I am just thing the green migh add some color but I am also going to be adding some calvus and they like shells so still undecided but any opinions?


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## cholile (Oct 28, 2007)

well ultimately this is an aesthetic question so whatever you like is obviously the best. however, if it was me, i'd stick with the pots.

1. fronts need somewhere to hide and certainly the large pot in the middle looks great. will look even better as a little algae grows on it.
2. the modules are expensive and, unless you cut a large hole (e.g. semi-ruin it) the front cannot hide in it. also, you're tank is fairly thin and the modules are rather large. plus, they do look nice, but i wonder how well they match any background since they are the only modules for all the diff. backgrounds aquaterra makes

ok. that's my pitch for the pots.

as for plants, i also think the way you have it is better. at least until you have your tank stocked as you like it. what's so great is that it is simple, attractive, but not distracting. most people either have attractive but distracting decor/background or bland and not distracting (that's if they have either  ).

if after you get a sense of your stock you want to try plants then my advice (read: what i plan to do for my future tank) is to get one group of plants (preferably tall) and find one choice spot to put them in. That can take away a line of site if a fish is being chased, it can add some height disparity in the front of the tank and the color you seek, but without taking away too much from either the fish or the background you spent more on than most can spend on a tank!


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## ridley25 (Jan 5, 2008)

jseese said:


> I need an opinion. I am thinking about pulling the pots and adding a rock module but I am toying the idea around of live plants. Not sure on that or not but I am just thing the green migh add some color but I am also going to be adding some calvus and they like shells so still undecided but any opinions?


That all sounds pretty difficult to do without removing the fish for a while. Modules kind of want to be siliconed, right?

I'm with cholile on this one. Not every tank has to look the same. I think your centrepiece pot looks pretty cool. I'd try to get a few more like that and imagine that your biotope is beneath some Tanzanian trade route plied by poorly made boats.

I also agree that a small bunch of tall Vals near one corner would give it a splash of colour. If you plant them behind the rock on the left it would give some more depth.

Nice work!

kevin


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## Guest (Jan 27, 2009)

I just thought about the same thing with the module being siliconed in and I am done with any major redos for now. My tank has been tore down for 3 weeks now so I think I iwll leave well enough alone for now. I do like the swords in the corner idea though :thumb:

Jon


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## cholile (Oct 28, 2007)

i completely forgot about siliconing the modules. that's the #1 reason not to do it.

i also notice your tank icon says you have 2 common plecos. if so, i'd get rid of them. they are poo monsters that will just take up space as the grow. if you want algae eaters then 1 bristlenose pleco will do the trick. i would, however, first make sure that aquaterra says their backgrounds are designed to withstand the BNs. My decorative jugs had a lot of the color sucked right off of them in weeks. of course, i liked that since it made them look more natural, but that's not something you want with your background.


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

WOW..just..WOW


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## Guest (Jan 27, 2009)

cholile said:


> i completely forgot about siliconing the modules. that's the #1 reason not to do it.
> 
> i also notice your tank icon says you have 2 common plecos. if so, i'd get rid of them. they are poo monsters that will just take up space as the grow. if you want algae eaters then 1 bristlenose pleco will do the trick. i would, however, first make sure that aquaterra says their backgrounds are designed to withstand the BNs. My decorative jugs had a lot of the color sucked right off of them in weeks. of course, i liked that since it made them look more natural, but that's not something you want with your background.


I will have to update that as they have long since been removed. Thanks!!


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## DREW_BEAR (Apr 28, 2009)

*jseese*
I think your tank looks amazing...i have plans to purchase the same background for my 75 when i get back from iraq...i was wondering what filtering options you chose and how u set it up to hide everything. if you dont mind please could i see more pictures of your setup with filtration setup as well thankyou -Drew


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## ridley25 (Jan 5, 2008)

DREW_BEAR said:


> *jseese*
> I think your tank looks amazing...i have plans to purchase the same background for my 75 when i get back from iraq...i was wondering what filtering options you chose and how u set it up to hide everything. if you dont mind please could i see more pictures of your setup with filtration setup as well thankyou -Drew


This will help:
http://www.gillsnfins.ca/3d_install.php


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## dww-law (Jun 1, 2007)

cholile said:


> well ultimately this is an aesthetic question so whatever you like is obviously the best. however, if it was me, i'd stick with the pots.
> 
> 1. fronts need somewhere to hide and certainly the large pot in the middle looks great. will look even better as a little algae grows on it.
> 2. the modules are expensive and, unless you cut a large hole (e.g. semi-ruin it) the front cannot hide in it. also, you're tank is fairly thin and the modules are rather large. plus, they do look nice, but i wonder how well they match any background since they are the only modules for all the diff. backgrounds aquaterra makes
> ...


Hiding spots and caves can me made of natural rocks (Any landscape place will have the same color rock as your background. I got some from the hills by my house. You have obviously spent a great deal of effort and money with the background (I have the same one). It looks great but the clay pots make it look like a junk yard. Pots are good for breeding tanks but yours is a show tank. Get some natural boulders, put them in the tank and then stack a few on top to create a cave. It will look much better than clay pots.


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## Philg (May 14, 2007)

Outstanding job


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## freshwater100 (Mar 11, 2009)

Great looking tank just replace those pots with some real rocks to give a real look.
Otherwise its a perfect tan BG.


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## Guest (May 8, 2009)

With some live plants and some alage growth here is a recent pic.


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## lamster (Mar 21, 2008)

Wow! Looks even better. Makes me kinda regret buying the Malawi Rock background. :drooling:


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## cholile (Oct 28, 2007)

I've gone back and forth which to get: malawi or tang background.

I wish I could actually see them in person (even better would be next to one another). That'd make it a lot easier for me to decide which to get. I feel pretty confident I want the brownish one rather than the grayish one, but as to whether tang or malawi background I am stumped.


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

:thumb: Very NICE!


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## esben (Feb 20, 2004)

Looks great :thumb:


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## newbie_chichi (Oct 1, 2009)

this is amazing!!


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## non_compliance (Dec 4, 2008)

awesome background... I think I would have put it in UPSIDE DOWN though...


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## Strohs58 (Aug 3, 2009)

=D> =D> =D> :thumb:


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