# Trying a diy background in a 75



## CRich2084 (Nov 15, 2007)

Well I bought a new 75 gallon aquarium a few weeks ago and decided to try one of the diy backgrounds I have seen on this site from the many talented users. After much reading in this forum, some research on materials at the local Home Depot, and careful planning, I decided to give it a shot. I used only a handsaw, 100% silicone, styrofoam, and a small handsaw to shape this. The basic principle I used during this build so far is that its much easier to take away than to add. With that being said, here is my progress so far...

The first step was to measure out the interior dimensions of the tank and cut two pieces of the 2" thick styrofoam to those dimensions. I then siliconed them together.









Next, I added some basic shapes of rocks that I wanted to carve.









I then added several more rocks and started carving them to give them a shape with some more jagged edges.









I did the same to the other structure I had attached.









After looking at it for a while, I decided that there was too much empty space and I was not getting the 3D shape that I wanted, so I added another structure.









I carved that structure as well (so far it's my least favorite one) and then cut into the base next to all of the rocks to add more depth.









I then decided where I would want to add filters, heaters and powerheads and cut out a section on the back base for these. The middle cut is for the HOB filter I have,









this cut out corner is for the canister intake and output, as well as the heater,









and this section is for the powerhead (and maybe the heater, I haven't decided where I'm going to put that yet).









I cut out more lines around the rocks (hard to see in this picture) and started on the background carving.









The background is fully carved, with a weak attempt at trying to make it look as if there were depth to it.









In order to get it into the tank, I needed to section the background into 3 separate pieces.









The background placed in the tank with the light on, just to make sure it fit. It took a little bit of trimming along the sides but it finally went.









This is my progress so far. I had to touch up a few spots with silicone so those are curing now. I will still probably touch up some of the rocks that I feel look a little too fake a little more until I am happy with them, there are some straight lines I want to try and get rid of, but probably not too much for fear of ruining the work so far. I plan on adding cement this weekend and probably adding a little color pigment to some spots depending on how it looks with the layers of concrete. I have a few areas where there are overhangs and jut-outs for hiding places. I will probably make some boulders out of styrofoam for the foreground too, and maybe even one of the sides, where I'll be adding more caves for sure. Hope you all enjoy the progress so far, I'm as anxious as all of you to see the final product because so far my vision has been changing every time I work on it. Thanks to all the users who have pioneered the art of making your own background, they are very impressive.

Thanks, and try to keep the shoulda/woulda's to a minimum or else I'm going to get upset that I didn't think of it before! :thumb:


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## rchickering (Jun 10, 2008)

Looks good! Keep posting the pics. What are you looking to stock the aquarium with?


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## BoostedEJ205 (Sep 23, 2008)

Looking good. Yours will be a lot easier to net fish than the one I just finished...lol.


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## non_compliance (Dec 4, 2008)

that looks really sweet. I can't wait to see it once you've got the cement and pigments on it...

Also, keep in mind that the styrofoam pieces FLOAT. They are very hard to keep down if they are not attached to something... even when coated with a lot of concrete.... just fyi.


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

I envy you who can put the image they have into practice.
Looks really good.


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## Maddog (Nov 7, 2008)

looks real good man!


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## steelblue77 (Jan 18, 2009)

You're too hard on yourself. That looks VERY good. Keep us updated. :thumb:

BTW, mbuna would freaking love that.


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

Looks great and I am not a fan of carved foam. Just be sure there is good circulation around that heater, even if you have to make a few curved tunnels connecting to it.


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## CRich2084 (Nov 15, 2007)

Sorry for the delay. I am looking to stock the tank with mbuna, or maybe mbuna with a few peacocks.

I haven't gotten any more work done on the background. I actually put a layer of concrete on one of the sections but I didn't like the way it looked. It just looked very dry and grainy so I took it all off (which was actually very easy to do...just a plastic spatula and a shop vac). Anyways, I have another idea of something to use for a first coat (and maybe the subsequent coats depending how it looks) that I'm hoping to get to this week. I'll post more pictures when I get a layer down.


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## CRich2084 (Nov 15, 2007)

Thank you all for the comments too, you are very kind!


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## rchickering (Jun 10, 2008)

How is the background coming along?

Update some pics!!


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## MightyWarMonger (Mar 20, 2007)

hmmm indeed update please.


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## cindylou (Oct 22, 2008)

How do you keep something like that clean? Looks great :thumb:


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## CRich2084 (Nov 15, 2007)

I finally got to do some work on the background last night. Instead of quikrete I decided to go with grout (at least for the first couple of layers). I'll either stay with grout and add some pigment to get some contrast, or I'll add some quikrete to some parts of it to give it an appearance of different types of rock. Now that the first layer has dried, I am going to try and add a second, thicker layer tonight.


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## CRich2084 (Nov 15, 2007)

Here's a bigger picture


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## CRich2084 (Nov 15, 2007)

Got a second coat down. Not much has changed appearance-wise so its not really worth posting another picture. I'm probably going to shoot for 1 or 2 more coats and then start adding pigment and cement to give the appearance of different rocks making up the background. I'll post pics when it gets more interesting...


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## CRich2084 (Nov 15, 2007)

I finally got the background siliconed into the tank. Attached are some pictures of the progress so far. I forgot to take a picture of the rocks with the finished colors before i turned the tank around to attach the background, but I will do that once the silicone has cured and I fill the tank with water to cycle it before adding fish. I just hope the silicone holds and the background doesn't come detached and ruin all my work!

The back of the background siliconed in:









The canister intake area with screen cover:









The HOB intake area with screen covering:









The power head intake/output with output tube and screen covering:


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## CRich2084 (Nov 15, 2007)

Picture of the BG with tank light on:









From the side to give an idea of depth:









With just the room light on (I think it gives a better idea of the colors):









I used three different colors of gray and a paint brush to get the rock texture. There are probably about 4-5 coats on there, I lost track of how many exactly. The colors will be a little darker when the BG is wet, and the differences between the colors is more pronounced.

It's been curing for a little over 24 hours now, and I have a few more places to touch up with cement before adding water (mainly the seams). I'm going to play it safe and let it sit for a few more days before adding any water to start cycling. I may also seal the edges of the BG with left over silicone. I'm starting to procrastinate now for fear of the BG becoming dislodged on me.


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## Drowned (Mar 16, 2009)

Great one! Can't wait to see it underwater.


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## CRich2084 (Nov 15, 2007)

Finally got it under water. It looks quite a bit darker under water than it did dry. It's holding so far, fingers crossed that it continues to hold while I cycle and then long after I add fish. There's not sand yet because this will be getting moved in the next couple of weeks. Final pictures will be posted after fish and foreground rocks are added.


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## Drowned (Mar 16, 2009)

Really, one of the best DIY backgrounds I've seen. Looks like made of BTN modules! I keep my finger crossed that the silicone will hold it.

Is there a strengthening slat (I really don't know how do you call it in English) in your tank? I really helps to hold the BG from the top. My BG is also very thick and it's held in the tank only with that piece of glass from the top and pushed with big rocks from the front. One month so far and it is OK.


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## BRANT13 (Feb 18, 2009)

Well this was my first time reading this thread and i have to say*CRich2084* U did an OUTSTANDING job.....this makes me want to drain my 75G and make one....very nice job i hope ure proud of it =D> :thumb:


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## CRich2084 (Nov 15, 2007)

Thank you for the very nice comments. I do like the way it turned out. I think it looks much better under water than I had thought it would after staring at it dry for so long.

The silicone held while it was submerged, and the water turned a little cloudy, but it should be good to go after one more time cycling. pH didn't get too high, but then again the water here is around neutral so I could use the buffer. Pics will be up in about a month of the finished product, fish and all.


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## klc9100 (Apr 14, 2009)

AWSOME. you did an outstanding job, man. i would love to do one for my 75, but i don't think i'm artistically inclined enough to pull it off. i'm great at nuts & bolts type mechanical stuff, but the carving would be my downfall.


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## BRANT13 (Feb 18, 2009)

any updates?


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## FishGraves (Jan 3, 2009)

Any updates on this?


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## FishGraves (Jan 3, 2009)

I wanted to follow the instructions on this thread because I love how the background was looking....

any update??? Did you have issues??? Any suggestions???


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## non_compliance (Dec 4, 2008)

WOW!  :drooling: I would have to say that is one of, if not THE best looking DIY backgrounds I have seen on this site. SUPERB job dude. REALLY nice.

Now make me one!


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## R-DUB (Jun 3, 2007)

Great build. Nice job. One question how much space did you lose to the BG. How far does it stick out into the tank?? Good Luck!


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## BurgerKing (Jul 1, 2008)

I think it looks great!!


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## iheartmycichlids (Mar 10, 2009)

Wow! This is awesome. I'm in the process of building my 2nd background, since my first turned out like **** before I could even get the concrete on it. I'm so glad I read this thread, because I've been freaking out about what the seams are going to look like. Never thought about touching up the concrete after it was in the tank! LOL!! PLEASE keep us posted. I'd love to see the end product!


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## Mr Stimson (Feb 19, 2009)

I love it!!! Very well done mate... Fancy making one for my 8 footer???


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## mightyevil (Oct 23, 2008)

Sweet thread, I just went through it opcorn: . The background looks very natural as is but I would encourage pigment for an even more natural look. Great job definitely a great background =D> .


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## morfeus077 (May 9, 2009)

Dood, like everyone else... :thumb:


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## CRich2084 (Nov 15, 2007)

Hey all,

Thanks so much for the wonderful comments. Sorry it took so long for an update, I have been transitioning into med school and a new apartment. Below is the finished tank (starting to stock with mbuna). I am really happy with how it came out and I think all of the caves work well with the lighting. Let me know what you guys think!


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## mightyevil (Oct 23, 2008)

Looks great! :thumb: , I like the dark cave, I dont see any fish :-? , are there any in there yet?


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## CRich2084 (Nov 15, 2007)

Yes, there are a decent amount in there. Unfortunately they are juveniles and they also really like the caves and plants. Hopefully they will come out more once they have had a chance to explore and get used to their new environment.


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## mightyevil (Oct 23, 2008)

The plants and the brown rock you put in there really make the background stand out.


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## CRich2084 (Nov 15, 2007)

The background is starting to grow some algae (starting off brown and now its changing to green). This pic is from about a week ago. There is considerably more growth now and I have changed my stocking so I will try to take another picture this weekend.










On a side note...does anyone now how to control the algae? I don't want to kill it all off completely, but I don't want it to take over, I want a balance. Thanks!


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## herny (Nov 30, 2007)

very nice can we get a updated pics


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## Cheffish (Aug 2, 2009)

http://www.livefishdirect.com/store.php?fid=257

For the algae


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## cameron2324 (Nov 4, 2008)

this may sound silly but does any one have a pic of the back of a DIY background with all of the equipment in place i am just trying get an idea of what it is supposed to look like thx


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## mightyevil (Oct 23, 2008)

cameron2324 said:


> this may sound silly but does any one have a pic of the back of a DIY background with all of the equipment in place i am just trying get an idea of what it is supposed to look like thx


I have a video...


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## CRich2084 (Nov 15, 2007)

I've had bristlenoses before, but never had any luck. They usually got pretty scared of the cichlids and hid most of the time. I ended up going with a couple of fulleborni. They went right after the algae on the rocks/background and funny enough, the other mbuna I had in the tank watched them and followed suit. A lot of the brown algae is turning into green algae now and looks much better. I have to just go into the tank once a month or so and lightly brush off some of the brown algae. I'll get some pics later this week.


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## mightyevil (Oct 23, 2008)

Sounds goo, we will be waiting on the pictures!


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## CRich2084 (Nov 15, 2007)

A little more algae...I changed the stock list and added some more docile mbuna and they have been eating the algae, so there was a lot more last week.


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