# first 3d Background..110gal tank



## mattduarte (Apr 18, 2011)

well i sold some of my glass art today soo i went to homedepot and got everything i needed to do a 3d background woot woot!! haha.. im gonna use dryloc and going for that underwater cave look.... the big arch in the center is gonna have a hole for the fish to pass thru as well as to let light in and create more shadows.. in this pic the left side isnt cut out yet but i do have the other side cut out now... nothing is glued yet just wanted to get it all laid out.. the bottom right and left corners are gonna be lil cave structres and there will be some others in there as well.. theres a lil log in the upper right corner which i thought was a cool turn out.. and the whole center of the BG where theres no rock im gonna cut that out so the back of the tank which im painting black will show so it looks like the enterence to a big cave..thats the look im going for anyway..

this is my first time doing this soo bare with me lol..








sorry for the cell pic.. gonna bust out the real camera and post more tomrrow


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## xxbenjamminxx (Jan 22, 2011)

Looking good so far :thumb: Keep us updated.


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## mattduarte (Apr 18, 2011)

thanks! heres some better pix of it.. im gonna shape the rocks and lil caves today i should have more pix later tonight..as well


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## mattduarte (Apr 18, 2011)

how many coats of dryloc should i put on before i add the color?


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## DanniGirl (Jan 25, 2007)

Two coats should be fine. :thumb:
_
(BTW, the background looks good so far!)_


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## mattduarte (Apr 18, 2011)

thanks dannigirl!

this question should proly be a no brainer but i should cut the BG into the 3 pieces it needs to be in b4 i put the dryloc right...im guessing it will be a lot harder to cut when sealed


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## mattduarte (Apr 18, 2011)

heres the backgrouns all carved... i still gotta cut the big flat spot outta the center..


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## DanniGirl (Jan 25, 2007)

You're welcome.
The background is looking really good! Love the idea of the cave- and great job on the rocks; has a natural feel to it. :thumb: 
It's your choice- you'll be able to cut the styro either way. Actually, if you seal the background (drylok) it will create a harder surface on the outside and the Styrofoam is less likely to flake off on the outside. 
However, if you cut the Styrofoam before sealing it, it's much easier to sand it down and make sure the pieces fit together like a puzzle. :wink: 
-I prefer the latter method because I don't like to see the seams.


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## mattduarte (Apr 18, 2011)

cool thanks for the advice... today i transfered the fish that were in the tank into another tank untill i finish off this project... the hard part now is moving the tank to the garage so i can clean the remaining lil rocks out and get it nice and clean to glue the back ground in and paint the back of the tank as well... im hoping my wifes pops comes and helps me lift the tank cause im not no muscle man haha...


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## mattduarte (Apr 18, 2011)

got some coats of dryloc on 2 of the pieces of the BG..also put the first coat of paint on the back of the tank...found out fast that oil based paint does not come off the hands..as i went to clean the brush i grabbed the roller and bam instant black hands...and it was my entire palm of both hands... luckly i had some gas i had just got for the lawnmower and it got it off my hands.. now i smell like gas though lol... well more pix to come... heres one to get a better idea of the cave look

















off topic... my new torch came.. was on a waiting list for over a year..same brand as my older one but this one is way bigger.. does a 2" wide flame..its hot..i did some work eariler and it gave me a lil sun burn on my face.. adverage temp is 2500*+


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## Benaiah (Aug 18, 2009)

Looking good!! :thumb: :thumb:


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## DanniGirl (Jan 25, 2007)

mattduarte said:


> found out fast that oil based paint does not come off the hands..as i went to clean the brush i grabbed the roller and bam instant black hands...and it was my entire palm of both hands... luckly i had some gas i had just got for the lawnmower and it got it off my hands.. now i smell like gas though lol...


 LOL!

NICE! I like the attention to detail surrounding the cave! :dancing:










It's going to look nice once you get it in the tank! What color(s) are you going to paint the rocks?









WHOA! That's a little intense.  Nice setup though! :thumb:


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## mattduarte (Apr 18, 2011)

haha ya that torch is a beast.... i got 3 colors to mess with charcol, buff, and brown...i was planning on doing the first coat of color in all brown..then when that dries ill hit it with the buff..then follow up with the charcol over everything.. im hoping the charcol will thin in some spots and show some of the lighter brown colors... i cant wait.. the living room looks naked with out the tank lol

thanks for all the comments!


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## DanniGirl (Jan 25, 2007)

Drybush the charcoal color on and you'll get the thinning/transparent texture that you want.


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## hbbyhorse (Oct 15, 2010)

background looks great! can't wait to see the end result


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## mattduarte (Apr 18, 2011)

thanks! this is the right silicone right..GE1..


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## DanniGirl (Jan 25, 2007)

Yep! 
:thumb:


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## mobafrontlover (May 1, 2011)

Loving the background had 2 that I did first one my 7 stripe first one I ever got figured a way to get behind it so it was let him die or rip it out so it got ripped out and second one looked great but going to get a bigger tank have a 120 now getting 150 or bigger and ordering 10 kipili


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## mattduarte (Apr 18, 2011)

i just finished with the last coat of color being drybrushed on... im really happy on how it looks.. im uploadin some pix right now ill post them in a few


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## mattduarte (Apr 18, 2011)

sorry for the crappy cell pic.. im charging the batt on the good cam... but here ya go..


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## mattduarte (Apr 18, 2011)

2 of the 3 sections for the back ground are siliconed to the back of the tank.. i have some cut 2x4s giving some pressure to hold the BG in place.. tomorrow ill silicone the middle section and the center rock..then its the waiting game.. more pix in a few


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## mattduarte (Apr 18, 2011)

more pix

heres a pic b4 i siliconed it


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## DanniGirl (Jan 25, 2007)

Lookin' good! I like the colors of the rocks; brown showing through the darker pigment. Looks neat in the tank as well. The lighting creates an interesting contrast between the highlights and shadows. :thumb:


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## sprakinhyt (May 2, 2011)

wish you all the best! can't wait to see the final product! :thumb:


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## cchamp (Apr 27, 2011)

The style is really cool. looks great so far!


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## mattduarte (Apr 18, 2011)

thanks everyone! i almost got it all in there, i ran outta silicone so i gotta go pick up some more to glue the center piece in place and the foam rock that will be in the middle of the tank.. i cant wait to put this thing back n the house... the living room looks naked without it lol and its a lil more boring lol tv kinda sux to watch the tank is just as entertaining


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## MalawiHombre (May 5, 2011)

Reallylike the concept of what you went with here. Its different, and you've managed to make a very 3D effect without taking up a lot of water space. Nice! A buddy of mine told I should come to this forum for inspiration because I want to make my own 3D background, and he wasn't kidding.


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## mattduarte (Apr 18, 2011)

thanks! i finally got the last piece siliconed in place...now its just playing the waiting game while it cures... im hoping for it to be back in the house after the weekend or to be extra safe..the following weekend... i really want to get the new fishless cycle going again b4 i leave to oregon at the end of the month... theres a big glass blowing festival going in eugene oregon so if i let the fishless cycle run till i get back maybe it will be completed when i get back


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## xxbenjamminxx (Jan 22, 2011)

Do you have someone to dose the tank with ammonia for you while your gone?

If everything is new, it will prob take 4-6 weeks to complete.


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## mattduarte (Apr 18, 2011)

well its been a while... after i glued the tank in place i left to oregon for a lil bit then kinda got lazy and let it cure for longer.. now its put back in place and filled with water... heres some pix


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## Johann (Dec 25, 2010)

very nice, looks very natural


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## mattduarte (Apr 18, 2011)

thanks! ill have to take some better pix those were with my cell phone... cant wait to get the fish back in there i miss watching them swim around the big tank...the small one there in now is boring lol


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## mobafrontlover (May 1, 2011)

Johann said:


> very nice, looks very natural


 well said looks great


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## Dragonetti (Mar 16, 2009)

Looks great but all that blue lighting drowns out the color.


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## mattduarte (Apr 18, 2011)

ya i noticed that... the light has one white and one blue light in it... im gonna take the blue out and replace it with another white... unless you guys have some other choices i should make with the lighting? also i couldnt find any pure ammonia to add for the fishless cycle so i just put that topfin bacteria supplement in it.. its some what cloudy not bad but not crystal clear.. im guessing that shoud go away after everything gets astablished again..


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