# Smooth-On for DIY background



## Off_register (Feb 5, 2015)

Hello everyone.

I am looking to get back into the hobby and start a 75 gallon tank. This time around I am looking into constructing a DIY background for the tank and this would be my first attempt at it. I have been browsing the internet, youtube and this forum for a while now and have seen many ideas and many beautiful backgrounds. I see that Drylok and/or Quickrete atop of Styrofoam is the go-to but I have not seen anyone mention the Company/product Smooth-On, more specificially, Habitat - Free Form...

So my question is, has anyone used this product for their background? If so, how was your experience working with it? Did it adhere well to styrofoam, working time, ease of use, how much did you use for your size tank and so forth. It looks pretty straight forward in their instructional video but those videos always make it look easy and I am looking for first hand experiences, if there are any. I feel If I am going to take up a lot of room in the tank with the background, I would like it to be as interactive as possible with caves, tunnels and maybe even a sandfall. This product seems like it will give me more creative freedom in what I want to achieve for my background.

Below are links to the video section and to the specific product, Habitat - Free Form. The whole site is awesome so I would check it all out!
http://www.smooth-on.com/Aquarium-Decoratio/c1383/index.html
http://www.smooth-on.com/Epoxy-Putty/c1390/index.html

Any comments would be much appreciated. Thank you!


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## Off_register (Feb 5, 2015)

Welp, it looks like no one has used the Habitat Free Form before so I guess I will be the guinea pig with the project. I just bought my 75 gallon tank today so I will be slowly working to get the tank cleaned up and ready for the background project. Gonna be expensive and busy months ahead with weddings and all that fun stuff but I will try and keep this updated if anyone is interested.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

I look forward to seeing this product used so please keep us up to date on your project. I have not heard of this product before but it does look interesting.


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## tomas2010 (Aug 31, 2013)

I have checked them before I made my background. All looks good but if you check all materials you need to make background it's just cost to much at least it was for me. Of course you can make your very own design but it cost to much unless you will make mass production  
I went styrofoam cement and pond sealant instead


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## Off_register (Feb 5, 2015)

I do agree with you Tomas. It will be pricey but I think it would be worth it. I just bought some styrofoam and Drylok yesterday. (I want to coat the whole background even though I will use the putty over it). I just started to create the base for the background. Just putting pieces together, no shaping yet. I just want to create a basic shape and them create the detail with the Smooth on putty. With what I have done so far and being my first background, I can see that it will be a big challenge to create this background with what I initially envisioned. Gonna take some time.


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

I have had the anemone, sponge, and coral pieces. Pretty realistic but not something I would like in my tanks.

The foam background on the other hand, is really cool and I really liked it on display (and for sale by custom order) at a pet shop about an hour drive from me. This one is close to cost effective. Because it can double as a Mattenfilter and a place to hide equipment from curious and destructive cichlids, you get to offset the price of both decor and filtration against its cost.


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