# DIY Malawi 3D Background



## tomas2010 (Aug 31, 2013)

Here are some pictures of my DIY Malawi background 
Made of polystyrene, cement, sealant and time  you should already know how to make it btw 
Inspired by *Bungy*

Picture 438 by tom.chlipala, on Flickr

I made my 3D background in 3 peaces for kind of easy fitting 


Picture 440 by tom.chlipala, on Flickr

From different angle, just to see if I am happy with it 


Picture 442 by tom.chlipala, on Flickr

Quick look from the other side 


Picture 445 by tom.chlipala, on Flickr

Last chance to make any changes to the shape of the background.
When it was polystyrene only, it was really hard to see depth of the background,so I used sun to help me see better, it was summer time so not much of it lol


Picture 449 by tom.chlipala, on Flickr

Colours used, gold, black and... grey
much better look than just grey 


Picture 450 by tom.chlipala, on Flickr

After applying pond sealer, it look much, much better


Picture 453 by tom.chlipala, on Flickr

Yes much better 


Picture 457 by tom.chlipala, on Flickr

Pond sealant was like special effect to the whole idea 


Picture 510 by tom.chlipala, on Flickr

Paint black areas where you could see the wall


Picture 514 by tom.chlipala, on Flickr

Black paint on the side of the tank
Plus I made something out of the rest of what was left over


Picture 471 by tom.chlipala, on Flickr

Water in 


Picture 518 by tom.chlipala, on Flickr

No, first I wanted to see how it will look wet 


Picture 529 by tom.chlipala, on Flickr

and then water in 


2012-04-08 19.49.52 by tom.chlipala, on Flickr

Finally all done 

and after almost two years, background still there 





The only thing I didn't like about my malawi 3D background was that I wanted different one after few days lol
as this was my first attempt to make 3D aquarium background


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## rgr4475 (Mar 19, 2008)

Looks great, nice work!


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Nice job on the background, thanks for sharing it!


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## cichlid-gal (Apr 27, 2012)

Nice job...looks really good. Would have been a little better if there had been room behind the background for your heater and such. Other than that...perfect!


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## timmyb22 (Jul 18, 2013)

tomas, did you soak your bg for ages to get rid of the chemicals or did the pond sealer negate the need for soaking?


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## ITALIAN926 (Jul 31, 2012)

Nice job, Im doing one myself, not nearly as complicated.


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## tomas2010 (Aug 31, 2013)

Timmy
I didnt really soak the background tbh
Did 3 water changes though but not related to the background.
When I finished my background, I discovered leak and had to put new silicon.
All my tests were ok and after two years still fine
But it was me  test the water and see if you have ant problems.
And make sure you cover well with sealant.
I cant remember if I had 3 coats or two but make sure you cover every bits.


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## tomas2010 (Aug 31, 2013)

Cichlidgal yes after few days I had that in my head hehe also I could make more caves behind it
Or at least much deeper
There is few places where fishes can swim behind or hide but not enough, wish I have it done better lol
Italian it wasnt really complicated
You just go with design as you make it lol
Let you hiden talents show up haha
My main plan was to cover cuts where all peaces came together, wich I almost have done 
but you can still see where two peaces came together.
Sorry guys for delays with reply but I was away for a while 
Thank you all for nice comments


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## tomas2010 (Aug 31, 2013)

Just a quick update  yet another year for my 3d background and still looking good
I think it looks better and better with algee on it.
I must say I am more than happy with pond sealant and now I am sure I will be using on another projects.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

The background looks great with the addition of algae.

Have you experienced any problems with the pond sealant flaking or wearing off anywhere?


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## tomas2010 (Aug 31, 2013)

No problems at all, it looks as strong as it was when I made it few years ago.
I would definitely not make background without pond sealant.


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