# DIY Styrofoam/Drylok Aquarium Shale Wall Background



## Chasmodes

Hi Everyone.

I've been working on a background for about a year and a half, and should be ready to install it in my tank soon. This background will be for a 75 gallon US Native stream/river tank, and I wanted to try and build a biotope that you might find in one of our local rivers, all of which have shale formations along the river bank. I also wanted to create something that I haven't seen before, so my intent was to have the faux slate stratification at a downward angle. Since much of my research came from this forum, and many of your paved the way for guys like me, I figured that it was time to give something back and show you not only what you've taught me, but what I figured out on my own as well, and we can finish this project together.

The background was carved out of styrofoam boards, then each glued at a 45 degree angle or so when they were done carving. I measured as I built it up. the gap behind the foam board and base were filled with spray foam and river rocks (to reduce buoyancy). I used Gorilla Glue to bond the styrofoam boards together and also used plastic popsicle sticks to help stabilize and bond them. On the left side, there is a PVC pipe that goes down into the background with an intake that I made for the intake tube of my canister filter. There is a removable section of carved foam covering it that allows me access to clean and clear the intake of debris. The part that sticks out of the left side hides the intake.

The pics and video below show what the background looks like today. In the subsequent posts, I'll show how I constructed it. Hope you all enjoy it and thank you for all of the posts of your backgrounds that helped me!

View from the left side:









View from the right side:









Video:





The paint is the second coat of Drylok, tinted to resemble the base rock color of our river cliffs. The first coat was just Drylok gray. I will be stippling lighter shades of this color a few times to make the rock less monotone and more realistic, and then finish with light color highlights. Construction steps to follow in the next posts. It may take me a few days to get this thread going to the point we are today. But, I'll start with my first steps.


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## Chasmodes

I started by building a foam board frame, then started cutting my soon to be faux shale layers. I carved each one, then glued them one at a time. I started by working on the right of three sections. Then, as I went a long, I started on the second section to coordinate the seam between the two. I wanted the seam to look like a natural looking crevice in the rock rather than just a seam in a background. Eventually, I did the same thing with the third section, and built it up one layer at a time for each section.

Starting frame of the right section with some of the layers carved and glued, you can see the popsicle sticks that were eventually glued in as well for more support:









Wood kabob skewers came in handy to position my work as I went. Eventually, the right side of the frame was discarded and the layers now go right up to the glass.

Working on the right and middle sections, matching the crevices created to cover the seam:

















Flat foam board surfaces don't look real. When using this concrete block to weigh down the glued boards, I learned that was a good way to make them look realistic, by pressing things into the foam board and breaking up that flat surface:

















Building up the right and middle sections:


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## Chasmodes

The wooden kabob skewers also came in handy to carve out cracks in the foam, to look like rock cracks:

















In this picture, you can see as I built up one layer at a time, I used spare foam board pieces as a support to arrange and glue my carved boards. This was needed to support the weight that I put onto the glued boards. You can also see how I used the plastic popsicle sticks and glued them into drilled holes in the foam board for added support and structure:


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## Chasmodes

Pressing things into the foam board surface, as I said before, makes the rock more realistic. I also started incorporating pressing objects in to look like Devonian sea fossils. Coral pieces, sea shells, and even a simple spring, that I could bend, did the trick:

























It started to look a bit like real shale fossil rock... Here is a pic showing my work along with the photo that I used as my inspiration to carve:


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## Chasmodes

Showing the work on the third section:

























I used spray foam and stuffed river rocks into the gaps behind the background base that would be glued to the glass and the carved out faux shale foam boards. Make sure that you use rubber or latex gloves to protect your skin from the foam...nasty stuff. By the way, the spray foam also helps to really bond the foam boards too:









After spraying, I had to carve away the excess, and make sure that the two sections fit. Eventually, I did this between the second and third sections as well:


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## Chasmodes

The next step was to build the cannister filter intake and the right end to finish off the background structure:

























And now to hide the intake pipes... I painted the PVC pipe black with spray paint, then built some foam structure for my final faux shale layering of the left side, third section:


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## Chasmodes

This piece is removable so that I can access the drain pipe for cleaning and clearing debris. The challenge for this was to design a way to hold it in place and have it not float away. I won't know if it finally works until I install the background and fill the tank with water, but I think that my design should work. If it doesn't, then I'll redesign and adapt.









The drain is now hidden, in the hole in the faux rock:

























The removable piece is held in place by the layers above it, as it slides into the structure for a tight fit:


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## Chasmodes

Here the structure is fitted into the tank. It is a tight fit and will be a challenge to glue it in. I'll explain how I did that after I'm done...not quite there yet.

















I had a gap in the back because not all foam boards are square or equal. So, I used egg crate and spray foam to give me a good place to glue the left and third structure to the glass, giving me a good cosmetic fit on the outside. The other two sections butt right up against the glass just fine. I also used spray foam to level out the third/left section on the bottom for the same reason:









this pic shows the structure from the left side of the intake pipe:


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## Chasmodes

To keep the bottom of the removable piece from floating up and away, I glued in some plastic spaces that I found at the hardware store in place into the structure, and also into a foam piece glued to the underside of the removable piece. I can slide a plastic popsicle stick into the hole through both plastic spacers to hold it in place. I think it will work...time will tell.

The spacer glued into the structure









..and into the removable piece:









The plastic popsicle stick fits right in, holding it in place:


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## Chasmodes

Last week I painted the first layer of gray Drylok to cover the entire structure other than where I'll silicone it to the glass. I wanted to hide all things pink and yellow...









Middle section:









Left section:









Left section without the removable piece:


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## Chasmodes

And to bring us up to date, this past weekend I painted the base color. I used gray Drylok, mixed in charcoal color liquid cement dye, and a little bit of yellow paint to make it less gray. This turned out to be the right color mix for the rocks that I'm imitating in my river:









I used several paint brush types to get the paint mix into every crack and crevice, this time to hide the undercoat of Drylok gray:









As the background sits today:









Here is a video showing in detail how I carved the shale pattern for each foam board, and how I made the cracks too:





I started this process a year and a half ago. I lost time in the build due to family matters and other things (like my outdoor hobbies), and also to think things through on how to do this. There were time gaps where I struggled on a road block in my process before I came up with an idea how to proceed. And there were times were I wasn't motivated...but, now I'm so close to finishing that it should be long. It's time to get this tank done and cycled, and get some fish in it.

I think that if I was diligent from day one, that I could have worked on this an hour or two a few times each week, that I could have gotten to this point in a month or two. Well, I hope you like it so far. I'll post updates as I finish this build. Next up, stippling layers of lighter shades of the base rock color and then highlights. After that, gluing/installing this background into the tank. It fights tightly between the bottom of the tank and the tank frame/top, but I still plan on using a lot of silicone to keep this thing from floating up. I may wind up finding a way to brace it in at the bottom. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it I guess.


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## Chasmodes

Sorry folks, I messed up and duplicated a pic in a post above, it should have read like this:



Chasmodes said:


> I started by building a foam board frame, then started cutting my soon to be faux shale layers. I carved each one, then glued them one at a time. I started by working on the right of three sections. Then, as I went a long, I started on the second section to coordinate the seam between the two. I wanted the seam to look like a natural looking crevice in the rock rather than just a seam in a background. Eventually, I did the same thing with the third section, and built it up one layer at a time for each section.
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> Starting frame of the right section with some of the layers carved and glued, you can see the popsicle sticks that were eventually glued in as well for more support:
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> Wood kabob skewers came in handy to position my work as I went. Eventually, the right side of the frame was discarded and the layers now go right up to the glass.
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> Working on the right and middle sections, matching the crevices created to cover the seam:
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> Flat foam board surfaces don't look real. When using this concrete block to weigh down the glued boards, I learned that was a good way to make them look realistic, by pressing things into the foam board and breaking up that flat surface:
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> Building up the right and middle sections:


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## Deeda

Nice job on the background and excellent pics describing the build!!


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## Chasmodes

Thank you Deeda!

I added another coat of Drylok paint today, the same basic charcoal color with a splash of yellow, but a little bit lighter shade. This is to enhance the cracks and bring out the rock into a 3 dimensional appearance rather than a monotone dark charcoal color. I will do this a few more times, but with a lighter shade and less paint each time. One of these coats will have a more brown tint. After that, it will be brighter colors for highlighting only, but maybe some very light red and/or green added to break up the gray. I will decide as I go based on what it looks like.

This coat was applied by stippling the paint onto the background with a sponge. The key was to not use too much paint, and try and keep the sponge somewhat dry. Also, this coat covers more surface area than future coats. The mix was Drylok gray, a dab of charcoal cement dye, and some yellow acrylic paint:









After testing on a scrap piece, I moved to the real thing and applied the paint to one section to make sure:









I was pleased with the result, so I stippled the entire background. All three sections completed, view from the left side:









View from the right side:


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## Chasmodes

The next lighter layer added:


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## freshwaterhobby

Super creative and really cool looking!!
I didn't know all those materials were safe for aquariums...but I assume they are since you have put so much heart and soul (and time) into it


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## Chasmodes

freshwaterhobby said:


> Super creative and really cool looking!!
> I didn't know all those materials were safe for aquariums...but I assume they are since you have put so much heart and soul (and time) into it


Thank you freshwaterhobby! Yes, they're safe. I did a ton of research before moving forward with this on this and other forums. Basically, once dried, all of the materials used are inert. Drylok is a waterproofing sealant and is also inert. The only thing that you have to be careful with when buying Drylok is to make sure that you get the regular Drylok paint, and *not* the Drylok Extreme, because it does have chemicals to prevent and kill mold, which could be harmful to your fish.


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## freshwaterhobby

Thanks for the tip! Can't wait to see your finished product


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## Chasmodes

You're welcome. Me too


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## Chasmodes

I painted the last lighter layer of this paint mix. I'm really happy with it so far. It is still a monotone color, although it no longer is the charcoal color of the cement dye, the yellow gives it a greenish gray tint. So for the next layer or two, I plan to add a little brown and maybe green. I don't think that I'll cover the entire wall though, just a dab here and there. I may even focus on a few of the shale layers to add to differentiate some strata, as you might see in nature:

























I really like how using Drylok rather than a layer of dried cement allows you to bring out the detail that you carve. That is a good thing unless you carve a mistake! In this case, the faux fossils that I pressed into the foam show up well. I'm happy that i started with the darkest color first and then added the highlighting, because it really makes the cracks and faux fossils pop. 

















I used springs that I had laying around the house to imitate crinoid stem fossils by bending them and pressing them into the foam. I also pressed in small sea shells to imitate brachiopods and other bivalves. The coral that I pressed into the foam turned out nice too. It is subtle, but was enough to break up the flat shiny surface of new foam board. I don't know how much will show up later after algae builds up, but for now, I'm happy with how it turned out so far.


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## Chasmodes

I sponged on a little brown last night on a few layers to break up the monotone color and display a more stratified effect. I will touch it up a little more perhaps before installing it into the tank this weekend.


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## Chasmodes

One of my biggest concerns with the background is the amount of foam that I used and the risk that the entire thing will float up to the top after I fill the tank with water. To mitigate those risks, I filled the structure with river rocks and used spray foam to fill in the gaps. The foam will help bind all of the foam boards together along with the glue and plastic popsicle sticks that I used for the internal structure. The river rocks were to offset the buoyancy that the extra foam might cause. Also, the structure is big enough that it fits tightly in place under the frame of the tank. The junctions of the three foam sections also are shaped in such a way as you can't just pull them straight out. I plan to use a ton of silicone to affix this background to the tank glass underneath, on the sides and on the back of the background structure. The Drylok application made the fit even tighter. It fits so tightly that I can't pull it straight out to the front of the tank. I think that it might not need the silicone to stay in place, but I'm not going to take a chance on not using the silicone.

Last night, I fit the structure into the tank. The tight fit discussed above created another problem. Not only will it be challenging to apply the silicone neatly, but I had to really push to get it into place. The tight squeeze caused about a quarter sized spot of Drylok to chip away at the junction of the center and right sections. I'm going to pull it out and repaint that spot, but if it happens in during the final installation, then I'll just have to do an in-tank touch up. I'd rather not do that, but....I gotta get it done.

Here's what it looks like from the left side, you can't see the spot that chipped away. The spots that you see are just a reflection off of the glass.








You can see where the paint chipped away near the top of the junction of the middle and right sections, leaving the pink foam exposed. It should be easy to fix, so I'm not that worried about it.


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## Chasmodes

I installed my background into the tank last night with silicone. I faced several issues that I had to deal with that have bothered me since I finished the construction of this beast, and two issues that I hadn't thought about. The issues were:

1) I used enough foam board and spray foam when constructing this background to float my boat, and needed to use a ton of silicone to keep it from ripping away and floating.
2) Because this background fits tightly when fitted into the tank, you have to slide the last section in to get everything to fit, so, I couldn't silicone one section at a time in place. I needed the silicone to remain uncured and wet during the process.
3) How exactly could I accomplish physically solving the two problems above without making a mess.
4) While applying the silicone, I wasn't sure if I purchased enough tubes, and it was Thanksgiving afternoon, and finding a store that was open to sell them to me was a problem. Not only that, we had family plans, and time for me to work was limited.
5) The silicone fumes were intense.

Below are pics of the process, and explanations on how I dealt with each issue.

First, I cleaned the tank and drew lines with a sharpie of approximately where I needed to apply silicone directly to the glass. 









Issue #1: Applying enough silicone to keep it from breaking away and floating. I applied silicone directly to the glass, then to the back and bottom of each background section. I cut each tube to allow me to apply a thick bead of silicone to each surface. On the backgrounds, I focused on areas that may not make contact with the glass, thinking that the silicone on the glass and in a given crevice would make contact and bond, and the areas that made direct contact with the glass would have sufficient silicone from the amount that I applied to the glass.

































Issue #2: Solved by installing everything as soon as possible. My only mistake was applying silicone to the right side of the last section. I should have applied a thicker amount of silicone directly to the glass, so that when I slid the last section into place, it wouldn't make a mess. Issue #3: I left enough room on the edges of the structure to be able to lift and maneuver each section into place. This also kept most of the silicone out of sight.









Issue #4: Solved, because I barely purchased enough. I went through 7 tubes. Using a very thick bead causes you to go through each tube much quicker than you would for household applications. Issue #5: My entire rec room still smells of silicone. I had a really tough time after installing the first section, especially reaching over the tank. The fumes were intense. I had to turn away, take a deep breath of fresh air, then hold my breath while working in the tank the rest of the time. I opened the door to the outside, and that, at least, allowed me access to some fresh air. It didn't help inside the tank though.

In the above pic, you can see the mess that I created while sliding in the last section of the background. It's not a big deal. I'll take a razor blade to it after it cures. Here's a closer look of the mess:









After gluing it all in place, and pressing it as firmly as possible against the glass, I installed the removable piece for a pic of what is should look like once the tank is up and running:









Next steps:

I need to paint the glass on the sides and back where the background meets the glass, to hide the ugly silicone work. There is a gap between the first two sections where light passes through. Painting the back of the tank should hide that and make it look like a natural crevice. There is a gap on the lower part of the left side that I may have to deal with. I haven't decided if I'll apply a little foam there and carve it back, and paint it, or just leave it as it is. It bothers me though (you can't see it in this pic), because the silicone shows through there and looks unnatural.

I'm going to give this some time, about three weeks, to completely cure. Then, I'll fill the tank and test to see if the installation and glue holds up enough to move forward. I'll leave it filled for 24 hours. If it doesn't rip away and break the glass, and flood my basement, then, I'll move ahead. I am fairly confident that it will be OK.

I will begin working on the fake roots. I trashed what I had done so far...didn't like it. I have a plan though. In the meantime, I need to head to the river and start collecting rocks, gravel, and sand to hardscape the tank and get it ready to set up. Once I do that, then I'll set the tank up. The roots will be installed after the tank is up and running, unless I can finish them earlier than planned.

As far as substrate goes, I would like to grow stargrass at the right third of the tank, so my bottom layer of substrate will be dirt to provide nutrients for the grasses. Sand and gravel will go over top of that.

The thought of installing this thing posed some issues and was a source of my procrastination...the thought that it wouldn't work had occurred to me. Yesterday, I woke up determined to move forward. I'm glad that part is behind me and my stress level is way reduced.

After the tank is cycled, then the fun part begins...collecting and stocking.


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## skwerl

Thank you so much for sharing this process with us! It is looking great so far!


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## Chasmodes

skwerl said:


> Thank you so much for sharing this process with us! It is looking great so far!


Thank you skwerl, and for following along!

Next steps while the silicone is curing (I'm giving it 3 weeks, just to be safe, and it still smells like vinegar):

-build the DIY sycamore roots. I'm scrapping what I've done so far on that - don't like it. I'm going to try some new things, using PVC pipe, plaster gauze wrap, grout, Drylok and cement dye to form the roots. Why not just collect driftwood? Because, I want them to be a certain shape and form to hide my powerhead and equipment, and to have them easily removable for maintenance.
-collect sand and river rocks

-Hopefully Santa will bring me a new light fixture. My old fluorescent fixtures aren't functioning, and the cost of parts is probably worth more than the fixtures. I have my eyes in a Finnex planted light. This is the only equipment needed.

When setting up the tank, the right side of the tank will have substrate to support growing river stargrass. After filling the tank and setting it up, I'll collect fish and stock the tank. I'll eventually collect the grass to plant (next summer).

So, things will move along quickly in a few weeks. I am chomping at the bit to get this tank set up!


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## Steve C

Nice work looks like it is coming along very nicely.


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## Chasmodes

Thank you Steve. Also, thanks for all of your DIY background posts. I learned a lot from them and was inspired by your work!


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## Steve C

Glad you found some of my posts helpful. The silicone fumes are fun aren't they?  lol. I did my first one just holding my breath, then after that first one I went out and bought a full face respirator. You wouldn't think silicone fumes could be that bad but get it in an enclosed area like working in a tank and it'll burn your nose right off


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## Chasmodes

Steve C said:


> Glad you found some of my posts helpful. The silicone fumes are fun aren't they?  lol. I did my first one just holding my breath, then after that first one I went out and bought a full face respirator. You wouldn't think silicone fumes could be that bad but get it in an enclosed area like working in a tank and it'll burn your nose right off


You got that right, that's exactly what I did. I had to come up for air several times. If I did this more often, I'd invest in a full face respirator too. Even today, close to the tank, it still reeks, but gets less every day. Two more weeks and I'll fill the tank and test everything out! I need to test to see if everything holds up, test the removable section, test my circulation pump, and test my canister filter/DIY spray bar, and most of all, test to see if the tank still holds water after all that! If everything goes well, I'll collect my rocks and gravel, then fill the tank and cycle it. Then the real fun begins, fish collecting and stocking.


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## Kipnlilo

Looking awesome! Have you got it full of water yet?


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## Chasmodes

Thank you Kipnlilo! Not yet. I had planned to test everything this weekend, but wanted to have my river rocks and gravel in place first. I was hoping to get out and collect some sand and gravel this past weekend, but it rained a ton and our rivers and creeks are flooded. I managed to use a razor blade to scrape off as much excess silicone as I could, so at least I made a little progress. Once the river and creeks are back to normal, and if everything isn't iced up, I'll get out and get some gravel and river rocks. I want to use gravel and rocks from the same ranges that I collect the fish as much as I can.

I also purchased additional materials to build my DIY sycamore roots yesterday, and will get started on that soon. I don't need to have the tank empty to complete them, as I plan to make them removable. The main purpose is to have something realistic looking hide my powerhead, and DIY roots can be made in a the exact shape that I need. Also, the DIY roots don't float, so no soaking. Hopefully, they'll turn out nice and I'll use them. If not, I'll scrap them and search for a good piece of real driftwood that will work.


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## Kipnlilo

Sycamore roots sounds really nice. Flooded and icy sounds cold, I wouldn't be in a hurry either. Lol!


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## Chasmodes

I finally got my butt in gear and started back on the roots. I don't know if you all remember, but I scrapped my last attempt because, I just didn't like the way it was turning out. So this time, I decided to start by building the frame first, and not try to work details in as I went, and I'm much happier with the progress. Basically, I worked with just CPVC pipe, CPVC fittings, a heat gun, and a few zip ties to build the frame. I'm almost done with the frame, then I'll apply the CPVC glue and lock it up. I'm making these roots removable to make maintenance on the tank easier. Here is what it looks like so far:

Full tank shot:









Close up:









Here is what it looked like before (ugh):









Next steps:
* Glue the CPVC structure together
* Glue some rope and other detail materials in place with a hot glue gun
* Wrap as much pipe as I can with plaster gauze to give stuff something other than a slippery surface to cling to
* Apply some spray foam to some areas for bulk and to get rid of straight lines to make it more realistic.
* Carve the foam to finish the base skeleton of the roots
* Apply grout for the next most outer layer of the roots to provide the final amount of bulk and sculpting for realism.
* Paint and seal with Drylok mixed with cement die to provide the final details and realism but also to seal in the grout to prevent pH issues.


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## Kipnlilo

Looking good, what are you using for the fine roots coming out of the pipe? It looks like speaker wire?


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## Chasmodes

Kipnlilo said:


> Looking good, what are you using for the fine roots coming out of the pipe? It looks like speaker wire?


Thank you Kipnlilo. Well, the last picture is what I scrapped, but I may do something like that when I work on the detail later, prior to foaming and applying grout, just not to that extent. It's metal coiled wire from the hardware store pushed into aquarium air line tubing. I don't mind using metal in this tank, although it wouldn't matter because it will all be covered in grout and Drylok anyway.


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## Kipnlilo

I agree, as long as it's covered and sealed it would be fine. Keep up the good work.


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## Chasmodes

Thank you! What I like about using it is that yo can easily shape it any way that you wish. I think that I might have to find a way to rough up the airline tubing so that foam and/or grout sticks to it. My guess is that sandpaper would do the job.


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## Chasmodes

Hey everyone. I made more progress yesterday. First, I glued all of the PVC joints. I tweaked a little bit by bending some more of the existing pipe, then bent and added another pipe. After that, I zip tied it and a couple different thicknesses of rope to help break up the straight edges and give the main roots more bulk. Next, I'll use a hot glue gun to affix the rope a little more in strategic places, maybe add some more, to create more knots and ridges and stuff, and add more detail. I may add some smaller "twigs" as well in strategic places. Once I'm done with that detail, it will be time to foam, to get rid of straight edges and evidence of pipe fittings, and to consolidate the pipe and rope into the overall shape of each root. I'll have to do some carving and sanding after that to finalize the shape. Once that's done, I'll coat it with grout to give the entire structure rigidity, weight, form, and bulk, and hopefully the overall smooth texture characteristic of sycamore roots. The final step will be to paint the structure with Drylok mixed with cement dye to seal everything in and give it a final touch of realism.

The issue that I'm struggling with now, although I'm not near that step, is what color to paint the roots. Should I paint them to look like the roots would look like if not yet submerged? Or, should I paint them to look like they've been underwater a long time. What do you think? I'm leaning toward the latter. Eventually, stuff like algae will build up on them, but I don't think it would look like they do in the wild for years, and I want that realism right away.

Pics of my progress:

I also glued my DIY spray bar for my canister filter together. This will channel water over the top of the roots, while a large powerhead, hidden within the roots, will push water through the roots and the tank and provide most of the flow. I figured that this current arrangement would best mimic current through a natural undercut root against a cliff. I had to trim the root structure and inch or so to get it to fit correctly. Here is what it will look like from above the tank:









The root structure as it looks like today:









Full tank shot:


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## Kipnlilo

Looking great! I think the smaller twigs/roots will really make it come to life.


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## skwerl

Looks good! The earlier pictures scared me. They looked like some giant spider crab. :wink:


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## Chasmodes

Thank you Kipnlilo and skwerl! I should make a lot of progress this weekend. I can't wait to get to work on it. My goal is to make it look realistic, not just a bunch of pipe in the shape of a spider crab, LOL. Yes, it did resemble a spider crab! I have a lot of work to do to get there, but, I see a path foward, finally. There are still a couple things that I don't like about it, and I may make a few modifications.


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## Steve C

Looking good so far. What are you planning on coating the roots with? I read you said foam, but guessing something like great stuff or something like that?

As to color, I'd agree with the later of the two you are thinking (roots that have been submerged for a while). If you make them a lighter color like roots that have not been submerged I think the contrast may be a bit too mach against your shale color BG. So something that looks like it has been in the water longer will probably look best.


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## Chasmodes

Thank you Steve! I think you are correct and will give the roots an underwater look. I have underwater photo examples to follow for that.

AS far as covering, I'm going to fill in some gaps and angles to get rid of unnatural lines with black pond foam (similar to Great Stuff). After that, the next layer(s) will be grout, and then painted with layers of Drylok/cement dyes. I'm going to use more grout than foam to reduce buoyancy as much as I can, but will need both to do the job.


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## Steve C

Cool look forward to seeing the progress. I use a lot of drylok and have used great stuff, but haven't tried grout. You'll have to be sure to post up your how your experience with it goes.


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## Chasmodes

Hi everyone. I added more structural detail including a tree root knot and an area where bark wore away, and some twig like roots. I also added one more small root to break up the large open space a bit. I was going to apply some hot glue on some key spots so it holds tightly during the foaming step, but, I'm out of hot glue sticks, so I'll have to pick some up tonight. After I hot glue everything in place, then it's foaming time. Here are some pics of the progress:

Some detail added to the long root:









The knot:









The worn spot:









The overall structure:









Fitted in the tank and a close up in the tank:


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## Kipnlilo

The knot hole with rope is genius! Can't wait to see it with foam and carved.


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## Chasmodes

Thank you Kipnlilo! I hope to get that phase done this weekend.


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## Chasmodes

I was able to work on my background and roots again this past weekend. First, I used a hot glue gun to secure all of the root structural pieces and fill in some of the smaller gaps. I may do more of this in the future.

After that, I used Beckett's Pond Foam to fill in the gap in the background between the center and left piece. It turned out well, so I'm pleased.









Then, I used the spray foam on the roots to fill in gaps and add some bulk to the root structure. It was a messy process, and it expanded a lot more than what I think the directions stated, so I'll have plenty of carving and sanding to do to transform the structure from a bunch of pipe with blobs to a more realistic root structure. Overall, I'm pleased with the result. I've never carved this stuff before, so I'll have to experiment on what tools to use. Below are some pics of the roots after foaming.

The foamed root structure:









The knot:









The eroded root:


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## Kipnlilo

Good luck with your carving. Can't wait to see more.


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## Thalas_shaya

Really starting to take shape! Thanks for sharing your progress.


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## Chasmodes

Kipnlilo said:


> Good luck with your carving. Can't wait to see more.





Thalas_shaya said:


> Really starting to take shape! Thanks for sharing your progress.


Thank you! I think the fun part will be applying the grout, and it should really start looking like something other than pipes with stuff on them, LOL.


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## Steve C

> it expanded a lot more than what I think the directions stated


Yep ain't that the truth  I remember the first time I used it it started to grow like one of those kids toys you soak in water that expands, it must have expended 10x more than I thought it would lol

Looking good it's coming along very nicely.


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## Chasmodes

Steve C said:


> it expanded a lot more than what I think the directions stated
> 
> 
> 
> Yep ain't that the truth  I remember the first time I used it it started to grow like one of those kids toys you soak in water that expands, it must have expended 10x more than I thought it would lol
> 
> Looking good it's coming along very nicely.
Click to expand...

Thank you Steve.

I've used great stuff several times, and it didn't seem to expand as much as this stuff did. The can said 3x, but you're right, it's like 10x! It also came out of the CAN very slow, almost painfully slow. Maybe they did that on purpose...now I know. I don't want so much foam that it floats concrete, LOL! So, I have a bunch of cutting, trimming and sanding to do. One thing that i learned from this, is that I can fill smaller gaps with hot glue, and it's way cheaper than foam, doesn't float, and you can control exactly the size and shape you want (for the most part). I did learn the hard way...that glue is hot! (DUH! :lol: ). I can't wait to get this carving part done. Applying the grout should be fun...I get a kick out of the shaping/sculpting thing. I also need to make sure that I use enough grout to make sure this thing doesn't float, or find a way to attach it to a piece of tile or something, and silicone it to the bottom of the tank.


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## Steve C

I don't know why some cans of that stuff do that. I've had a few like that too. One can you have to squeeze the trigger so hard to get it to come out and then it comes out at a snails pace, then the next can shoots out like a fire hose. I've always wondered if it maybe has a shelf life and some cans are older than others perhaps.


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## Chasmodes

Steve C said:


> I don't know why some cans of that stuff do that. I've had a few like that too. One can you have to squeeze the trigger so hard to get it to come out and then it comes out at a snails pace, then the next can shoots out like a fire hose. I've always wondered if it maybe has a shelf life and some cans are older than others perhaps.


You described exactly what happened to me, that it came out at a snails pace and I had to squeeze the heck out of the trigger. Come to think of it, I did purchase this stuff quite a while ago. So that makes sense about the shelf life. Another issue I had was that, having to put a lot of effort into squeezing the trigger, the dang tube would come unscrewed as I worked, so I had to constantly tighten it up again. What a pain in the neck that was. Live and learn, eh?


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## Steve C

How goes the roots Kevin, any more progress on them lately?


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## Chasmodes

Steve, the root build is moving along, slow but steady. Other activities are getting in the way, LOL (Ice fishing, end of bow season, and family plans). I used spray foam to fill in some gaps and add some bulk (posted last time) and have since carved and sanded the foam. I got rid of a good bit of the expansion, to improve the look and texture, and to reduce the amount of foam overall to help keep them from floating.

Here is a before carving/sanding pic:









Here are some pics after carving/sanding:

















Fitted in the tank:









The next steps will be to first, cover the pipe with plaster wrap to give the grout something to hold on to. Then, apply the grout for the final bulk and root shaping, including more carving for realism. After that, I'll paint the structure with Drylok mixed with cement dyes to get the coloration that I want.


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## wryan

Lookin' pretty kewl ... :thumb:


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## Kipnlilo

It's starting to take shape! Great work!


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## Chasmodes

Thank you wryan and Kipnlilo!


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## Steve C

Coming along very cool looking.


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## Kipnlilo

Any updates chasmodes?


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## Chasmodes

Thank you Steve.

Kipnlilo, not much to report lately, sorry about that. The only thing that I've done is to begin cutting my plaster cloth strips to sizes that I think will work. It's been on my mind every day though. I was on vacation for a week, then sick for ten days. I'm just getting over it now and getting my energy back. I'll definitely get to work on it this weekend though, maybe sooner.


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## Kipnlilo

Glad you're getting over the sickness. I hate being sick for one day, let alone ten.


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## Chasmodes

Thank you. I turned the corner the other day, feeling better every day now. Yesterday was the first day that I had enough energy to start catching up on my chores around the house. I'm ready to work on the tank again, but probably tomorrow night, definitely on Friday. The funny thing is that I've been having dreams about working on these roots...it's becoming an obsession. When I was cutting the strips, I realized that I might not have enough of the plaster cloth, so I think I'm going to stop by the hobby store tonight on the way home from work to pick up some. Hopefully, they have it in stock. If they don't, I might have to get creative with some glue and burlap perhaps.


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## Chasmodes

I made substantial progress on the faux sycamore roots for my 75g FW stream tank this weekend. I put about two hours of work on it Friday afternoon, and another couple hours on Saturday morning. I applied plaster cloth to give the structure some more form, and to provide something for the grout to adhere to other than just smooth PVC pipe. I struggled mentally with how this might work and when first working with the plaster cloth, I found it not as easy to work with as I had hoped. However, once I figured out the best way to get it done, I made the best out of the situation that I could, and it worked out well, I think. What was the problem? Basically, the wet plaster cloth losed rigidity fast, as expected, but likes to stick to itself sometimes better than what you're applying it to. Also, it is difficult to work with in tight spots, in this case, between roots. And finally, gravity works against you if you try and work under the structure. To solve the last problem, I simply worked on the front/top first, and then flipped it over to work on the back/bottom of the structure. After that, I flipped it back over, and put the finishing touches on.

In this pic, my first attempt at application, you can see what I'm working with, as I place the wet plaster cloth onto the structure. Basically, you drag a strip of the cloth across a pan of water, and then apply it to your structure. Then, use your fingers to spread the plaster around a little bit. This becomes the base for the next strip, as you have to overlay the next strip in some way over part of the first one. As I said earlier, it sticks best to itself.









After I was done with it, I took a few photos off the work bench. This first one is a front view:









Front, sort of off to the right:









Right side view:









After that, I fitted it into the tank. The first pic is what it looks like today, the second pic is what it looked like prior to the application of the plaster cloth:

















I'm fairly happy with it, but, a few things bug me. The hole in the "knot" that I tried to create became much smaller than I had hoped. I may have to drill or cut it out, the reapply some plaster again, or maybe skip the plaster and just coat it with grout. The small root coming down out of the middle looks like ET's hand, asking the viewer if he could "phone home". I think that I can live with that. There are a couple other flaws that I don't like, but will have to live with, that maybe nobody but me would worry about.

The next steps: apply grout and final form, to supply the structure with some weight and durability, and to hide any of the pipe look and get rid of straight lines. After I'm happy with that, then I'll paint it with Drylok mixed with cement dye to give me the colors and realism that I want, as close as I possibly can. This should also seal in the grout and plaster and prevent water from seeping in, preventing pH spikes from happening and also from plaster getting into the tank. I will apply several layers of Drylok.


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## Chasmodes

Sorry, the "before" pic link didn't work, so here it is:


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## Kipnlilo

Well done! Once you start coloring this bad boy up, ET's hand will go away. Lol! It looks fantastic! I'm glad you are showing future fish keepers the time and talent this takes. It's an illness, but a good one!


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## skwerl

While I do agree that the knot hole will need to be reopened, I think overall the roots look great! I concur with Kipnlilo, the tinted paint will go a long way to completing the realism. Very nice!


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## Chasmodes

Thank you Kipnlilo and skwerl! I think that the grout will also help to get rid of the pipe look. I'm planning on a thicker mix for some spots, and a thinner one for others. The good thing is that roots underwater in the wild build up algae and collect silt, so I don't need that much detail for the most part, because the same thing should happen in my tank. The powerhead that these roots hide is pretty strong, so it may be enough to prevent some algae from taking hold. Therefore, I'll try and do a realist paint job.


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## skwerl

PS - I love that split root on the right side. It looks awesome!


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## Chasmodes

Thank you Skwerl. That's my favorite part too. ET's finger bugs me, LOL.


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## Chasmodes

Finally made more progress. I wasn't happy with the hole and knot. The plaster application made the hole too small, so, I decided to enlarge it by gluing rope onto the structure, then adding a little spray foam to even it out. I also applied some foam to add a little bulk on a couple of the roots.

Gluing the rope on to make the hole.









Foam for bulk.

















Carved and sanded.

















Placed in the tank.


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## Chasmodes

The next day, I applied brown grout to the root structure. This adds bulk and durability. I'm going to give this until next weekend to cure properly, then I will paint it with Drylok tinted with cement dye to seal everything in. The Drylok will allow me to use it in the tank and not have to worry about pH issues from the grout. Once I'm done with that, it will be time to set up the tank and get it running. I will collect gravel and rocks, then cycle the tank. After the tank is cycled, I will collect and stock my tank with native darters, shiners, and minnows.

I used regular grout, with no mold inhibitors. To apply the grout, I mixed the grout with a concrete bonding adhesive/fortifier to about the thickness of a milk shake and applied it with a paint brush.

















I had to coat it to cover all of the white plaster to seal it in. The roots, for realism, were designed to intertwine and, well, look like roots. Getting to some of the spots wasn't easy. There were a few times that I had to use my finger to spread the grout to some hard to reach spots.









Here's what it looks like today. It's starting to look like real roots now.









Next week, I'll paint it with Drylok to really seal it in.


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## Chasmodes

Here's a video update that I did also:


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## drfish

Looks awesome, thanks for the update!


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## Chasmodes

Thank you drfish!


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## wryan

Unfortunately, not all the images in your recent posts show up ... :-?


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## Chasmodes

wryan said:


> Unfortunately, not all the images in your recent posts show up ... :-?


That's weird. Everything looks good on my end. I looked using my PC and also my phone. Anyone else having a problem? Maybe photobucket was down for a bit? Looks OK now.


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## Deeda

Looks fine to me, I see all your pics and the project looks great!


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## Chasmodes

Thank you Deeda!


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## Kipnlilo

Great work! Glad you finally found time to work on it. Can't wait to see it underwater. FYI, I see All pics no problem also.


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## Chasmodes

Thank you Kipnlilo! I'm very motivated to finish this up now that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Plus, I have another tank project that needs to be done, and this one is holding everything up!

I took a few pics of the latest version of the roots in the tank, to get a sense of what the roots and rock wall will look like. Sorry that the pics look a bit blurry.


















This view from the left side of the tank shows the functionality of the root design. The big hole underneath is where my powerhead will be, mostly hidden from view by the root structure from the front of the tank. That was my goal with the roots, to hide equipment. Another thing that I'll do is paint the side and back of the tank with Drylok/black cement dye, to hide the silicone adhesive and equipment from view.


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## Kipnlilo

I painted my sides also to hide silicone. Works great and doesn't look bad. Still itching to yours in water.


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## Chasmodes

My buddy Nick used Drylok to paint the sides and he said it works great. I was going to buy one of those paint on rubber products. No need now 

Yesterday afternoon, I had some time to work on the roots. However, when I went downstairs, I remembered that my paintbrushes were all ruined. Also, I opened up my can of Drylok and it was solid as a rock. When I first bought the can a couple years ago, it fell out of my truck, opened up, and spilled white Drylok on my driveway. Apparently, when I put the lid back on, I didn't put it on tight enough, and air got in there. I was also out of the charcoal color cement dye, which is necessary to bring out the deeper nooks and crannies of the work. So, I went to HD and they had everything that I needed in stock.

When I got home, I slapped on the first coat a Drylok, pretty thick too, to make sure that all of the root surface was covered, to seal everything in. Drylok tends to shrink when it dries, I think, because sometimes, small holes in your work tend to open up when it dries and they require a touch up. I only found two of those last night, so I'm really happy about how this coat went on. The roots look pretty good now, as the pink foam is finally covered, but, they aren't the rootsy color that I want. I will add a few new coats of Drylok to add color and try and bring out some realism. I may add a few tricks to do that too, regarding texture. I need to think about how to do that, and if I can pull it off, I'll review the how afterward.

Here is the Drylok that I used. I prefer the Gray. It's important not to get the "extreme" Drylok product because it has mold inhibitors and other chemicals that could be harmful to the tank. This is latex based Drylok. I mixed it with Quikrete charcoal color cement dye. It's easy, just pull out some paint, pour in the liquid dye, and stir it in.









I painted the first coat on thick because I really want to seal everything in to prevent pH issues from happening.









First coat finished, from the front left side.









A close up of the split bark section. It looks much nicer with the pink foam board finally covered up. I'm really happy with how this turned out. Drylok is great because if you have detail carved into your work, it does not fill in the gaps and cover it up. This is the only exposed foam after the grout coating.









Showing the knot and hole. I think it turned out too big, but I can live with it.









More of a left side view.









It's getting there...I can't wait to get home from work and work on it again tonight.


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## Deeda

I think it's looking fantastic, nice job!


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## Chasmodes

Thank you Dee!


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## skwerl

Thumbs up from me too!


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## Chasmodes

Thank you skwerl!


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## Chasmodes

My original plan was to have the roots done by this past Sunday. I had a 3 day weekend to work on it, and only managed to work on it on Friday. I slapped on another coat of Drylok, this time, mixed with Brown cement dye. I totally covered up the dark charcoal color, not really planning ahead. But, once you paint it, you either have to do it over or settle with it. I confused myself over the coloration of the roots that I was after.

I had two different approaches for coloring the roots. The first option was to color them as if they were tree roots above water, and let nature take its course in my tank. This would be the darker gray base that I used on the first coat, dabbed with lighter shades of gray, maybe a tint of brown and green here and there. After a while, option one, with fish tank life, like algae and bacteria, would grow on the roots and eventually bring some realism to them. The other option was to color the roots up like you'd see them underwater in the wild, simulating algae, bacteria and other life on them already. This would be the brown base, colored up with lighter shades of brown. My first coat was option one, but, instead of dabbing on the grays, I coated the second coat, not thinking, like option 2. Fortunately, the fix is easy. Either I re-coat for option one, or keep it as it is and proceed with option two.

Option one would look like the roots that are above water, and option two would look like the underwater roots, both seen in these pics that I took the other day:

















Here's the brown coat, option 2, started, that I will complete. I figured that the additional algae and other life in the tank will take it from being sort of lifelike to lifelike. It will look more like nature sooner than option one.

Below are the roots after the base brown coat. On the split root, I messed up and mixed up a funky mustard brown color. I wanted a lighter shade of brown, but, it didn't work out. I will fix it on the next painting application.

















The underneath/back side of the roots:


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## Kipnlilo

Looking good! Keep the updates coming!


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## Chasmodes

Thank you Kipnlilo!

I'm almost finished with the roots! I only have one more coat of paint to dab on there. I brushed on a thick coat of dark brown last week, and this yesterday, dabbed on a lighter color of brown with the sponge. I will dab on an even lighter coat this weekend to finish up the painting.

Here's a pic taken when I was finished, no flash. 









It was hard to see any detail in this picture under the room lighting. So, I took one using the flash on my phone.









I liked how the flash shows more detail, so I put the roots in the tank. Then, I brought in the two shop lights and put them over my tank and lit up the background and snapped these pics. First, full tank shot:









Zoomed in on the roots:









Looking in from the right front view of the tank:









I'm pretty happy with how they turned out so far. Next steps after the last coat will be another dabbed on coat of paint for highlighting. Then, I may seal it in with tile adhesive...I'm not sure yet. I'm a little concerned about durability, because I had some cracking and a soft spot. I don't understand why that happened, but maybe the tile adhesive will cinch things up. I have some silicone mess to scrape off the right side of the tank too.

I am planning on going fishing this weekend, and my plan is to gather some rocks and gravel from the river. If I can do that, then I can start running the tank! I need to purchase lighting for this tank too, so I will do that soon. I want an LED fixture that can grow plants. It will be nice to get the 75g stream tank done so I can focus on finishing my oyster reef build.


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## Kipnlilo

It's going to look fabulous! I'm imaging running water in it soon. Lol!


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## Chasmodes

Thank you Kipnlilo. I can't wait to get it up and running.


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## Chasmodes

News on the 75g stream tank: First, I went on a fishing trip this past Saturday, and successfully collected enough river rock for my tank. I need to get some sand and some smaller rocks and gravel still, maybe this weekend. I decided on the new lighting fixture that I want, a Fluval Planted 3.0. It should be perfect for this tank. I will order this light fixture very soon.

Last night, I dabbed on the last coat of paint with a sponge to give it some highlights of a lighter color. I think it turned out OK. It doesn't look that much different than the last time I took pics. I put my shop lights over the tank and took a few pics at different angles.

Full tank shot:









From the left front corner of the tank:









Close up of the roots in front:









Right front corner of the tank view:









Basically, my roots and background are almost done. If it wasn't for the next step, that I just decided to do, that will happen as soon as I can. I decided to seal in and protect my work on the background and roots with a clear coat epoxy called Polygem 1319. I've read good things about it. For example, it looks not so great without water in the tank, that it shows a shiny coat when dry, but in the water the shiny coat disappears and you can't tell that there is epoxy on there. It dries hard as a rock, seals everything in underneath, and is very durable. It's used by public aquariums and museums. So, I ordered a quart of it, and it should arrive in a few days, hopefully in time for the weekend. Anyone ever use this stuff before?

I figured that I put so much time and effort into this stuff, that it would be a shame to ruin it. The Drylok is great, but, all it takes is a scrape from some sort of cleaning tool to chip off some foam or Drylok and you have an ugly pink spot. The rock wall background and roots are actually pretty fragile. I'm sure that I could easily chip off the grout, so this epoxy will help the roots too. So, for now, another week, probably.


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## Chasmodes

After doing some research, I probably will not use the Polygem 1319 on my rock wall. Apparently, it melts foam. I don't know what will happen with foam covered in Drylok. I may try a test piece, but, this stuff apparently gets very hot. I don't want to chance ruining the look of the rock wall.

As for the roots, I think that I will test it on a small section of the roots near the bottom that will be covered in rocks and substrate anyway. I can always add more grout and paint it again. Since the roots are covered in both Drylok and grout, maybe the heat won't be an issue. If it works, then I'll test a small section of the knob. If all goes well with the tests, then I'll apply it to the entire structure.

I originally wanted something to firm up the grout anyway. I thought that maybe it would be a good thing to do with the foam. After researching, there aren't many options for clear coating over already painted foam. There are plenty of coatings that are white that you have to paint, but, for me, that isn't an option.


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## Deeda

SteveC on this forum uses Pond Shield pond armor clear coat sealer to seal his DIY backgrounds if that's any help. You may want to PM him for suggestions or questions.


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## Chasmodes

Thank you Dee!


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## Chasmodes

I talked to the Dave at Polygem, nice guy. He said that the heat wouldn't be a problem because you apply a thin coat, so any heat generated should be minimal.

Since I don't have to worry about mixing colors, he said that when using the clear coat, it would be better to mix up small batches and apply it in sections at a time, especially with the roots where it might take more time to apply because of the shape complexity. And, he agreed with me about testing it first.

As it turns out, they have a better product, 1618, that cures much faster. Next time, I'll get that instead...same price. There is a possibility that I might need more for this project. He answered all of my questions and took the time to really explain things. In a nutshell, great customer service.


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## Kipnlilo

I'm with Deeda here. SteveC turned me on to the Pond Shield Pond Armor. Great stuff!


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## Chasmodes

Thanks Kipnlilo. I already ordered and received the Polygem 1319. I'm pretty confident that it be OK. Depending on the results, if I need more clear coat, I may consider the Pond Armor if things don't go well. If my tests go well, and I use all of it up, I might get their better product though. I'll post results. At least everyone will know if there is another product out there that will do the job or not in case Pond Armor goes out of business or something. If the tests fail, then I'll purchase the Pond Armor. Thanks for the recommendation everyone.


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## Kipnlilo

You're right though. It would be nice to know another product that works. Keep us informed.


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## Chasmodes

75 gallon stream tank update: As you may know, I purchased a quart of Polygem 1319 a few weeks ago. I mixed up a small batch and tested it on a piece of foam that was half painted with Drylok, to see if any chemical or heat changes might affect either the Drylok or the foam.

Then, I painted some on a small section of the roots, and had so much leftover that I just decided to go ahead full force on the roots. I painted the epoxy on about 3/4 of the root structure from the front and sides. Everything went very well on the tests and the roots. On the test foam/Drylok piece, I only painted one side. It was so strong afterwards that I could not break the foam. This product will protect the wall nicely and there were no problems with regard to heat or chemical reaction to the foam.









I finished the roots last night with a coating of epoxy on the back side, and then started painting the epoxy on the rock wall. Here's a pic before I finished the back side (facing up in this pic).









I had a fair amount of epoxy mixed up, so I went full force on the wall. I got about 95% done before the product was too thick to apply. I will have to finish it up tonight. I would have mixed up another batch, but, I ran out of protective gloves. I checked everything this morning and the wall looks great with a nice epoxy coating over most of it. I can't wait to finish it tonight.

The roots were hard as a rock this morning, just what I needed to happen. I feel confident that they will hold up well in the tank. The only flaw is a drop or two of epoxy that dripped from the last coat onto the front side that looks like a drop. I'm hoping that it will disappear or not be noticeable underwater. Otherwise, I'm very happy with the results.

This stuff reflects a lot of light and is very shiny, but, supposedly, when you fill the tank with water, you can't tell the epoxy is there. I hope that is the case. Polygem 1319 fully cures in a week, so, next Monday, I should be able to add water to the tank and test everything out! Woo Hoo! That means that I should be able to start scaping the tank in the meantime. I have rocks and small stones, but I still need some creek sand and gravel.

I should have the tank up and cycling in less than two weeks, then it's time to collect some fish!


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## Chasmodes

I am nearly done. Last night, I tried to apply epoxy to the last bit of rock wall on the right side of the tank. I thought that I was done, until this morning, when I discovered that there are a couple spots that need some that I missed. So, I'll mix up a small batch tonight and finish the job. But, essentially, I'm done and ready to set the tank up.

Next steps, rockscape with the river rocks that I collected and washed. Add sand/gravel that I still need to collect. Then, fill and cycle the tank. Purchase my new light fixture. 
And, finally, collect fish. It should be up, running and cycling next week.

Two things to notice, the bright shiny reflections are annoying to me, but, apparently, they disappear under water. I hope that's the case. On the roots, there are three or four "drops" that dried on the front when I finished the back side that are pretty obvious. I think that I will try and sand or grind them down. Other than that, I'm pretty happy with how they turned out.

I'm a little nervous, because this is the scary part, adding water. Will the rock wall hold up? It fits tightly into place, and is heavily attached with silicone. Will the roots float with the little bit of foam in them? Or, are they heavy enough to stay on the bottom? We will see when I add water...the final test.

Here are some pics of the wall and roots as they look now in my tank:


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## Deeda

I like the look and also hope the glossy look disappears under the water.


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## skwerl

I think the shine won't be as noticeable once underwater. And definitely once it gets a coating of aged tank scum. If you have a scrap of something with the epoxy coating on it, just stick it in an extra tank with water and see how it looks.


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## Chasmodes

Thank you Dee. Thanks for the tip skwerl, I'll try it tonight. I did a test piece with the foam and will dip it in my oyster reef tank.


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## Kipnlilo

Oh man, I'm getting excited, water coming! It will look fine, the gloss tones down under water. Especially once your tank gets some natural growth if you let it.


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## Chasmodes

Thanks Kipnlilo. I didn't add water yet. I managed to scrape off the excess silicone from when I installed the wall. It was such a tight fit that, when I pushed the third section back, some silicone smeared on the of the glass. Some of the epoxy also went on the glass, but, surprisingly to me, it scraped off easily. I moved the tank almost into position where it will be set up. After I paint the Drylok on the outsides of the tank on the sides to hide the pink foam and silicone ugliness, then I'll push the tank into position and set it up. I hauled a bucket full of river rocks that I collected down to the basement (sweating profusely), but still need to collect some sand and gravel. I will do the rockscaping first, then fill in with sand and gravel. I didn't want to add all those rocks and then have to move the tank.

I need to redo my spray bar, which is easy to make. I will make it longer and have only one point of entry into the tank. There isn't room in the back where the stand pipe drops in, so it will be dropped in from the front. I want to use a glass top, so, to solve my access problem, I'll just flip the top around so it opens from the back, and the plastic cutaway section is in the front, where the spray bar will have a cut out. You won't be able to see the spray bar because of the roots.

The spray bar will shoot current over the top of the roots and across the surface of the tank. Hiding in the roots is a large powerhead that will drive a large amount of stream current. The roots and rocks will break it up and create small eddies. That's the goal. I placed the powerhead along the glass and the roots hide it nicely. You can see it from the right side of the tank looking through that glass, but, not so much from the front unless you're all the way on the right side. I'm pretty happy with how that worked out.


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## Chasmodes

I made progress, but... A couple days ago, I remembered that there is a stream close to my house where I could drive up and park right next to the water. So, I went and checked it out, and sure enough, there was a gravel/sand bar that looked great. The colors and size were perfect. Then, yesterday, I screened, washed and sifted the gravel. Here's a tip though. When you have to carry a 5 gallon bucket worth of wet gravel or rocks to your house from the vehicle, and then downstairs, it's much easier to divide it into two 5 gallon buckets and carry it in balanced. A month ago, when I collected the rocks, I carried the full 5 gallon bucket down and it wasn't fun. Also, washing creek gravel took a lot more time than washing store bought gravel. It seemed like it took forever. I think that I spent a good 3 hours or more washing it. Anyway, here it is divided into the two buckets:









Then, I took the rocks out of the bucket and sorted them out by size and shape, and set aside the ones that I wanted to be seen the most and arranged them on my workbench (which is the stand that I built for my 100g oyster reef tank).









After that, I went ahead and rockscaped the tank, then filled it with water. This was a test run, to see if the wall held up and the roots didn't float. I also set up the powerhead and checked out the current. It ran perfectly. I didn't use this design to achieve unidirectional flow. Rather this current, along with the spray bar, should simulate a stream side eddy and undercut bank. I didn't take a picture because the water was still cloudy, and, I didn't have my canister filter set up. I will have that done tonight.

I also received the light that I ordered, a Fluval Planted 3.0. I'm really happy with it. I plugged it in, downloaded the phone app, and configured and previewed it. It's really cool. And, the best part is that, remember the shiny look of the epoxy after it finished drying, and I was worried about it? Well, what they advertise is true. It really does disappear underwater. Everything should look great when I'm finally done.

However, and now the but... I noticed that the roots stuck out of the water about 1/4", which is no big deal, but, it would have affected my ability to run the spray bar and shoot water over them to simulate the stream. I thought that maybe, when scaping the sand and rocks, that I just needed to adjust it, so, I pulled out the roots, moved the sand and rocks to the right side of the tank, and stuck the roots back in. And...they float. It isn't bad, but, it's enough to mess with my design concept. So, I unplugged everything and will work on fixing that asap. I pulled the roots out and set them in a container to drain them as water does get inside them. I'm not too worried about that because everything is inert that I used, and it enters very slowly. Although, I'm considering another coat of epoxy on areas where water might seep in, just in case.

The roots float at the top of the fixture, moving it away from the wall and up over the water surface. The bottom of the roots seems to stay down, somewhat because of sand and rocks, but, more because there was less foam used there. So, I think that I can leave the bottom alone, and design some sort of hook and latch system at the top, in the back, out of sight, that will hold the roots down.

Next steps include fixing the roots, draining the tank, scooping out the rocks, sand and gravel, add sand and gravel again, rescape the tank, refill it, cycle it, add fish.

The good news is that the back wall held in place, and is firmly attached. I don't think that it's going anywhere. And, the tank doesn't leak. I was worried about spray foam expansion damaging the glass seams, but, they're OK. And, the epoxy shine disappears underwater.

I'm almost there folks. There will be fish in it soon!


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## LongJohnSilver

I'm new to this forum so first I want to thank you for being so thorough about what you are doing and how you are doing each step along the way. It's encouraging to me because I've been wanting to build a paludarium and wanted to have a similar type of "stone" rock wall background complete with a waterfall above the water surface. I also wanted to have a similar "shale" look for the stone. I have heard "great minds follow similar paths". I'm sure about yours but will let others decide about mine. On the serious side however, I was thinking about your "floating roots" and wondered if drilling up from the bottom of each root and inserting stainless bolts possibility with epoxy might add enough weight to solve this issue. Thanks again.
'


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## Chasmodes

Thank you so much LongJohnSilver for the compliments and the suggestion. If you post a build thread on here, please let me know, as I'd love to follow your progress.

As far as solving the floating root problem, I started to take a simple approach, one that's worked for me for many things...zip ties . Last night, I drilled a hole in the back corner of the roots, where it sits next to the standpipe. I also drilled two holes in the standpipe. I'm going to run a black zip tie through the hole in the roots and the two holes in the stand pipe, and since it up very tight. It should be out of sight too, for the most part. I didn't finish last night because I still need to drain the tank, and remove the gravel and rocks. Then, I'll be able to finish attaching the root, rescape the tank again, and fill it.

Last night, I also put together a new spray bar out of 1/2" CPVC pipe and some fittings. I'm not going to glue the actual spray bar until I finish adjusting the angle for the current, so it goes over the roots the way that I want. I'll glue the parts between the hose connection and the actual bar connection, but not the bar itself. All I need to do is paint it, so I probably won't get to that until Friday. Then, I will test the canister filter that I got for free, for functionality or leaks, and also make sure that the spray bar works as planned. If all goes well, I'll start cycling the tank.

I should post a lessons learned...I need to put some thought into it. So far, my biggest regret was that I let the fear of failing slow me down. I questioned my own ideas way too much. Knowing what I know now, rather than taking three years on and off to get to this point, If I had to do it again, I could easily get it all done in a month or two, faster if I really dedicated the majority of my time to it. My problem is that I have too many hobbies to distract me. I also have a passion for fishing and fossil collecting.


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## Chasmodes

This past weekend, between fishing trips, I made some progress on the 75g stream tank. First, I drained the tank, took out the rocks, scooped out the gravel and cleaned out the silt. When I put the gravel in the first time, even though I sifted it for a couple hours while running a hose through it, it still had a bunch of silt in it.

When everything settled, the silt created a layer of scum that covered everything, including the roots and wall. It actually looked like what you'd see in a real creek. But, I cleaned it off with my hand and a sponge and cleaned the glass as best I could. Some of the silt made it's way into the crevices of the rock wall and root. It actually looks pretty realistic, so I may or may not try and clean them out. I'll wait until I fill the tank again.

I took the gravel and divided it up into two buckets, and decided to clean half at a time. It took me three hours to clean the first half, and it's not perfect, but much, much better. I think that I'll divide the other half in half again, and clean each of those 1/4 amounts one at a time. Maybe it will go faster.

Once I had everything out of the tank and finished cleaning the scum, I put the roots back in, measured where to anchor them, and zip tied them to the stand pipe (picture below). It's really secure now, won't budge, and certainly won't float again. The stand pipe is wedged in there tight to the tank and secure in the wall. I'm really happy how it turned out. There is plenty of room for my standpipe and over the roots current. 









If I want to do maintenance to clean out the stand pipe, I need to remove the roots. The zip tie is easy, just cut, take the roots out, clean the standpipe, put everything back together and in, and then use another zip tie. Easy peazy.

After that, I put the mostly clean gravel into the tank, then snapped a pic. Under water, the glare from the epoxy completely disappears. This is the first pic with the new light fixture:









Next steps this weekend (hopefully, I can get them all done)
-wash the rest of the gravel and put in the tank
-redo the rockscape
-fill the tank and reset the circulation pump
-redo my spray bar for the canister filter
-set up and test the canister filter

The only thing else after that is to buy a glass top, cycle the tank, and then catch some fish for the tank.


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## LongJohnSilver

I was reviewing your to do list and noticed you need to "reset the circulation pump". Does that mean you will have a another pump in addition to one (I'm assuming ) that's in the canister filter? Also, what type/brand canister filter do you like? Thanks. Jeff


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## Chasmodes

Thank you for your questions Jeff. Yes, there are two pumps. One is a Hydor Koralia 3G Third Generation Circulation and Wave Pump that sits inside the root structure to provide current at the mid level of the tank. The other is a Fluval 405 canister filter where the return is a spray bar that goes over the roots to provide current across the tank surface. I'm hoping that this sufficiently mimics a stream undercut bank eddy.

Tank status: I've been out fishing a lot, but have spent a good amount of time washing the gravel that I collected. Man, it had a lot of silt in it. I'm 3/4 finished. I took me 4 hours to wash half a bucket last Sunday! I'll work on it this Sunday for the rest. After that, time to fill the tank!


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## jameshilton99

Chasmodes said:


> Hi Everyone.
> 
> I've been working on a background for about a year and a half, and should be ready to install it in my tank soon. This background will be for a 75 gallon US Native stream/river tank, and I wanted to try and build a biotope that you might find in one of our local rivers, all of which have shale formations along the river bank. I also wanted to create something that I haven't seen before, so my intent was to have the faux slate stratification at a downward angle. Since much of my research came from this forum, and many of your paved the way for guys like me, I figured that it was time to give something back and show you not only what you've taught me, but what I figured out on my own as well, and we can finish this project together.
> 
> The background was carved out of styrofoam boards, then each glued at a 45 degree angle or so when they were done carving. I measured as I built it up. the gap behind the foam board and base were filled with spray foam and river rocks (to reduce buoyancy). I used Gorilla Glue to bond the styrofoam boards together and also used plastic popsicle sticks to help stabilize and bond them. On the left side, there is a PVC pipe that goes down into the background with an intake that I made for the intake tube of my canister filter. There is a removable section of carved foam covering it that allows me access to clean and clear the intake of debris. The part that sticks out of the left side hides the intake.
> 
> The pics and video below show what the background looks like today. In the subsequent posts, I'll show how I bought the stuffed giant shark plush on cute plushies net and constructed it. Hope you all enjoy it and thank you for all of the posts of your backgrounds that helped me!
> 
> The paint is the second coat of Drylok, tinted to resemble the base rock color of our river cliffs. The first coat was just Drylok gray. I will be stippling lighter shades of this color a few times to make the rock less monotone and more realistic, and then finish with light color highlights. Construction steps to follow in the next posts. It may take me a few days to get this thread going to the point we are today. But, I'll start with my first steps.


This is something called super work. Really impressed!


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## Chasmodes

Thank you James!!!


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## Chasmodes

I was able to pretty much finish the stream tank. I finished washing the gravel as best that I could, added it to the tank along with the river rocks that I collected, and rockscaped the tank. I'm not certain that I'll keep it this way. More than likely, I'll remove some of the river rocks. I kinda got carried away LOL. I also purchased a glass top that didn't fit correctly. But, it worked out, because I was able to trim the plastic pieces that come with it to make up the difference and give it a good fit. All I need to do with that is cut a couple of the corners to make room for the canister filter stand pipe intake tube and the spray bar. Oh, yeah, and I finished the spray bar. Once I get the glass cut, then I'll set up and run the canister filter. This should bring the river effect into full swing, adding current across the top of the roots and across the tank. The roots are cinched down tight and are doing their job well, hiding the powerhead.

Next up, cycle the tank, then collect and add fish.

Below are a few pics.

Front View:









Front Left Side:









Front Right Side:









Front View Sunset:









Here's a video:


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## Chasmodes

The stream tank is completely done, ready for fish. Here's a video below. I still need to cycle it, but not a problem. I installed the canister filter and spray bar, and it is working just as planned, shooting current over top of the roots and across the top of the tank. The powerhead is hidden behind the roots and shoots current through the roots. There is an eddy effect, which is what I'm going for, so I'm happy with that. I also pulled a lot of the river rocks out, keeping my favorites, and I added a couple pieces of shale that I collected from a fossil site along a tributary of my river. I layered the rocks so that it appears that some sluff off of the wall (as Andy and Matt suggested) and will add a couple more soon. I have to dig them out of my fossil collection, LOL. I also have a preview of my sunrise to sunset feature of my light.


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## Steve C

Turned out really nice looking Kevin, I like it.


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## Chasmodes

Well, no aquarium project is completely finished until it supports life, and in this case, fish. I had a little time late on Sunday to get out to a creek that is only 15 minutes from my house to catch a few fish. My goal was to collect a few minnows of any time, and if lucky, a couple darters. So, I gathered up my hip boots, a bucket, and my net, and headed to the creek.

After about a quarter mile hike, I got to the spot that I wanted to collect. I had about an hour or so before the lost of daylight. I walked the creek bank for a bit and didn't see any fish at all. Either the fish weren't there, or the cold weather had them all hiding. I wasn't sure if perhaps they migrated out of the creek and into the river or were still there.

I climbed into the creek and tried kicking up leaves and, sure enough, the first fish showed up in the net, a small eastern black nosed dace (_Rhinichthys atratulus_). It was tiny, and I didn't want tiny fragile fish in a new tank. So, I kept disturbing leaves and eventually, found more larger fish of the same species. I kept five of them for the tank. I moved from pool to pool disturbing rocks and leaves with my feet, but, no darters.

So, I decided to start turning over larger rocks with my hand. So, I rolled up my shirt sleeves and began to work. I turned over the rocks, used my other hand to scare anything underneath into my net, which leaned precariously against my leg. After a few rocks, finally, a beautiful male rainbow darter (_Etheostoma caeruleum_)showed up in my net!

I was so pumped, what a beautiful fish. I should have taken a picture then, but, my phone was in my jacket on the creek bank a few pools back. It was very dark, and his orange/red fins were stunning. I kept turning over rocks looking for a female companion for him.

After a few more rocks turned over, another darter showed up in the net. At first, I thought it was a female, but, on closer inspection, it was a different species. It was a fantail darter (_Etheostoma flabellare_). I tried for a while more, working down each pool with no more success on darters. I caught a sculpin, but released it, along with several more blacknose dace. Since daylight was ending, I called it quits, happy with what I caught. Not just happy, elated!

I took the fish home, stuck an airstone in the bucket and let it alone for about four hours, so the water temps would warm to room temperature in my basement, about 64 degrees. The creek was quite cold, so it took a while. I tested a few parameters of the creek water and they were very similar to those of my tank. After that, I netted the fish out of my bucket and released them into my tank.

Within an hour, the dace and fantail darters were exploring the tank. The rainbow darter hid and sulked for a long time, perhaps more than two hours before coming out to explore. I fed a few flakes to the dace, and they ate. I didn't expect the darters to eat the flakes, so, I tossed in some blackworms. The fantail darter ate some immediately, as did the dace. The rainbow darter had no interest in food yet.

Last night, I came home from a fishing trip and rushed downstairs to observe my new fish. All of the fish were happy, doing what they do. The darters explore every nook and cranny in the tank, hunting for food. I fed them flakes again first, thinking the dace would get full and not eat the worms. I learned that they are never full.

I dropped in some blackworm with a turkey baster, target feeding near the darters to make sure that they got at least one worm to eat, and that worked. Both darters ate them with gusto. Success! The fish are feeding already, and seem happy in their new environment. I marveled at the personality of both darters, and the brilliant coloration of the male, not yet in breeding colors, but still amazing that fish like that live so close to me.

I put together a video of the clips from the last two days, showing the tank with fish. I hope you enjoy it!


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## Chasmodes

I wound up collecting more fish from a local stream about 40 minutes from my house for my FW stream tank this past weekend. This small stream has been one of my favorite smallmouth bass fishing spots over the years. It has a wide diversity of fish species, as much as any stream in the Western part of Maryland. 









There are a couple species that I still want, but, for the most part, it's fully stocked now. I also found a beautiful red rock that I just had to put into the tank. I'm trying to find at least one rock to add to the tank from each fish collecting site. This tank is a Potomac River biotope tank, minus major predators.

The species below are currently in this tank:

*Darters:* 
Rainbow Darter (Etheostoma caeruleum)
Fantail Darter (Etheostoma flabellare)
Greenside Darter (Etheostoma blennioides)

*Minnows, Shiners and Dace: *
Eastern Blacknosed Dace (Rhinichthys atratulus)
Spottail Shiner (Notropis hudsonius))
Silverjaw Minnow (Notropis buccatus)
Longnose Dace (Rhinichthys cataractae)
River Chub (Nocomis micropogon)

Here's a short video of the tank and the new critters:


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## Deeda

Absolutely gorgeous job on your background and decor!!! The fish look fantastic and it really does look like a slice of the wild. Thank you so much for sharing and looking forward to updates on how the fish are doing.


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## Chasmodes

Thank you so much Dee!!!


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## Chasmodes

Here's a video of the new fish in the tank, now that they're acclimated. They're all so bold, not afraid of me when I clean the tank. They even try to eat the hairs on my arm when I clean algae off of the glass. In this video, I feed them blackworms using a turkey baster. I fed the minnows and dace flakes first, so they wouldn't pig out on the worms. Some of the fish are starting to color up more as well. I had 24 minutes of video clips at first, so I had to trim off 14 minutes of it to keep it from being too long. It was tough cutting out some of the scenes for me. Heck, I stayed up way too late last night watching these fish as it was. I'm so addicted to this tank. I hope you enjoy this video as much as I did making it.


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## Chasmodes

Here's a video update from last night. The fish are a bit aggressive and excited, because I fed them a bunch of blackworms right before filming. They settled down quite a bit toward the end of the video. Also, I added a few new fish, some shiners and one more longnose dace. The new fish ate food less than one hour after I introduced them to the tank. Now, they seem to fit right in. I hope y'all like the video.






Thanks everyone for following along during this build. I will follow up with maybe a couple more posts in the future as this tank becomes fully stocked...almost there. But more importantly, to let you all know how the wall and roots hold up over time. Since the tank is not a Cichlid tank, I don't want to use up valuable resources too much on here. Many thanks to Steve C., Dee, and many others who chimed in during the build with comments, suggestions, and recommendations, and also for your posts over the years that helped me learn how to do a project like this. I'm forever grateful.

My fish room is becoming quite a fish room. I have an oyster reef blenny tank that I'm working on (going from my 20g long to a 100g cubish tank). It's a Chesapeake Bay biotope tank. I'm not sure what my next fish tank projects will be at this point. I'd love a huge SW Caribbean biotope tank with a queen angelfish as the centerpiece, but, that's an expensive venture and the tank of a lifetime. I've always wanted to keep orange chromides, so maybe I'll try a brackish cichlid tank next. If I do that, then I'll feel better about posting here more often, LOL. My first loves in the fish world were freshwater angelfish, and eventually, my more aggressive cichlid tank (firemouths and salvini's).


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## Chasmodes

Time for an update. The roots and wall are holding up well. In the video and pics, you can see that a pinhole opened up a bit after my last algae cleaning, and some of the plaster leaked out. Apparently, I missed a spot when I applied the clear coat epoxy. It doesn't seem to affect anything and hasn't dissolved in the tank at all, as far as I can tell. The fish are doing well. I'm going to pull the roots out and plug the hole with epoxy or perhaps Gorilla Glue super glue. I have to pull everything out for a big cleaning anyway. Other than that, I thought that I might as well let you know how the tank is going along.

As you might suspect with a new tank, I had an algae invasion, or outbreak, or whatever it's called. It wasn't unexpected, especially given the high bioload. About two weeks ago, I also cleaned the algae off of the wall, roots and rocks, in addition to a large water change that I'll mention again below. I also cleaned the canister filter, being careful as to not hurt the biological filtering ability of the system. As you can see, it's back.

To combat the algae, I'll be performing another large water change this weekend, complete with more physical removal of the algae. I also planted Vallisneria americana to try and out compete the algae for nutrients. I think that will help, assuming the plants take to the tank. The lighting is adequate (Fluval planted light), along with plenty of nutrients with the heavy bioload, which should help the plants grow and thrive.

I lost a few fish since I stocked the tank, mostly some of the smaller blunt nosed minnows, although one hung in there and is growing. All of the adult fish, except for one black nosed dace, are doing fine. I had to battle ich, and that was the main reason for the fish deaths (4 total fish died). I treated them for three weeks with aquarium salt by raising the SG to 1.003. The ich seems gone and hasn't returned since I stopped treatment by making a 90% water change. The fish still scratch occasionally. I may try a treatment of Prazipro, thinking that they might have flukes that survived the salt treatment, or some sort of other unseen parasite. This leads me to a question...do fish still scratch at times when they are parasite free? Are they really ever parasite free?

Now for some pics followed by another video...

Full tank shot:









Left side, showing the faux roots and current sources (spray bar top left, and circulation pump located behind the roots):









Right side, showing the newly planted Vallisneria americana:









And, finally, a video showing everything and showcasing the fish:


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## Chasmodes

I shot this video of my stream tank with a slightly different angle. I'm really pleased how it looks, especially showing the current and surface agitation, giving the tank a pretty good representation of what a small stream shoreline eddy might be like... I hope y'all like it.


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## Chasmodes

I thought that I'd shoot some pics from different angles of the stream tank and share them with you. Sometimes, I like sitting on the floor to view this tank. I seem to get more up and close to the fish. Also, when viewing from the floor, this angle allows you to really see the flow and current in this tank, how similar it is to a shoreline stream eddy.

Left side looking through the roots...not a lot of room to see the other side of the tank. But, it's interesting when fish peek through the roots to see what you're doing.









This one is from the left side looking toward the other end of the tank:









Same angle, but focused on the tank center where the fish like to hang out the most:









Middle, looking back at the left side to the roots:









Looking back from the right front of the tank toward the roots on the left side:









And finally, a view from the right side through the Valisneria to the roots:


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## Steve C

Really got that natural look going now that it has some algae developing on it


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## Deeda

Kevin, I loved the video showing both the flow, algae growth and the fish look fantastic!


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## Chasmodes

Thank you Steve and Dee! I'm having a lot of fun with this tank.

The faux rock wall and faux roots are holding up nicely. I think that it's important to follow up over time so anyone that worries about this process can see that you can get results. One year with this build will be the milestone of durability. I don't anticipate any problems.

Thanks to you, Steve and some other folks on this forum that contributed DIY rock wall builds that provided a fantastic research base for me, and great suggestions in helping me figure out how to do this. You all are the pioneers that make it possible for everyone else. I really appreciate that.


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## Chasmodes

I went fish collecting a couple weeks ago, and the fish that I collected went into QT for 2 weeks. I treated them with salt for the full period, and during the last 3 days, one dose of Prazipro. All of the minnows, shiners and dace collected survived QT OK and were added to the display tank yesterday.

I also collected 4 tessellated darters. One jumped out of the tank, one disappeared and I couldn't find it, and one died early on. The last one died the day before he was slated to go into the display tank, and was eating and apparently happy up until then. So, I'm bummed about that. I added 4 satinfin shiners, 3 blacknosed dace, and a bunch of bluntnose minnows to the tank. I also fished a local small stream for smallmouth bass on Sunday, and brought home some plants and snails. I collected wild Valisneria and water stargrass, and added those to my tank. I "cleaned" the plants with a mild hydrogen peroxide/water bath for 20 minutes. The snails just went into the tank,so I hope that I didn't introduce any villainous hitchhikers with them.

I found 2 species of snail, one very common one that looks like a pond snail. It seemed like if you looked at one section of chunk rock, you'd see over a hundred of those snails. The last time that I added snails like those, the darters in my tank hunted down and ate every single snail. This time, they seem to be ignoring the snails altogether. I also added a bunch of ramshorn snails. Maybe the darters will leave those alone because they are a bigger snail.

I got the snails to help with algae control and maybe as an additional food source for the darters. My stoneroller has done a nice job of keeping the tank pretty tidy, and he's getting big. I know he eats a lot of algae because I see him grazing often, and he poops out algae all the time. And, the plants that I had in there took off and I think that has had a huge influence.

I have a green sunfish in the tank as well, but his days are numbered in my tank. He's growing quickly, and seems to be starting to take interest in the minnows, and not in a kind way. It's almost a feeding response. In the past, since I got him, he merely chased fish away from his staked territory. Now, he has that evil eye toward the smaller minnows, dace and shiners. I will donate him to the local aquarium or give him away.

Anyway, below is my video tank update. Enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFbJgX1 ... NPh4AaABAg


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## Deeda

Great update Kevin!! The tank is looking great though I do miss the bright green of the algae growth in previous videos. The fish look awesome including the new additions though sorry about the loss of the tessellated darters.


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## Chasmodes

Thank you Dee! Yeah, I didn't mind a little bit of algae. I didn't do much other than add a couple new characters that love the algae more than I do (central stoneroller and live plants, and just lately, snails). It is amazing though, because every now and then, the algae makes a comeback, then, it dies back, and so on. I guess that is basically what happens when we try to create an ecosystem in a small glass box...instability and change, where we have to adapt.


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## Chasmodes

Sorry, I haven't been on the forum in a while. A lot has happened with my tank. I posted a few notes about the status of the tank in the video and a list of the fish in my tank now. I will post a few things here as well as the direction of this tank that I'm heading toward.

My plants died back but are not dead. I see new growth on them. Maybe because my water temperature is in the mid 50's? Last week it was as low as 52. Yesterday, it was 55. The tank is in my basement where I don't have heat. I know that in the fall in the river, most of the weeds die off and then come back the following spring. I don't know if this is happening in my tank as well. The problem with that is that when pieces of the plants float around the tank, they clog my filter intake.

The biggest thing that you'll note is the lack of the roots. I pulled them out so I could get to the filter intake to clean it out. The fish love the roots. The river chub loved to hide in there, and the other fish swam through them often, and the darters perched on them as well. But, visually, they grew old on me. They take up way too much space in the tank, making maintenance difficult.

I also wanted to see more of the faux rock wall. So, I pulled them out permanently, at least as they looked before. I sawed them into two pieces, thinking that I'll keep one half on the left side, and one on the right, to provide cover. I also cut out the middle section. I didn't like it anyway, as the short branch looked like ET's hand. I need to trim back some of the roots at the base to get them to fit into the tank better, where I can easily remove them for maintenance and also have them not take up so much room. Then, I have to seal them to keep water out. They were never completely water tight anyway. If the trimming doesn't work or it becomes too cumbersome to fix, I may scrap them and create a couple smaller versions.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the video. My favorite part is the duels between the feisty male satinfin shiner and the river chub.


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## Deeda

Nice to see you update this tank, the fish are looking great and the tank decor is looking so naked but looking forward to the new iteration. Especially enjoyed the duel between the shiner and chub!


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## Chasmodes

Thank you Dee.

I found more slate to add in my tank. It will give my fish more hiding spots again, in particular the river chub and the darters. That way, the river chub could avoid the harrassment of the satinfin shiner!!! I added some plant spikes last night, so maybe that will get the Vallisneria to grow back faster. Right now, I"m going through another green cyano outbreak. I think it's winning the war for nutrients over my plants.


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## Chasmodes

Sorry for not being around lately. Since my last post, I've added more rocks that resemble my DIY faux rock wall, and tried to blend them in to take away that wall feeling. My plants from last year died off this summer. I've since collected and obtained more replanted them, and now they're growing like gangbusters.

The species on the left side of the tank is water stargrass (Heteranthera dubia) that I collected locally. There's also a little in the center of the tank. To the right side and in the middle is
Valisneria americana. Val grows wild in our rivers but these came from a buddy's tank. I also collected some curly-leaf pondweed (Potamogeton crispus), which is surviving but not taking off like the other two species. The stargrass was almost brown when I collected it, and it's really greened up a lot. Here's a video, and I hope you enjoy it.


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## Deeda

Great update video, the fish are looking fantastic and I like the new look of the tank!


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## Chasmodes

Thank you so much Dee!


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## Chasmodes

It's been a couple months since my last update. The wall is holding up very well and survived a deep cleaning with some tough brushes, but it may take more to get it back to the way that I want it. More on that in the video below.

After I went and returned from a vacation, my tank was overrun with cyanobacteria and other algae. My stonerollers were fat and happy though, but, the tank was ugly, so I broke it down for the most part and gave it a major cleaning. The canister filter was clogged and barely putting out any current, so I had to do something. Man, that blackbeard algae is tough to scrub off. It has little holdfasts that are tough. I tried several brushes until I found one that worked to remove it from the rocks, even after I gave the rocks a hydrogen peroxide bath for a couple days. I also soaked my plants in a hydrogen peroxide solution and that seemed to kill off all of the cyano and algae, and was able to rinse almost all of it off. Anyway, I explain more in detail in the video. Also, check out my fancy fish room updates. I hope you enjoy the update.


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## Deeda

So sorry I haven't responded earlier, I saw your tank update and was planning on viewing your video and promptly forgot about it.

Wonderful job, I actually enjoy the look of the tank more now without the roots though they did add something to the tank. It looks cleaner somehow decor wise and looking forward to more updates as the water clears up and the fish get more used to the new layout.

I love the added pics of the Potomac river and tributary as it gives some background to your tank set up.


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