# DIY 55g Concrete Background (pictured steps)



## jstrick87 (May 6, 2015)

Hello everyone! I'm starting this thread for my background project to share the process step by step. I learned so much from reading the posts here from others who have built their own, so I'd like to share my experience in hopes it will help someone else in return. I have to say this project is so worth it if you have the time! It only cost me around $60.00 to make, versus some pre-made backgrounds I saw for 200.00-300.00 bucks. I did get the styrofoam free from my father-in-law, so you can add another 30.00 to it if you have to buy the two sheets. In all honesty, it was a ton of fun making a mess with the Styrofoam. I think the kid in me loved making a mess my Mom would have never let me make :lol: It's really not bad, and as you will see the finished project is something you can really enjoy. That being said, let's get started! I will post each step separately so as not to have one giant post full of pictures.

Here is a list of the materials I used:

1 sheet 1in thick 4x8 ft Styrofoam insulation (perma-r is what I used. If you use it, be sure to peel off the silver backing)
6 tubes GE Silicone I (make SURE you use only this type of silicone. It is the only 100% silicone known to be fish safe.)
Silicone Gun
Kitchen knife
1 can Great Stuff Spray foam insulation
1 50 lb back Quikcrete fast-setting concrete mix
1 bottle Quikcrete Concrete Acrylic Fortifier 
2 bottles cement color (charcoal and buff)
Pan or bucket for mixing concrete
2 or 3 cups for mixing colors
2 cheap paint brushes
1 sheet plastic canvas mesh (found at craft stores in needlework department)
Colander (I needed this because I accidentally got the concrete with rocks in it)

I think that pretty much covers what you need to make this background, other than the things such as gloves I used and paint mixing paddles to mix the concrete. I figure things such as that are a given :wink:

Step one:
The first thing I did was measure the exact dimensions of my tank. I have a 55g long, so the 4x8 sheet was perfect for me. I was able to make my beginning base thick enough to cut down into it by siliconing the 1 inch thick sheets together. I'd advise keeping this in mind when starting. It may look too thick and bulky, but once you start whittling away you are going to want that extra to play with. The ability to cut deep cracks and make other rocks jut out is what makes it so much more dynamic and gives depth. I even took some left over small pieces and glued them in places I wanted bigger rocks. Also, if you plan on hiding equipment such as filtration and heaters, you'll need it thick enough in that area to hollow out from behind. I did this on the right side where my heater will be.


















I liberally applied silicone between each layer, then stacked heavy stuff on it and allowed it to cure for about 2 days to be sure it held. After I was sure it was set, it was time to start getting creative and make some rocks.


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## jstrick87 (May 6, 2015)

Step two:

I took a basic kitchen knife and went to work carving out rock formations. I used pictures of other backgrounds and rocks as a guide to keep it as realistic as possible. It's surprisingly easier than you might think, and tons of fun chopping away at Styrofoam. My living room looked like it had snowed before it was over :roll:

Here is a top view of how many layers I have before starting. You can see the right side is thicker where I will cut out for the heater to hide behind.









Starting to shape some rocks


















This is the result of my first night's work on sculpting the background. I thought it wasn't too bad! The cut away flat area on the top center was my original space for the filtration. You will see later on I actually had to modify this.









I didn't think to mention earlier that I actually did 90% of this project outside the tank. It was already established and full of fish, and at the time I did not have a second tank to move the fish to for the duration of the project. My solution to this was to only remove the fish to a temporary 20 gal for no more than 30 minutes while I tested and fitted each step in the 55gallon tank. I did this during water changes to keep it simple. When I started this project I had not seen many others who did this with an already established tank, so I was unsure how it would go. Now I can say that it can be done with some juggling around, but I certainly would say if you can do it on an empty tank its much less hassle. I did end up buying a second 55 gal to house my fish in after I installed the background so I could let it cure long enough.


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## jstrick87 (May 6, 2015)

Step three:

I wasn't quite happy with the "even depth" when looking down the background from the side. I decided it needed more rocks sticking out further than others rather than all the same depth, so I bought a can of Great Stuff spray foam insulation and went to work. I really like the texture and shape it added to the background. It was less uniform than before and added the depth I was looking for. I also had to cut away more from the top and center where my filtration would sit. I took it down to one layer thick so that my HOB would fit perfectly.










After I was happy with the design, it was time to cut out the heater housing. I made the opening to be about an inch from all sides of the heater. I also cut a hole through to the front to allow flow. My plan is to cover the hole with a plastic mesh to allow water circulation but keep the fish out. I will be positioning a power head to push water constantly through.

View from the back









View from the front


















Now it is time to make sure all of this hard work will fit :roll: I transferred my fish over to the 20 gallon with their water, then drained the tank and pushed the sand back out of the way. Because of the center brace on my tank, I cut the background into 3 separate pieces. I made the cuts very strategically and here's why. I had a fear of the background coming loose and shooting out of the aquarium after reading some others' experiences. So as an extra safeguard in case the silicone failed, I cut the center piece to where it would overlap the left and right pieces. Since the center brace will be above the middle background piece, it will be held in place even if the silicone does not hold. With the middle piece over lapping the top of the other side pieces, nothing will be rocketing out of my tank should the worst happen.

The red lines are where the pieces are divided.









I was very fortunate and everything fit perfectly first try! I put everything on the tank to be sure nothing would be effected or not fit. At this point I was pretty excited when I turned the lights on! If you will notice, I had the idea to cut a separate piece of rock to cover the filter intake tube. I rounded out the inside of it so the tube would fit through. I siliconed this piece on after I was sure it fit.



























I took everything back out and moved the fish back into the tank, so now it's time to start working on the cement!


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## jstrick87 (May 6, 2015)

This was the point I was dying to get to; making that styofoam look like rock! I set up a stack of old pallets as my workbench, because believe me, this will get messy. I used an old plastic pan for mixing the cement, and cheap brushes for applying it. I had the cement coloring handy, but ended up not using them on the first layer. I though the gray of the cement would add a good base color. I also used the acrylic fortifier because it strengthens the concrete a good bit, as well as reduces the need for misting as it cures. I did not have to keep it damp at all through each curing stage, and not a single crack in it.


















I made the first coat fairly soupy so it would run down into all the crack and holes. I slapped it on a lot to be sure I didn't miss any spots. You will still see Styrofoam through this layer, but that is ok! This is just the first coat. I did worry about the Great Stuff foam at first. The concrete did not seem to stick to it as well. Next time I believe I will scratch it up with sand paper or something to give it a rougher surface. I had a bit of trouble with the concrete flaking off of it on the first coat, but after the third coat it was solid.




































First coat is finally dry! You can see where the concrete flaked off the Great Stuff in this picture. I fixed this in the next coat.









Time to make sure the concrete didn't add too much to the sides for it to fit in the tank. Fortunately, it was still perfect!









I let the first layer dry and cure for about a week just to be sure it was set, then I moved on to a second coat with colored concrete. That's next!


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## jstrick87 (May 6, 2015)

The second coat is when I started adding pigment to the concrete mix. I started with the buff color to add some brown to it. I don't think I mentioned before, but I had to use a colander to sift out the rocks from my concrete mix. I didn't not realize I grabbed the bag with rocks until I got it home and opened it :? So I would recommend making sure you get the mix without rocks, but other wise be sure to sift them out before you mix it. You want a smooth mixture to get that realistic rock look. I made the second later a little thicker in consistency in hopes of getting a more solid and "not flaky" finish. It worked! I also added the plastic mesh covering to the intake opening for the heater during the second coat. I cemented the chamber for the heater as well so there would be no Styrofoam exposed to the water. I used the cement to coat the edges of the mesh and blend it perfectly into the rock. I will also note I used the plastic because I did not want metal that would corrode over time and hurt my fish. The plastic mesh is only like .50 cents a sheet, so it's a win-win!









After I let the second layer dry a few days, I mixed up about 3 different shades for the last layer. I mixed plain gray concrete, then had a cup of brown, charcoal, and a cup of mixed brown and a little black to give a darker brown. I used the charcoal to darken the cracks between the rocks so when the lighting hits it, it will appear much deeper than it actually is. I basically went with what I thought looked good here, highlighting and shadowing the shades until it had a more realistic look. So here's layer number three:

















This looks white against the darker colors, but it's actually the basic concrete mix. I took a dry brush and blended the colors to smooth it out after applying.









Started adding the dark color to cracks here.

















The final product after the third coat has dried. I was worried that the charcoal looked too black, but after I rinsed it with water it was much better. I actually used straight water and pigment without concrete to do some of the final detailing. I brushed it on just like paint. Once I had the background soaking in water, the colors evened out perfectly.









I let the background cure for about a week, and I purchased a second used tank to move my fish in the mean time. I took down the tank the background was going in and cleaned it up to prepare for the install. Almost there!


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## KempDesign (Feb 27, 2014)

Love it so far! Can't wait to see it in the tank. I thought about doing this for my 210 but I chickened out.


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## jstrick87 (May 6, 2015)

Thanks! I was chicken for a while, but I decided it was worth a shot. I'm so glad i did! It's so easy anyone can do it, and wow was it worth it. I love it!


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Very nice job on the background and excellent step by step instructions! The addition of the dark cement colorant to the cracks and crevices really gives it additional depth.


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## jstrick87 (May 6, 2015)

Thank you, Deeda! I'm planning on posting the rest of the steps soon  I hope it can be of help to someone the same as other's helped me.


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## jstrick87 (May 6, 2015)

So with the fish moved to the extra 55g, I set out to install the background in the main tank. I made sure the back of the background was clean, as well as the back glass of the tank. Now here is where I had to do some tweeking. I ran into a problem I had been fearing would happen all along. The concrete layers had added just enough to the dimensions that nothing wanted to fit! I did not take pictures during this stage due to pure frustration :x I did manage to fix the problem though, and I learned what not to do on the next on. The issue was I had coated the sides of the three pieces where they connect, and this caused them to not fit like a puzzle anymore. I worried this would happen, but I didn't want to leave Styrofoam exposed. I ended up taking a flat head screw driver to the sides and chiseling away at areas to make it fit.

I finally got all three pieces into the tank and fitting well enough to start gluing them in place. I removed the pieces from the tank and used three and a half tubes of GE Silicone I in a back and forth pattern on the back. This part was the worst: getting the pieces maneuvered in place without getting silicone on any other part of the tank. It would be easy had it not been for that center brace! I wish I had taken pictures during this process, but I got in the "zone" and didn't think about it. Basically, I pressed the pieces as hard as I could against the glass and propped it with extra Styrofoam pieces while I glued the rest in place. I then laid the tank on its side and stacked heavy objects on it to maintain pressure for a good seal.

After the silicone cured for about 3 days, I mixed up some more plain concrete with a little charcoal coloring and filled in all the cracks between the pieces. I also filled in the gaps on the bottom glass so no cichlids digging underneath the background! I figured the concrete on the bottom would also help secure the background in place. You can see here where I filled in on the bottom and between the pieces. Some of it dried lighter for some reason, but it isn't noticeable when under water.









Kitty for scale lol









I gave the concrete about a week to cure and then added the lights to see how it looked. I love how it looks better with lighting!

















I then filled it up with water for the first time since the install. The water was pretty cloudy as I expected, but everything was looking good. The silicone was holding everything solid in place, and no water was behind the background. The heater chamber had plenty of flow and looked good. 









Here you can see the plastic vent for water flow to the heater chamber.

















A good big of debris came off with the first fill up, but this was expected with any loose particles in the cracks. You can see them on the bottom, but I just vacuumed them up when draining the tank. It's been crystal clear since then!









I moved the tank to a corner in my bedroom and refilled it to begin the leeching process. The pH was reading off the charts to start with, so I knew I had a ways to go before it was fish ready. For the first month, I drained and refilled the tank twice a week. Things got pretty busy afterwards and I ended up doing a total drain and refill only once a week. This could by why I it took so long to get my pH down to manageable. It did help when I added filtration to it as well.









This is the tank filled and filtration added near the end of the curing process. The pH was about 8.8 here, so I still have a few more weeks to go. 









So while the background was nearing fish safe, I went to see my father-in-law about building a custom stand for the tank. More to come!


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## jstrick87 (May 6, 2015)

Tada! My awesome father-in-law came over and got the dimensions of the tank, and within 2 days he brought me this! It only cost him $60.00 to build for me, and it's much heavier made than my store bought stand. I also asked for shelves in this one to keep all my chemicals/equipment organized. My filtration is HOB, so no need for open spaces like with a sump. My other stand has the "no center brace" design, so I keep all large equipment in it. This tank is all about the look!


















I didn't bother staining the inside since I don't think that is necessary. Who see's that, right? :wink: 









The stand was finished just about the time my pH came on down to 8.4. FINALLY! Time to get this thing up and cycling! I bought a Fluval Aquasky LED light strip to replace the fluorescent hoods, and some glass canopies to protect it/keep fish from jumping out. 

















I got 5 gallons of sand for my substrate, and then filled up the tank. I couldn't be happier! Well, except if I had fish in it lol but that is coming!









Playing with the lighting effects a little. I like that saltwater-ish look!


















Love the LED strip! The color combos are endless, plus I'm liking the sleeker look. 

























I really love this sand as well. It's heavy so it stays put, and it never clouded my water from the first fill up. Plus it looks great!









I ordred a Fluval AC 110 for the filtration, so once it came in I started the cycling process. So close to adding fish after months of hard work!


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## jstrick87 (May 6, 2015)

The filtration arrived, and I've now had the tank cycling for about a week. I took the biomax material from my established tank to help kick start this one. All tests are looking good, and I plan to add a few fish today. I also took a few fake plants from another established aquarium to help speed things up. I plan to buy taller plants of all the same species later to give it a more realistic look. In the mean time, I thought it was pretty neat that one of the plants glows in lunar light. However, I want the realistic look so that will have to go soon. 

































Well, this brings the project up to date! I started this back in October of 2014, and this post is the current status of the tank. It would not take this long if you worked on it steadily, but due to different things and staying busy my project was drawn out. I will be adding two fish this afternoon to see how they do, and hope all goes well. Everything is testing dead on, so all that is left to do is add the fish! I will update again once the fish are doing well in the tank.

I learned so much from this first project, and I loved the result so much that I'm now planning to do a second background for the other 55gallon. Once the fish are all moved over, I will start on that project. Next time I will be sure to take pictures through the entire process! Thanks for following, and I hope to update again soon with happy, healthy fish! :fish:


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Again, nice job on the background and it looks great in the tank! Thanks for the additional pics to see how it all comes together. The stand also came out very nice, say thank you to the father-in-law!


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## jstrick87 (May 6, 2015)

Thank you! And yes I gave him a very big thanks! He built the stand to fit like a glove, and that it did. I'm looking forward to my next background build already


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## jstrick87 (May 6, 2015)

Update on the project: I've had a few fish in the tank for going on two weeks now. I started out with just a few juvenile labs, then added 4 of the female peacocks from my current main tank. So far all tests still showing good. I'm moving over 3-4 of the large fish at a time so as not to over load the bio filter. I plan to start moving over the males later in the week. As you can see, I also added some plants. Getting close to finished 

The females are hard to see against the rock, but they are there. I can't wait to get the males moved in and have some color!


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## jstrick87 (May 6, 2015)

Well here it is. The final stocked and completed tank. I'm very pleased with the finished project. Thanks for following!


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Great job, it looks even better under water!!!


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## jjgloster (Dec 31, 2015)

I am currently trying to complete this project myself. Maybe you can give me some pointers. How did you "cure" your concrete? I've tried a couple of methods so far, keeping towels on it that are constantly wet & spritzing the concrete. I turned to the spritzing method after I installed it in my tank. I didn't let it cure long enough before I installed it. I would say that 60% of the concrete fell off during the install. It already had cracks in it & I knew I was going to have to do some repair work, so I just figured I might as keep going. After getting it all cleaned & another few coats put on, I finally got done again. I came across another step-by-step tutorial & that is where I learned about the spritzing method. He also wrapped plastic wrap over the top of the tank to keep the water from evaporating. I thought things were going well until I started to see cracks again. It just seems like whatever I do, cracks will eventually show up. Did this happen to you? What did you do to remedy this? Did you just have to patch up the cracks whenever they would show up? If you didn't experience any cracks, do you have any idea of what I'm doing wrong? Any input would be greatly appreciated!!!


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## jstrick87 (May 6, 2015)

Hi jjgloster, I'm sorry I've just now seen this. We've been building a house so have not been on here in a while. I never had any issues with cracking on mine, so maybe it's the kind of concrete your using or something? I also did like 5 layers of it to get my coloring like I wanted, so that could have helped with the strength. The first few layers would kind of flake if I wasn't careful, but I just kept putting on layers until the whole thing felt solid. As far as curing it, I worried over this part, too. In the long run, I really didn't have to do anything and I never had any issues. I just let the layers air dry a day or two, then put on the next layer until I had enough. Then to fully cure it and get my pH level, I just filled up the tank with water, let it set a few days, drained it and repeated. I did this for about 2 months before the pH was level and came down enough to finally add my fish. It was pretty simple and I'm glad I didn't have any issues, but I'm sure the kind of styofoam you use, the cement, and how thick you layer it has a lot to do with the results you'll get. I don't have a recent picture right now, but mine is holding up perfectly! It has enough algae growing that it looks really natural, and still no cracks or broken areas. I hope this helped! My advice would be if you keep having the cracking issue, try using the same concrete i did. I was quikcrete with the rocks in it, but i sifted those out to make it smoother. That could have been what helped strengthen mine. I also used the concrete fortifier, so that might be something you want to try. I think I have a picture of it back towards the beginning of this thread. Best of luck to you, and I hope it works out!


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## jjgloster (Dec 31, 2015)

After watching as many videos as I did & articles that I've read, I came to the realization that it was due to my layers being too thin. The concrete would flake off like it was paint. I guess the cracks gives the background character. I also tried to make a sand waterfall in the corner. That didn't go too well. I should have tested it before I put my substrate in. I had everything all set up, turned on the air pump & sand started shooting all over my tank & onto my black substrate. I then had white specks everywhere. With me being a little OCD, it bothered me some lol!!! I sucked as much of it up as I could. I had just planted monte carlo all over, so I had to be extra careful. I decided to give up on the sand water fall. I had an issue with brown diatoms covering the background but it eventually went away after a few weeks. Now I have algae growing on some parts. But that too is also starting to go away. I didn't have to rinse my background for as long as I've seen other people. After about 2 weeks, it was good to go.I guess that shows how much concrete I didn't use lol!!! I used quikcrete hydraulic water-stop concrete. I didn't use the fortifier until after the first couple of attempts. That seemed to work a little better. But as I said, I didn't put it on thick enough. After it was all said & done, I kind of wish I didn't do it lol!!! The background takes up more space than I thought it would. I had 3 pieces of driftwood that I can't put in my tank due to the decrease in size.

Here is a pic of my background.


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