# DIY background question



## Schweitzer1214 (Aug 13, 2012)

I am trying to make a 3D background and I am wondering what type of paint or liquid I should use to make my background a certain color? Like brownish/grayish? Any brands that are good would help! Thanks in advance


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## austings (May 12, 2012)

You can use concrete tint.I believe it can be used with Drylok. *** heard that it doesnt take much to change the color so you might want to test it out.


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## mightyevil (Oct 23, 2008)

You can use Drylok and Quickcrete cement pigments "buff" (brown) and "black" to mix your desired colors. Very easy to work with!


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## Schweitzer1214 (Aug 13, 2012)

Thanks a lot!


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## Schweitzer1214 (Aug 13, 2012)

Also, I already have fish in my 55 gallon so how would i go about making sure the background is safe for them?


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## mightyevil (Oct 23, 2008)

Do you want to install the background while the tank is up and running?


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## Schweitzer1214 (Aug 13, 2012)

Any way of installation that won't hurt my fish


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## DanniGirl (Jan 25, 2007)

If it was made out of Drylok give it 24 hours to ensure the paint has dried. 
East way to tell is to rinse the background. -If any of the pigments bleed, give it another 12 hours.


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## DanniGirl (Jan 25, 2007)

How thick is the background?


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## mightyevil (Oct 23, 2008)

Well, best way is to put all the fish in a separate container while you install. Installing a background while there are fish in the tank can be very stressful to the fish if everything doesn't go perfectly well and in my opinion is just not very comfortable. After applying the Drylok, you should wait 24 hours for it to completely cure (if memory serves me well) so it will be completely safe but if you choose to silicone it in your tank, then the silicone itself has to dry as well. What I do is let the Drylok dry to the point where I can put my hands on it and I silicone it in the tank, this way both the silicone and the Drylok are both curing at the same time. The silicone will take longer and it will be safe for fish once you can no longer smell that vinigar smell to it. Once that is gone, then you can add your fish back into your aquarium. If you try to install the background while the tank is up and running, then you will need to incorporate magnets into your background along with other ways of keeping the background in place.


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## Schweitzer1214 (Aug 13, 2012)

DanniGirl said:


> How thick is the background?


I don't know at this point, I just want to make sure I know what I am doing before I get started.


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## Schweitzer1214 (Aug 13, 2012)

Thanks mightyevil, that helped me a lot.


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## fusion (Jun 21, 2012)

There is a product used by the saltwater guys they use to "glue" coral and frags together, it works in water and is obviously safe for fish

Dont know what its called or if it would be ok to use to fix your background in the tank but worth some investigation


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## Schweitzer1214 (Aug 13, 2012)

fusion said:


> There is a product used by the saltwater guys they use to "glue" coral and frags together, it works in water and is obviously safe for fish
> 
> Dont know what its called or if it would be ok to use to fix your background in the tank but worth some investigation


I will certainy check it out


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## Baggly (Feb 2, 2012)

Pond Foam. Very versatile stuff. I believe the manufacturer most commonly used is Beckett.


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## ChrisOmaha (Jul 31, 2012)

Dont underestimate the boyancy of the foam, whatever you use to secure it must be really strong or its coming right back out the top with a lot of force. Its like trying to sink a life preserver. I know nothing about what they use to secure corals but the foam is definately a bigger job.


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## Baggly (Feb 2, 2012)

The saltwater guys build their backgrounds with egg crate, coral/shells/rock etc, and some type of pond foam/filler. I assume if the weight of the rocks is less than the buoyancy of the foam, they must silicone or wedge it in place.

I had entertained the thought of building a similarly constructed background for my 125 using the rocks I have. I had them layed out and stacked up. I even bought some Becketts pond foam. What I didn't think of in the beginning was how I would ever move the tank with two or three hundred pounds of rocks glued to it.  Scrapped the whole 3d background and went with black paint anyway lol.


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## Schweitzer1214 (Aug 13, 2012)

I can't do anything fancy like that lol, I will be going off to college in less than a year and I want to be able to carry it.


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