# Looking for help with holey rock DIY background



## johnsonrod (Jun 24, 2009)

I've been refurbishing a 90 gallon tank and i've already purchased about 100 lbs of Tx holey rock. I've found lots of articles and videos on DIY backgrounds build from foam and drylock/quikrete. 
Rescources cited here
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=203780&postdays=0&postorder=asc&&start=0





I would like to build a 3d DIY background that looks good with holey rock foreground elements.

any help?


----------



## R-DUB (Jun 3, 2007)

Try carving the styro to match a sample of holey rock. Lots of holes and caves. Drylok can be tinted to match the color. But scrubbing off algae from the BG w/ drylok may not be advisable. So it may look great at first but will soon be algae covered. My BG was a charcaol color now it is covered. I love the look. My fish graze on the stuff also. Good Luck!


----------



## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

Another way... Make a sand mold then press some of the holey rock into the sand to create texture and form. Fill the form with Aragocrete, a coating of Drylok, or some other suitable material. Then be sure to turn the real holey rock in the tank so that it does not match its twin side in the BG.


----------



## johnsonrod (Jun 24, 2009)

Thanks for the suggestions. I've been researching carving but the sand mold is intriguing; although, i dont think that i'll get adequate detail from a sand mold given the intricacies of the holey rock.

i wonder what holey rock looks like in its natural state? i have an artistically inclined friend whose agreed to help with the background because if i did it on my own i think i'd end up with a sheet of styro hacked with a melon baller.


----------



## Tinga (Nov 27, 2009)

Not sure if I'd use it for an aquarium, but..

In my former job the painters would mess with the new guys on the job. One of the things they'd do was have them go into the stock room, with a Styrofoam cup and get a glass of acetone. Styrofoam+ Acetone= no more cup 

You could always use nail polish remover to "carve" into the styro.. not sure if it would leave a residue however.


----------



## scrubjay (Oct 25, 2009)

The saltwater folks make DIY backgrounds of "dead rock" by attaching pieces of rock with zip ties to egg crate cut to the size of the tank. They then fill in the spaces between with pond foam, or maybe they filled the spaces with Quickrete, I forget. Then they cut off the zipties. I think it would work for holey rock just as well, if you had enough holey rock of the sizes you would need. I forget how they attached to the back of the tank, so if you want more detail,
http://www.nano-reef.com/diy/?project=1
other examples here
http://tinyurl.com/yepfg6t


----------



## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

scrubjay said:


> The saltwater folks make DIY backgrounds of "dead rock" by attaching pieces of rock with zip ties to egg crate cut to the size of the tank. They then fill in the spaces between with pond foam, or maybe they filled the spaces with Quickrete, I forget. Then they cut off the zipties. I think it would work for holey rock just as well, if you had enough holey rock of the sizes you would need. I forget how they attached to the back of the tank, so if you want more detail,
> http://www.nano-reef.com/diy/?project=1
> other examples here
> http://tinyurl.com/yepfg6t


It looks like in the case above they did both, starting with foam and recoloring it with a coating of cement. However most salt setups I've seen in local club members' houses are simply attached to the egg crate and left open for circulation.

Holey rock tends to be much heavier than coral rock which is porous and full of voids. The egg crate might not be strong enough to hold the rock.

A sand mold holds incredible detail. A piece of driftwood pressed into the mold produces a shape that looks like driftwood. Enough of the surface detail is preserved that it looks like wood. The trick is to mix dry oatmeal flakes and molasses to the sand until it has a clay-like consistency. This organic component is what holds the sand in place and later causes it to fall away leaving a perfect impression. You want a river sand or dune sand if you can get it, rather than a sharp sand which has angular grains more likely to lend a few imperfections.


----------

