# My first DIY 3D Background - lots of pics



## morfeus077

Here's my first 3D background project and what I did... 

From Home Depot:
Styro sheets 1" thick
Black silicone
Quickcrete Hydrostop (comes in a bucket) & pigments
throwaway paint brushes & 1 qt mixing cups
floor drain (black PVC) for flow into rear concealment chamber
thin razor knife

Eclipse 25G all-in-one aquarium (filtration & lighting built in to top)

First and foremost, if you're reading this, you CAN build your own 3D background! My inspiration for design came from several ideas, the biggest from the Hap tank at the Georgia Aquarium. I personally like the overhanging rock and hidden water treatment. This project was my test before I start a background for my 75G and soon 300G tanks. I'm excited on how it has come along.

First Step: Build up the styro - I cut/fit the sheets for the tank and glued them together with silicone. I have since discovered that non-flammable contact cement should do the trick. I then drew some guides for where I would carve.









Carving: I first carved out chambers in the back for the filter intake, heater, sponge filter and pass-thru (floor drain). The idea from the start was to conceal everything. You'll see in later pics the placement. Guided by, but not restricted to my initial lines, I carved out the design. As I carved, I just did what seemed right. I used silicone to adhere the floor drain to the foam and was careful not to get much silicone on the front side of the styro.
NOTES: Don't worry too much about cutting through, it can be easily fixed. Because I did not completely cover each layer of styro with silicone, some pieces came apart slightly during the carving - will not be an issue with full adhesion of each styro layer - hence the contact cement for future use. Fill holes as necessary with "great stuff" canned foam or tape from the back before coating with cement.

























Here you can see the chambers in the back, left is the main chamber for the filter pump and heater. To the right of center is for the small sponge filter to assist with circulation.









Coating the Styro: Ok, I did not rough up the surface of the styro with sandpaper as some have done and it worked for me. It was not super smooth, so I didn't worry about it. My mix was somewhat soupy, hard to explain - just remember that you can add more water to your cement mix easier than you can remove it. I used a combination of dabbing and brushing to apply the cement. I do have a paint mixer attachment for a drill that I used to mix my cement, it was a great help. You will find that the consistency of your mix changes rapidly - no problem, just add more water and keep a spray bottle full of water handy.
NOTE: Coat it as best you can on the first coat, but don't worry if you see a little of the styro, it will take another coat to cover it well anyway. 

















Here you can see the cutouts well, I wanted to get as much styro cut out of the back for the flow into both chambers yet not compromise the integrity of the piece.









Curing: I draped a damp towel over the piece after it started to cure/dry. Working in my cool basement, I was not worried about it happening too quick. I misted the towel that night before bed and again the next morning. In 24 hours, it looked great.

2nd Coat: Here's where I mixed in the brown pigment and gave it a nice thick coat. Pay attention to your cracks and crevices, they will quickly fill as you brush and dab. I used the end of a plastic spoon to keep the cracks open. As I brushed and the cement built up too thick, I would mist with water and brush more to spread more evenly.

After the brown had a couple hours under the damp towel, I mixed up a little with black pigment and applied it for shadowing. I applied a thick coat in the center part that's cut deep to give more shadow. For areas that I wanted just a little shadowing, I dabbed the black mix, then misted and then brushed with a fairly clean brush to blend the colors.

After another hour or so, I mixed more brown and did some touch up. I used the same curing method as I did for the first coat. After curing for 24 hours I turned over and coated all of the chambers on the back side with silicone rather than cement. After allowing 24 hours for the silicone to cure, I siliconed the piece to the tank and laid the tank on its back. Then placed a towel over the piece and put rocks on it to weigh it down while the silicone set the piece in place.

































I taped off the back and painted the tank black - you can see that I left it open where the chambers are so that I can see anything that might be in there. Behind the floor drain I did paint so that no light would show through the front.









Almost there: Installed the top, filter pump, heater and sponge filter. Fitted eggcrate for the bottom - this one is getting pool filter sand as a substrate.

















First fill: Set up on its stand and filled with water. Added a 20 oz cup full of rock salt to help get the ph down. Running with no filter media, just circulation... I will be completely draining refilling the the tank every other day until the ph gets to where I want it. Then it's time for sand, some rocks in the foreground and a cool plant for cycling.

I'm thinking a couple/few tropheus will be good candidates. Will post more info and pics when I start cycling. Enjoy and get working on your own 3D background project!!!


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## BRANT13

Very nice job.....its stories like these that make me want to build my first DIY background....thank you for sharing =D>


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## Drowned

Really great one but I hope you will hide somehow this drain which spoils the effect


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## BRANT13

Drowned said:


> Really great one but I hope you will hide somehow this drain which spoils the effect


thats what decorations are for :wink:


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## morfeus077

Thanks for the comments folks! I hope I can encourage others to do their own as well... The more people share, the more others have to go by.

I just remembered why Pollock jokes are so funny... :lol:


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## mok3t

Thats REALLY nice. One of the nicest i've seen.

Be sure to post more pics when the tank is going with substrate/decor (and more with fish )


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## morfeus077

Thanks moket! Will keep posting pics and hope to start cycling by next Friday. I just started on another background for one of my 75's This is a complete project thou - stand refinish, building a hood and setting up my first sump. What's really cool is that the way things are looking, I'll be starting the 300 Gal project in about a month!


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## morfeus077

ph still above 9, switching to daily water changes


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## BRANT13

gone down yet?....how big are your WCs?


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## crys

Awesome!

good job mate! :thumb:

now i m working on the big project - a 750 litres tank for my africaans- and i will try to make a DIY background ..

cheers!
crys


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## morfeus077

BRANT13 said:


> gone down yet?....how big are your WCs?


It is starting to come down, maybe by the end of the week I can start cycling. Doing 100% change right now.


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## herny

umm idk if that tnak will be ok for trohpes dew to the fact they do best in large numbers and that tank is now more like a 15 gal then a 25


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## harveyb27

herny said:


> umm idk if that tnak will be ok for trohpes dew to the fact they do best in large numbers and that tank is now more like a 15 gal then a 25


I agree, tropheus can get quite nasty when in small numbers, especially when paired. Are the tropheus definately your choice or do you have other ideas? IMO a small colony of Ps. Saulosi (1M,5F) would look awesome! Or maybe a few small tangs.

The background IMO is perfect, will look even better with algae and fish. In time it will mature to be a cool tank.


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## morfeus077

Thanks for the props! Not set on fish yet, just thinking out loud I suppose... started the 75 project while this one soaks, more to come shortly, stay tuned!


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## BRANT13

got ure substrate in yet?....hows the PH?


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## mightyevil

Morfeus, how did you achieve such color? It looks very natural. :thumb:


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## morfeus077

Update: ph looks to be dropping just below 9, hopefully 2-3 more 100% water changes will get it to around 8.5... then I will add substrate, a few rocks and a plant or 2 to start cycling. P.S. cycling will be short - I have a bio wheel already established in a 55 that also has a canister.... soooo, that wheel will be going into this one to cycle. In a week from there, I will bring on the fish!



mightyevil said:


> Morfeus, how did you achieve such color? It looks very natural. :thumb:


Thanks, I was happy with the color as well. I used concrete pigments for color & shading. The last full coat was brown, then I mixed some charcoal (black basically) and brushed just a little where I felt like adding some shading - I did it before the brown coat dried. Probably the best trick was applying the black with one brush and then blending with a clean brush & and a spray of water.

More notes: If you think this one is cool, wait until I get further into the 75 gal background! I have the basic form of the styrofoam glued together and I'm about ready to start carving. I'll start a new thread for it...

Thanks again everyone for the :thumb: and comments


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## harveyb27

Make sure you send a link here incase we miss the thread for the 75g :thumb:

Will you try and get the same effect of the rocks, similar to this background or will you do different shapes/texture?

Have you decided on stocking for the tank your about to cycle?


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## mightyevil

Morpheus, what tools did you use to carve your styrofoam? I used soldering iron, knifes, lighter, my hands and sand paper but I cant make out the tools you used, looks like maybe knife and sand paper...can you please let me know? Thanks!

Here is the link to my DIY background...


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## morfeus077

mightyevil said:


> Morpheus, what tools did you use to carve your styrofoam? I used soldering iron, knifes, lighter, my hands and sand paper but I cant make out the tools you used, looks like maybe knife and sand paper...can you please let me know? Thanks!
> 
> Here is the link to my DIY background...


Looks good... I just used a knife and a jimmy bar, no sandpaper.


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## mightyevil

[/quote]

Looks good... I just used a knife and a jimmy bar, no sandpaper.[/quote]

Impressive!


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## morfeus077

harveyb27 said:


> Have you decided on stocking for the tank your about to cycle?


Yup! 2 Yellow Calvus & 2 Tropheus (firecracker is what they are supposed to be)

So before the "he said she said" starts... I am aware that the tank is small. I am also aware that these fish may not get along as they get older.

The fish are small, quite young in fact and they both grow very slowly. Secondly, with cichlids, you never know who's going to get along until they don't. These fish have been in the same tank together for at least 3 months and get along.

If I have to move them around, I have to move them around... it's nothing new. So hard to find decent Tanz cichlids at decent prices, especially locally - but I did and that's what I'm going with.


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## morfeus077

ph is down to 8.8 =D> going to rinse it out and start cycling today and possibly post a pic later with it set up the way it will be without the :fish:


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## herny

ok but trouphes are kept in large groups cause they are very aggressive towards each other just throwing it out there


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## harveyb27

morfeus077 said:


> The fish are small, quite young in fact and they both grow very slowly. Secondly, with cichlids, you never know who's going to get along until they don't. These fish have been in the same tank together for at least 3 months and get along.


I dont think either of those should be paired in a tank this small. Tropheus definately need groups. I have kept various tropheus in the past and even in pairs. There will be a definate dominant tropheus that will grow to hate its inhabitant. The subdom will grow slower, as the dominant grows faster it will become mor eaggressive and make an easy target out of the smalller tropheus, especially in tank that small. It is possible to know whats going to get along, through the experience of other fishkeepers :thumb: 

I mentioned both species would not be good, as even the yellow calvus will fight each other constantly. They get quite aggressive too. They often tried to attack my yellow labs too, just becasue they were yellow! I think you should keep 1 of each to avoid aggression.

I would personally do the following:

1 Tropheus
1 Altolamprologus white calvus
1 Neolamprologus leleupi


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## morfeus077

Thanks for the suggestions, I respect the opinions of all who have weighed in!

Here's 2 more images, first fill with fresh water after the rinse cycle and the second is cycling. It was a short cycle of course because I had a biowheel ready to go from another tank. Water is good and the fish dig their new home. Only 2 in there right now, so nothing really to see with inhabitants.

The 75 project is coming along well. I have the background mostly carved and will be ready for the first coat soon. Will post in this thread with a link to the new thread I'll start when I'm ready to post pics - probably a week out.

FIRST FILL









CYCLING


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## mightyevil

That looks amazing =D> , my hat's off to you! I will be starting a background for a 110 gallon tank, either today or tomorrow, I like the way the rocks look in your project...I have to say, I will try to mimic the type of rock formation you have here, I hope it looks as good as yours, I will not settle for less.


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## netpox

So are all the chemicals used in the project ok to be in the tank with the fish? what about the Styro sheets? it's not going to decentegrate after time?


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## mightyevil

netpox said:


> So are all the chemicals used in the project ok to be in the tank with the fish? what about the Styro sheets? it's not going to decentegrate after time?


No it does not, they styro is covered with the cement and in my case I even cover the back of the background with cement, if styrofoam does fall apart (which I doubt) you will never know it and it would not matter. The chemicals can kill the fish but like you will notice with all these DIY backgrounds the background goes through a series or water changes to get rid of those chemicals over time. Basically, you need to leech all the chemicals from the cement before you add fish to the tank, I have heard of people using salt to leech the chemicals faster and to cure the cement faster as well.


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## morfeus077

mightyevil said:


> That looks amazing... I will try to mimic the type of rock formation you have here, I hope it looks as good as yours, I will not settle for less.


Thank you! ...ship your tank to me and I'll build one for you for free! Then I'll hook up a web cam and you can watch it any time you want. You can do it, and you'll love yours. I'm honored to think that I've set a standard. 



netpox said:


> So are all the chemicals used in the project ok to be in the tank with the fish? what about the Styro sheets? it's not going to decentegrate after time?


As for the chemicals in the cement & pigment, so many people have done them with no loss to attribute to the background that I would say no as long as you do the "rinse cycle" as I call it.

And about the styro, it's impervious to water and naturally occurring minerals. Ever been on a boat? If so, more than likely you've been on a floating dock - most of them float on big blocks of styro. It's only after years of exposure to the petroleum products boats use that they break down. In an aquarium, being covered by cement I would think I'll be dead before there's any sign of degeneration. Not to say that I'm a chemical engineer, just my opinion.


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## mightyevil

:lol: I think I will try doing it myself, I am afraid I would never see the tank in person ever again...


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## iceblue

Very nice background. :thumb: Looking forward to the 75g build.


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## morfeus077

iceblue said:


> Looking forward to the 75g build.


he he he... me too! 2nd coat is on, soon I'll start posting pics. It will be a bit before it's set up with water - refinished the stand & need to build the hood.

stay tuned...


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## morfeus077

My 75 gal project can be found here...

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?p=1365366#1365366


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## iheartmycichlids

I LOVE the coloring of your background!!! Mine is just plain gray right now. I do have one question. How did you get your concrete so smooth? I dabbed with a paintbrush and tried to smooth it out, but it looked bad so I just ended up dabbing the whole darn thing. I'm using this stuff:


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## morfeus077

Just technique, maybe it was easier with what I was using, Quickrete Hydro Stop. Get the pigments and mix as needed to get the color variations you want. :thumb:


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## mightyevil

Morfeus, what ever happened to the fish? Show us a picture!


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## morfeus077

mightyevil said:


> Morfeus, what ever happened to the fish? Show us a picture!


Well... they are pretty small and a photo wouldn't show you much at this point...

Here's what I have: one of each... and everyone is getting along.
1.5" - Firecracker Trofeus (like the spelling?)
2" - N. cylindricus
1.5" - N. leleupi (orange)
.5" - N. tretocefalus (the spelling again... I kill me!)

I had a calvus, he died after a day... got another, didn't look too good when he arrived and didn't make it 6 hrs. I will try one more time at a later date and see what happens. Water conditions are great, no aggression in the tank and I drip acclimate my fish for an hour before introducing them. Additionally, my ph is within 3 points of where he came from - so who knows what the deal was. Maybe calvus are sissies?

P.S. - please don't lecture, complain about or urge me to change my stocking list for this tank. This post is FYI, not a means for a debate.


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## rnocera

FYI, cement continues to cure for about 28 days no matter what you do to it. You can bring down the pH to what you want, but it's still going to be leaching lime. It also cures stronger the longer it takes to cure. You're really better off just letting it cure than adding salt & doing daily changes. Do it too fast and you could end up with the background chipping off in a couple years, if you go slow, it should last a long time.

I was given that advice directly from both Quikrete and SIKA when I contacted them about diffferent types of cement mixtures for use in aquariums.

The background looks REALLY nice. One of the nicer ones I've seen. And I love the idea of the floor drain!


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## morfeus077

That's good info, thanks!


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## zerafas

what is the paint that you used


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## morfeus077

No paint, just pigment in the cement :thumb:


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## -meaganlovescichlids-

That looks great. I wish mine would have turned out like this. You did a great job!


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## Ruthiebaby88

I love the color and shading that you did on your rocks. I also like the way you glue them together and then carved it out - seems to get nice shaping to the rocks that way.

I would like to do one for a tank I have currently running.

Here is my idea - soak the background and do water changed in the bathtub until the pH comes down to normal. Drain the tank with the fish in it to 25-50% full - place the background, silicone the top and hold pressure with a clamp of some kind for 24-48 hrs - then fill the tank.

Do you think that will work and preserve the biological filter I have spent the last month growing?


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## sik-lid

Top notch job. I really like watching everyones different techniques. I do hope you will post some pics of your little tank dwellers when they fatten up a bit. :thumb:


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