a while ago i started a 3d background in a 20T. this is my experiment tank before i make a background for my mobas grow out tank. i was gonna wait till i was done to post but this is gonna be pic heavy, so here we go.
i started with some styrofoam i had lying around. cut out 2 pieces then drew some rock like shapes on one and cut them out with a hot knife (xacto blade connected to a soldering iron). siliconed the rock pieces to the other sheet and then siliconed the whole thing to the back of the tank. i did it this way because i was using really thin foam and i was afraid it might warp and not fit flat to the back at the end. not sure if that was a good idea but we'll find out.
after the silicone was dry i mixed up some quickcrete (i used the expensive crack resistant stuff with fiberglass in it). i sifted through it to pull out all the bigger pebbles. then i applied a very watery coat to the background.
i used a much thicker mixture for the second coat.
for the third coat i used a slightly thinner mix than the second coat.
i let the last coat dry for a week, and today cleaned out the excess splatter with a razor scraper and wiped down the tank with rubbing alcohol. i don't want to have huge ph spikes and an 8 week cycle for it to stabalise or have minerals leaching into my tank, so i am using drylok masonry water proofer to seal the concrete. i bought some queckcrete charcoal colored concrete pigment to tint the drylok to various shades of grey for a natural rock look.
i mixed up a dark gray for a base coat (kind looks blue in the pic).
tomorrow i'll apply a second coat of the same color, then lighten up the mix and do some hilights. more pics later.
i started with some styrofoam i had lying around. cut out 2 pieces then drew some rock like shapes on one and cut them out with a hot knife (xacto blade connected to a soldering iron). siliconed the rock pieces to the other sheet and then siliconed the whole thing to the back of the tank. i did it this way because i was using really thin foam and i was afraid it might warp and not fit flat to the back at the end. not sure if that was a good idea but we'll find out.
after the silicone was dry i mixed up some quickcrete (i used the expensive crack resistant stuff with fiberglass in it). i sifted through it to pull out all the bigger pebbles. then i applied a very watery coat to the background.
i used a much thicker mixture for the second coat.
for the third coat i used a slightly thinner mix than the second coat.
i let the last coat dry for a week, and today cleaned out the excess splatter with a razor scraper and wiped down the tank with rubbing alcohol. i don't want to have huge ph spikes and an 8 week cycle for it to stabalise or have minerals leaching into my tank, so i am using drylok masonry water proofer to seal the concrete. i bought some queckcrete charcoal colored concrete pigment to tint the drylok to various shades of grey for a natural rock look.
i mixed up a dark gray for a base coat (kind looks blue in the pic).
tomorrow i'll apply a second coat of the same color, then lighten up the mix and do some hilights. more pics later.
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