It's DIY time. 3d background build

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Anthraxx

New Member
umm i hate to say it but im pretty sure u need to start over. every build i have seen was painted and dry locked before installation. unfortunately i think you may be in for some unforeseen issues with leeched chemicals, i could be way off but that's just my opinion. i hope it ends up working for ya.
 
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iandraco

New Member
did a second highlight, and i'm now not sure i want to do anymore. i really like the way it looks. what do u guys think?
3dbackground10.jpg
 
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Gryphon

New Member
Not too shabby at all! I just got the cave top and the protruding "rocks" silicone'd into place this morning. I plan on doing a gap fill with a little more silicone tonight, and hopefully tomorrow get the first layer of cement on.

As I'm going to be using Epoxy Resin, I decided to get acrylic paint to do my painting. It should be safe as it'll be sealed under the resin coating.
 
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iandraco

New Member
turned out great but i still have not stacked the tank. waiting for some nice live plants before setting it up. working on another background for a 40B now only this time i am only using drylock and no concrete. figured i'd see what i like better. i'll post pics soon. almost done.
 
master chi

master chi

Member
Anthraxx said:
umm i hate to say it but im pretty sure u need to start over. every build i have seen was painted and dry locked before installation. unfortunately i think you may be in for some unforeseen issues with leeched chemicals, i could be way off but that's just my opinion. i hope it ends up working for ya.
Click to expand...
I would be more concerned with the idea of securing styrofoam with suction cups :study:

While it sounds good in theory. If you come home one day with fish on the floor it wouldn't surprise me.
If you plan on keeping a lid with lighting that also might be a hazardous situation. :affraid:

Also I'm certain you don't need to use any epoxy or sealant considering that drylok itself is a waterproof sealant.

Lastly,while it doesn't really matter if you coat and color your 3d backgroundout of tank. It is considerably easier to do so.Drylok will not leach anything when properly dried. one of it's benefits over cement mixture.
 
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iandraco

New Member
didn't use suction cups. just silicone. here's some pics of my new 40B background and some of it's current inhabitants.

DIY40B.jpg
40B.jpg
cypmale.jpg
cypfemale.jpg
muzi11.jpg
altos14.jpg
altos12-2.jpg
muzi10.jpg
altos11.jpg
 
DMD123

DMD123

Administrator
Staff member
Contributing Member Level III
That looks cool!

The only thing that looks strange is the sponge on the intake of the filter. Looks too man made... could you use a real sea sponge instead? Otherwise awesome job!
 
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iandraco

New Member
thanks guys. the sponge doesn't look too good but if it's not there all the leaves from the plants plug up the filter. necessary evil.
 
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iandraco

New Member
well, i've been up to no good again. here's my latest background i just finished for my 75. need to clear out the tank and clean it up to glue it in though. this is my favorite to date. i tried to use more colors this time. i also used great stuff expansion foam to make the root. this stuff is kinda tricky to use but i'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. let me know what you think guys.

75BG1_zps344ccc23.jpg
75BG2_zps5de6acba.jpg
75BG3_zps9834bdc8.jpg
 
A

Addicted2CAs

Member
Gryphon said:
Anyone have a good recommendation for a safe epoxy resin? The only thing I could find at Home Depot was Fiberglass Resin.
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West System Resin is what I used on the 325gal plywood build. It is fairly pricey, however you will have no regrets. It is easy to work with, low on fumes and can be tinted with pigments very easily and the result is awesome!
 
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