Building A 3D Background. Help With Materials

[johnnycomposure]

Okay I have spent months n months looking for the background I want but the only company who does that is who fits out Pets at Home.
Can/Not/Get/A hold/Of/This/Fecking/thing!

I am not paying £50 for a one I don't really want so I have come to the conclusion that I am going to make my own.

I have a large piece of white perspex that used to be my photography still life table cut down to fit inside my tank. (Juwel rio 125)

I am going to use broken up piece of slate to glue to the perspex (if I can)

Here are my questions:

1, What can I use to color the perspex so I can color it black? Any suitible spray paints?(I am guessing not?) So far thinking about caking the whole thing in black silicon.
2, Whats the strongest, acceptable product to attach pieces of slate to the perspex/whatever its going to be covered in to make it black?

 

[walkers101]

no.2 i would say aquarium sillicone

 

[kizno1]

i was thinking about the same thing a few days ago because at my lfs it would cost about £80 to do my tank.like walkers101 said silicon would proberly be best to stick them. im not to sure if theres and aquarium safe way to turn the perspex black. can you not get and black perspex? that will proberly be the easiest way.

 

[johnnycomposure]

Thanks for replies guys!
Yeah I could do I suppose. Was just trying to do it on the cheap by using things I already own. If I am using black silicon to attach the rocks it will prob bleed between the gaps anyway n result in not needing to color the perspex I just thought..

 

[johnnycomposure]

The perspex still life table I'll be using cut aprox to shape. Requires exact trimming and halfing in order to introduce to the tank.

Placement of slate onto background (for testing purposes only)

The slate placed onto black card and enhanced in photoshop for examples

I will be buying some more slate tomorrow and ordering 3 tubes of black aquarium silicon.
So It'll be Friday before I start putting it together.

 

[chrisbassist]

You may struggle with this.

There is a reason they don't use silicon to seal acrylic tanks (other than it looking better without the seams)

silicon doesn't stick to acrylic.

Other options would be foam (like depron)

or use a different type of glue. Not sure what though.

 

[johnnycomposure]

You may struggle with this.

There is a reason they don't use silicon to seal acrylic tanks (other than it looking better without the seams)

silicon doesn't stick to acrylic.

Other options would be foam (like depron)

or use a different type of glue. Not sure what though.

Is perspex acrylic?

I have a test piece outside currently setting to a piece of slate.
Is normal silicon just as strong etc etc etc as black aquarium silicon. Im not asking so I can use it. It says not suitable for aquariums but Im just wondering before I buy 3 cans of the stuff.

 

[Dan-CR4]

i was thinking of making one for my coldwater tank using styrofoam and concrete. but looking forward to seeing how this turns out.

 

[kaivalagi]

Get yourself some dark depron sheeting, you'll just need to hunt it down, search for "6mm depron" and find the grey stuff, probably available in model shops. You can even bend it under pressure or with a little heat, it is used for making model aircrafts and as an underfloor insulation...

For gluing stuff together you can get stuff from B&Q/Homebase that is safe, I've got some "Homebase shower, bathroom & kitchen advanced sealant" which by all accounts will be fine as it doesn't contain any solvents, acid etc and is used for kitchen tops where food prep can be done. If left long enough to set and soaked for a bit after I am sure there would be zero risk...it works well with lots of materials (not acrylic though I dont think), can handle ceramics, glass, metal, marble, granite with no staining etc

When I get around to it I shall be buying some depron to make caves and possibly a backdrop with plant tray with using the slate pieces from those aggregate bags you can get for £5...


edit: Or do that ^^^^^

 

[chrisbassist]

perspex is actually a brand name. and yes perspex (the company) make acrylic sheets... you can tell the marketing guys did their job right, most people think of perspex as that product...


colour of sealant won't make much difference. and if it says not safe for aquariums, it could mean that chemicals will leach into the water and kill fish. not something i'd risk for the sake of a couple of quid.

as for your tester, good luck, hopefully it'll work, it might be that it'll hold up well enough for the job, but just isn't a strong enough bond to resist the water pressure. then again, i have heard it just doesn't stick at all....

 

[IAmATeaf]

You can get silicone adhesive which will bond to perspex, no idea if it's available in colours or is safe for aquariums but your best bet to get it and its spec would be to contact a boat/marina specialist.

 

[johnnycomposure]

Project now finished.

Thank you for all the help.

 

[kaivalagi]

Very nice indeed, well done, looks great!

So what did you use in the end for adhesive?

 

[johnnycomposure]

Marine black silicon

 

[kizno1]

That loks great i might have to give it a go.