Diy Concept -advice? Custom Tank/decor

[woodog]

I'd like to do a tank similar to this render (but not anytime soon) @ 3ft wide. The good thing is I can build the tank in 3d and get dimensions and see the look before hand. I'm looking for advice on how to aproach something like this.

I can either do it on the bottom (diagonally) and scale it way down or create a stoned backdrop w/ embossed half corner castle and blend in the rumble, ruins and sand on the bottom to the foreground. What I haven't found is a definitive answer on how to make decor objects. Clay, carved wood/stone, styrofoam, plastic mold? It would obviously need to be long term water durable, minimal volume, and not leech chemicals... Any advice would be appreciated...

Edit: I'm thinking natural slate would work well. I understand its flakey though. Would it be easy to carve into with a dremel?

 

[SuperColey1]

natural slate will shatter with a dremel!

Why not just buy one of the resin castle ruins that suits the look you want and then buy or make the rock formation on the left you are looking for.

Then using substrate create the hill for the castle and plant a carpeting plant all the way up it.

Then use a light blue background and backlight it (or use white with a blue bulb)

IMO. Tryig to get a fish tank to look like the picture you have there would be pretty hard to pull off. Easy enough to replicate the picture into the hardscape of the tank but very hard to make it look realistic once the water is added. You will also have the problem of keeping the slope as it is in that picture as it would gradually level out with the water flow.

My personal thought is this: Castles don't look good in aquariums! Castles because of their purpose were built on high ground overlooking sea borders etc. Some were built in land of course to protect land borders, but the majority are spread around coastlines (or where the coast used to be)

Therefore how can a castle under water with fish swimming in and out of it ever look realistic???

Greek/Roman Ruins and pillars etc is a different matter because these could have been flooded.

If you want to recreate a 'real' scenario then why not do some research on some underwater ruins, something like Ladybower where they created a reservoir in the 40s and flooded the villages of Derwent and Shopton. Could be quite interesting to try and create a miniaturised version of a real place rather than the usual camelot stereotypes. lol

If you were to get carried away. lol. You could even have half the tank empty and have a church spire sticking out of the water. Hell why not build a damn on one side and have no water the other. lol

Andy