Making Diy Styrofoam Background (update-more Pictures)

[Hobbit]

I've got some questions for you, since urs is already in the tank and everything. Im only14 (dont get me wrong!) and i love doing any diy things i can afford. (I built my stand/table for my 20 gallon too) I made a cement background, but it's been outside for about 2-3 weeks, under our deck. I cured it on land, and now comes the water. I dont want to move my fish around, because my labs are settling in, and my convicts are well-- doing what their suppossed to be doing. Im exspecting eggs anyday in other words. So, here comes a question. Can i just cure it in another container, like a tupper-ware thing, like in one of your pics? And when its done there, just move it to my tank? And once its in the tank, do i HAVE to silicone it to the tank? I've been brainstorming, and i cant think of any other way, short of somehow tying it down, or putting a large rock on it. And how long should i cure it? Just 2 weeks, right? Well-- Thanks for your help

-Jordan

 

[Scott MacAdam]

next is layering up where you want the caves to be, this for me was the 2 sides, you will understand in the next step...

next is chopping the corners, this provides a nice hiding spot for the fish and will provide a open space on either end of the series caves through out.

next come the caves! lay out your ideal spots and start cutting!!!!!

cut these right through but be careful not to cu into the weakened areas too much, this may lead to trouble, but if your careful, anything is possible at this stage.

 

[Hobbit]

scott, i see ur on right now, please answer my question. It was the last post on age 1

 

[Scott MacAdam]

next lather it up in cement and make sure you cover all the styrofoam spots

I found that thick worked better for the over all but a little less viscous for the hard to get spots will be fine for now

LET IT DRY

(this stage sucks! hahaha! i was eager to get at it again so i put it out in the sun to help it dry faster! worked great)



now for the touch ups! look it over a few times because although i was SURE i covered all the spots the first time..... i found 4-5 spots i did miss...... fill em up!


LET IT DRY

now the secong layer of cement! this is to ensure a good seal of the styrofoam and also to add in any sand or small rocks!

i found layer it up in cement first and then sprinkling it on and letting it dry was the best for my sand
when the sand dries, i came back and took a dollar store paint brush and wiped it down it took off some of the loose stuff so this will stop it from falling off in your tank and also exposes some of that cool looking rock like grey that the cement has when mixed with my sand

on that note my mom need to use my phone so i'll be back to finish later! DAMN DIAL UP!!! hahahaha








ok jordan as for your questions, i didn't silicone it to the tank it just seemed to sit there nicely.... not sure why... hahahaha

and as for the cureing, yes just cure it in a tupperware container like i have done, although there is no fish in my tank now, i wouldn't want you to lose any fish

but there are some chenicals released from the cement so what i did was loaded the tupper ware container with a high concentration of salt to pull out those chemicals

the chemicals can bring your tank water up to an alkline of like 10-11ph apparently so be careful to test

i'm following the quote on the top of the first page from another builder, but i havent gotten through it all yet so take it slow and make sure it all works out before you introduce it into your tank

be right back if you have anything else!

 

[Hobbit]

damn. How much dpes ur background weigh? Mine will not sink. Maybe i shoukld use the whole ten pound thning of cement? Its the powder kind, so it weighs a lot more once mixed.

 

[Scott MacAdam]

yeah i had the exact same problem with mine! boyant as heck!!! i couldn't sink it at all but once i got it into the tank it wasn't a problem at all because it will be standing upright and not pushed under water just sitting under it, juts give it a try because if you DO re apply the cement then you will tave to cure it again so try it this way, it worked for me...... if it dosen't maybe try some rock ontop of it in the tank to keep it down , but again i thoug it would be a seriour problem but it's not a problem at all ni the tank

 

[Hobbit]

I think i get it. but i didnt apply cement behind it, so it floats up, and ends up upside down.I think im just gonna go with some river rock, or lava on top of it. Ill check to see if it sinks tho.

 

[Scott MacAdam]

yeah i just cleaned out all of the salt from it, i'm now in the fresh water stage of the cureing. i'll wait untill tomorow and then add some small plants and see how they do, also they will be a good indication of any extreme PH problems over the next week. i will treat the water every now and then over the next week to make sure but i think i'm good to go now. we will see...... i'll add more pictures later once i gte some plants in, if all goes well that may be tonight!

 

[Hobbit]

Ok, i went and tried your idea, to no avail. it floats like nothing. its harder to hold down, then lift up. so i went ahead and layered it with some cement. There are 3 nitches in back about .75 of an inch wide, and 1-1.5 inches deep. I totally filled them. It weighs a lot now, hopefully it works. btw, how big is ur aquarium that the background is iN? it only looks like a 10 gal. Thats how big my growout tank/nursury is. With my extra cement on this tho, i dont thing it will fit.if it does, it'll be below the sand, and MAYBE barely fit in. I have a 20 gal tho. My female convict sadly died today, so i think i may be able to disrupt their tank. the only problem with that, is im probably gonna get a pink convict befoere she sells. But my cement thing has to cure for a while. Ill just use tupper-ware for curing i guess.

 

[Scott MacAdam]

Yep this is for my 10gallon tank, i have others but they are currently full and housing fish. i made it for the 10gal because I wanted to test it out on a small tank with no fish in it before trying to make a big one for another tank and messing it up and killing my fish. hahaha! so yes this is the "test" background, but so far i haven't had a problem yet, hope it keeps that way........

 

[Hobbit]

Im not using salt to cure. should i be? and there isnt anything in my 10 either. like i said, my female died.

 

[Scott MacAdam]

well i'm not sure if you have to but i was told on another post that it pulls out all the chemicals in the cement

see the very first post to see what i'm talking about , that's where i got the idea, wether it works or not is beyond me..hahaha!

 

[Hobbit]

MIne wont sink. I used all my cement on it. It barely come to half an inch from the top of the tank, so i think im goning to break toothpicks, and use them to put between to edge of the top (theres a little overhang along the whole outside rim to hold the lid on) Well i wanna put tooth picks along that pushinf it down. its close to sinking, but not quit there. and how much salt did you use? And what kind?

 

[Scott MacAdam]

well, for the cureing i just used a WHOLE LOT OF regular salt, just got a box of it and wen't nuts! hahahaha. yep that's what i did, although i had to rinse and rinse and rinse EVERYTHING in my tank to get all the salt off of it, so if i do it again, there will be NO cureing in the tank! hahahaha! i don't think the kind of salt would matter... as long as it was all rinsed out in the end...... as for the tooth picks, try it out and get back to me! may be a perfect solution!

as well any chance of any pics of YOUR background?? got me interested..... hahaha!

 

[Hobbit]

yeah, im hoping it'll work. ill see if i can get pics. the only prob is getting to pics o the comp, my dad doesnt want me on his comp, so i have to wair till he's drunk I got 2 pacus, and a dragon gobi from my cuz, so im kida worried about what im gonna do... I think ill put them in mt 20 gal for now, and my 3 labs into the 10 w/ a background.