Partial Diy Fake Background

[DaveyH]

For my new Malawi cichlid tank I want to have a go at making a DIY fake rock background. There are loads of pictures and instructions online for doing a full background, but due to the shape of the tank (Fluval Profile) I want to go for a partial background, roughly pyramid shaped that forms a standalone reef against a black background.

Has anyone tried this before? Or seen it done successfully? I’d love to see some pics.

Thanks!

 

[tribalbrit]

Are you going to fix it to the back glass?

 

[DaveyH]

That is the plan. My only concern is that there won’t be enough surface area attached to the back of the tank to keep the bulk of the reef submerged. I think I may have to have an experiment and see what works.

 

[tribalbrit]

I did my back ground in two halves with a space between them to give the effect of depth and so it looked like you were looking up river a it was.
However I have now filled my tank with bog wood so you cant really see it.
As long as you get plenty of silicone on the back of it and seal all the way round it should be fine.

I used the pink insulation board and built it up with other bits of the same, then I covered it an epoxy resin and covered in kiln dried sand.
Here's a picture when first set up.



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[DaveyH]

Lovely tank - looks really natural.

I also found this - quite extreme, but quite close to the shape I am after.

http/reefbuilders.com/2009/11/06/aquascaping-box-volcano-tank-kyle-verry/

With the single reef in the middle of the tank and blue/black background on either side, I am hoping to create the illusion of a standalone finger of reef surrounded by emptiness.

 

[tribalbrit]

Yeh, bit OTT. sounds like a good idea, what do plan on making it out of?

 

[DaveyH]

Styrofoam. I've got a big block of it from when a piece of machinery was delivered to work. I may try other options if it is too buoyant.