DIY cement background with sand fall

[ruggles531]

Had a 55 gallon tank that I wasn't doing much with and decided to create a community tank. For this tank I wanted to try another cement background but also wanted to try and integrate a sandfall.

I bought foam at the local Home Depot and cut small pieces to pile up and build a cliff style wall.

A bit more cutting and shaping...

The final height, now it needs some sculpting. The back right corner is where I want to put the sandfall and catch the sand

Some more shaping has been completed, including the column on the right side.

Here is the sandfall mounted in the back corner.

Here are the pieces mounted in the tank.

I layered on cement which had been watered down. Subsequent layers were coloured to try and blend and make it look more realistic. Here is a picture of the background after being put in place.

And here is a picture of the final tank.

There is a video of the tank in action here:

 

[markstrimaran]

Does the water fall, also serve as a bio filter.

 

[Yoimbrian]

Awesome setup. Beautifully done!

I love the sand waterfall. I totally need to do one of those.

 

[ruggles531]

Thanks guys.

The sandfall is decorative only. It is not used to filter anything.

 

[Alexxxxsv14]

That is super cool good job

 

[FMA4ME]

Really cool!! I like it!!!!

 

[Rhyno8]

Looks mint

 

[savannah_az]

You should send me a prototype

 

[Luigi]

Which paint is used to paint?
And which glue do you use to attach styrofoam?

 

[ruggles531]

I didn't use glue, I used silicon to stick the foam together and to the back of the tank. I used cement which was tinted with Quikcrete tint. I bought a few colours and mixed them together in different layers.

I did the same thing with my 135 gallon cichlid tank over 3 years ago and it's still holding up well.