DIY 3D Styrofoam Aquarium Background with DIY Roots - US Native Stream Tank

[BIG-G]

This looks awesome! I did a diy rock background several years ago but it is nothing compared to this.
Makes me want to tear it all out and start again.
FYI don’t keep plecos with foam backgrounds mine have eaten huge holes in the foam.

 

[Schniz]

So it was the plecos that tore up my sponge filters? the edges rounded over the years and i always wondered if they were breaking down naturally or if they were getting tore up by the fish.......now I know. Thx

 

[Chasmodes]

Thank you so much fishhead0103666! I will keep a lookout for your Grand Canyon tank build! 5'x5' sounds like an amazing tank. I love cubish style tanks.

I have a 3'x3' tank that I'm building an oyster reef biotope in. It's 18" tall. The visual depth of that tank will be very cool. 2' more would be amazing. BTW, how tall is your 5'x5' tank?

 

[fishhead0103666]

Ahh, sadly you have mistaken my words. I was simply putting out an idea I had thought of, I do not have a 5’ x 5’ tank. Now that I think of it though, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for cichlids. You could put holes in the sides where they can rest and whatnot.

Sorry to get your hopes up comrade.

 

[Backfromthedead]

Pretty impressive work, especially on those roots!

 

[twentyleagues]

Love it! Ive made backgrounds also. I had an issue with rocks though. Roots became my thing. But after watching this and knowing I wanted to do a rock back ground for my tang tank, I will be carving rocks!

 

[Stanzzzz7]

Fantastic thread, great job op. Thank you for taking the time to post this.

 

[Chasmodes]

Thank you, everyone, for your kind words!

QUOTE="fishhead0103666, post: 8168416, member: 165932"]
Ahh, sadly you have mistaken my words. I was simply putting out an idea I had thought of, I do not have a 5’ x 5’ tank. Now that I think of it though, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for cichlids. You could put holes in the sides where they can rest and whatnot.

Sorry to get your hopes up comrade.
[/QUOTE]

Well, it was a great idea! If you ever try such a build, let me know and I'll follow. I'm always dreaming of doing something bigger. The down side of that is my budget and house are both not quite big enough for my ideas!

 

[Chasmodes]

This looks awesome! I did a diy rock background several years ago but it is nothing compared to this.
Makes me want to tear it all out and start again.
FYI don’t keep plecos with foam backgrounds mine have eaten huge holes in the foam.

Thanks for sharing that tip BIG-G about the plecos. Fortunately, I'm doing a native tank, and the fish that I'm interested collecting locally to me won't do any damage. Also, I used an epoxy clear coat made by Polygem that is used by public aquariums and zoos. For those of you that want to do a styrofoam background, this product should protect your work from just about any aquarium critter. I'm positive that even a pleco can't mess with my rock wall. That Polygem stuff is really tough.

They say that when you submerge it in water, the shiny reflections disappear. That's not totally true, as you can see in my videos. It almost disappears. What I am hoping though, is that once "life" starts growing on the wall and roots, the shiny reflections will disappear. There already is evidence of that with my roots as various algae forms are finding a home on them.

 

[the_deeb]

Fantastic work! The detail on that rock wall is really great. Glad that my builds could be a source of inspiration for you.