3D background
- Thread starter Davidiator
- Start date
i made one for my defunct 260 out of styrofoam and hydraulic cement. it didnt look bad for my first one, but wasnt pro quality either. id say total cost of the project about $50-60.
Instructions with pics?
well i didnt document the build great. that was one of my first diy projects, wasn't very proud of it. but i did snap this picture when i was done with it.
stupid old tank, you can clearly see the monumental fractures in the bottom panel that i so brazenly tried to repair.
first i just glued some foam together. it started like so and gradually turned to the different fragments and what not.
then i covered them in three coats of hydraulic cement, painted/sealed them with plasti-dip, and used 3-4 tubes of silicone to get them to stick to the back.
i wouldnt follow my pattern exactly though, i was just a beginner with this one and am not gonna pretend to be a pro at it. there are a lot of members here with breathtaking setups that will be able to help a lot more.
Cool.
See I want it to hide my scratches and wires etc that are in the back of the tank. I also think it would look awesome lol
I want to look into it but so far from what I am seeing the most expensive part is the foam.
The most expensive part is the sealer which is about $70 for a quart & half (smallest kit) of Pond Armor. Then the foam board is about $37 for the 2" thick which makes for a better looking BG than the 1: thick because it gives more dimension / depth to the look of the BG. For a 6ft tank doing it yourself by the time you factor in all materials you'll have around $130-$150 total into it (foam boad, pond armor, drylok, silicone, paints).
Then you'll end up with around 10-20 hours of work into it depending how much detail you go into. I have over 100hrs or work into the one in my 240g tank but I went all out on making that one https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/240g-acrylic-tank-build-thread-pic-heavy.680652/
A few years back I did a pretty good step by step with full pictures on how to make a 3D BG yourself and posted on the website of the cichlid club I am an active member in. Here's a link to that DIY how - to for you http://michigancichlid.com/simplemachinesforum/index.php?topic=5946.0
Then you'll end up with around 10-20 hours of work into it depending how much detail you go into. I have over 100hrs or work into the one in my 240g tank but I went all out on making that one https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/240g-acrylic-tank-build-thread-pic-heavy.680652/
A few years back I did a pretty good step by step with full pictures on how to make a 3D BG yourself and posted on the website of the cichlid club I am an active member in. Here's a link to that DIY how - to for you http://michigancichlid.com/simplemachinesforum/index.php?topic=5946.0
The easy way is to buy four of the cheap Chinese ones on ebay and silicon them into the back of the tank.
Ones like this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/24x18-3D-R...hash=item46787de038:m:mSm-D5Bmj6yj1nmXMGDxF7w
Ones like this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/24x18-3D-R...hash=item46787de038:m:mSm-D5Bmj6yj1nmXMGDxF7w
found this stuff called smooth on habitat that i was interested in working with next time i tried something like this. any reviews yall?
https://www.smooth-on.com/products/free-form-habitat-black/
https://www.smooth-on.com/products/free-form-habitat-black/