This was my first DIY background/project so it took me a while and involved some artistic learning curves but i think it came out ok.
After tracking down some DOW extruded polystyrene(quite difficult in So Cal), i started the carving. Since the tank is only 110g and i wanted to keep as much water volume as a could, i used 2inch thick styrofoam
View attachment 847571
Next i used some expanding foam to add more ledges to the background because its hard to get a nice effect with only 2inch thickness. It also helped me create caves for the fish to go into, as well as soil containers for plants i plan to stick into the wall.
View attachment 847573
nearly final carved background
View attachment 847574
Then it was time for waterproofing with drylock and coloring with cement colors. It took some experimenting as to see which base color was best but i think dark brown looked good. Dont use black because you lose all the details you spent time on carving.
View attachment 847575
I then tried darkening the crevices and lightening raised areas to give a greater perception of depth.
View attachment 847576
And now the final showpiece
View attachment 847577View attachment 847578View attachment 847579
The background provides me a way to have plants in the wall and yet keep my dragon gobies(they uproot everything). Each side of the tank has a rock structure on the bottom that is carved out, giving me two big caves. You can also notice a ledge about 3/4rth of the way up on the background, i am hoping to keep some mudskippers in this and give them and area of land as well as visible hiding areas from the bigger fish which might scare them. I will also be adding manzanita bush to replicate mangrove roots and silicone some synthetic leafy vines to the top glass. This will give it a more mangrove feel and add some light dispersion.
I hope you all like it.
After tracking down some DOW extruded polystyrene(quite difficult in So Cal), i started the carving. Since the tank is only 110g and i wanted to keep as much water volume as a could, i used 2inch thick styrofoam
View attachment 847571
Next i used some expanding foam to add more ledges to the background because its hard to get a nice effect with only 2inch thickness. It also helped me create caves for the fish to go into, as well as soil containers for plants i plan to stick into the wall.
View attachment 847573
nearly final carved background
View attachment 847574
Then it was time for waterproofing with drylock and coloring with cement colors. It took some experimenting as to see which base color was best but i think dark brown looked good. Dont use black because you lose all the details you spent time on carving.
View attachment 847575
I then tried darkening the crevices and lightening raised areas to give a greater perception of depth.
View attachment 847576
And now the final showpiece
View attachment 847577View attachment 847578View attachment 847579
The background provides me a way to have plants in the wall and yet keep my dragon gobies(they uproot everything). Each side of the tank has a rock structure on the bottom that is carved out, giving me two big caves. You can also notice a ledge about 3/4rth of the way up on the background, i am hoping to keep some mudskippers in this and give them and area of land as well as visible hiding areas from the bigger fish which might scare them. I will also be adding manzanita bush to replicate mangrove roots and silicone some synthetic leafy vines to the top glass. This will give it a more mangrove feel and add some light dispersion.
I hope you all like it.
