I guess it depends on the size of the acrylic sheet. For my 220, that would be rather involved, ie large. I can see how you could retrofit a smaller tank.
Cement and Bamboo
- Thread starter HarleyK
- Start date
I've used a couple of the Quikrete cement products for DIY backgrounds, the only 2 I can think of was the Quikwall and Quiksetting cement products. However, I did need to soak the cured projects in water for a couple weeks until the pH lowered enough to use them in the tank.
My local club did a DIY project uses sphagnum moss mixed in with the cement to give a textured surface to the final product. We made caves using PVC fittings, coated them in the mix, let them cure, soaked to reduce pH and used in tank.
You can also add cement colorant to the cement mix if you don't want the gray cement color to be as obvious though eventually the gray will be covered with green algae, if you're lucky or just normal brown.
My local club did a DIY project uses sphagnum moss mixed in with the cement to give a textured surface to the final product. We made caves using PVC fittings, coated them in the mix, let them cure, soaked to reduce pH and used in tank.
You can also add cement colorant to the cement mix if you don't want the gray cement color to be as obvious though eventually the gray will be covered with green algae, if you're lucky or just normal brown.
DN328, the idea of starting with a new tank is that you have to put the entire contents of the tank (other decorations, gravel, sand, whatever) on top of the acrylic. Not that it has to be a factory-new tank, but you can't put the acrylic in on top of the tank's contents. It's supposed to cover the entire tank bottom with a workable surface, and then be hidden. You can't do that with a tank that already has sand in it unless you empty the tank including the substrate.
Thanks, and understood. I knew op wasn't referring to a "new" tank. Although more difficult to retrofit than an empty tank and cause cloudy water from the sand, I still don't see why you couldn't. When I'm doing a 50% water change...for me that's a good time to tweak the landscape.
Just an update, to bring this to a close:
I used cement, and it all worked out. Then I watered the cement, and the bamboo soaked up washer and swelled up, and the cement broke. Those pieces where the cement stayed intact, I kept watering for a couple of weeks. That bamboo then grew bundles of mold just above the water surface. And it kept coming back.
Well, I don't need it badly enough to seal with epoxy our anything, and I tossed it all out.
The End
I used cement, and it all worked out. Then I watered the cement, and the bamboo soaked up washer and swelled up, and the cement broke. Those pieces where the cement stayed intact, I kept watering for a couple of weeks. That bamboo then grew bundles of mold just above the water surface. And it kept coming back.
Well, I don't need it badly enough to seal with epoxy our anything, and I tossed it all out.
The End
