Diy background and scaping
- Thread starter dbD1nonly
- Start date
I plan on doing all the rocks out of foam and connecting them inside the tank after they have been coated. Im going to lose the plant and the filter and go with a sump. I plan on it all being black or charcol most likely. Has any one else tried to do everything with foam.
Quick note: shaping the rocks does take quite some time hense the bud lighth in a few pics.
Quick note: shaping the rocks does take quite some time hense the bud lighth in a few pics.
I have done this I'll try to get pics up i used much smaller tank and diff look but it seems to work ok been up for few months now. The tank was a very small test tank for just this thing foam back round, the concrete i used and the pain, as well as a bottomless set up i was fiddling with i'll see what i can get up.
Istfensarion;4886549; said:
Hey, I too will be constructing a styrofoam 3-D background. I've found a styrofoam plant that makes a harder type of styrofoam type 2, that is colored slate gray. Easier to carve and when you have a piece break off or something alive eats the paint off a part, the slate gray color will not stand out at all. I'm delighted.
I'm buying a piece of it for $95 that is 12' x 5' x 4'. More than I'll ever need.
Question, in your research, what have you decided regarding paint and sealant?
Thanks,
Paul
Im using GE type 1 silcone to put the shaped foam rocks on the piece of foam and to seal inside the tank. As far as paint i have done a few smaller backgrounds with quikcrete and concrete color. But because of this tank being 65g im going to go with the final coat with drylock( i think havent really decided). The concrete works very well in the past for me, just not sure if i want to tak ethe time to fill and empty the tank to get the ph down to what i need.
dbD1nonly;4890599; said:
I'm curious why you don't try to angle the pices to give a more natural rock line? Like diagnal all of the pices a bit to the right or left and even ad a slight arch to the "grain" of the "strata" if you will...
I think that you should try this! I bet that you could make it look very sweet!!!
So many people use styrofoam and just lay it flat and it looks to uniform with to much symetry and uniformity!
Have you thought about this at all? I bet it would turn out WICKED!!!!! I know you could do it right just by looking at the quality of the foam rocks that you have carved already! They look nice and varied.... YOU havea good eye for this!
Hope that you consider doing it! you wouldn't have to change anything at this point except the angle of the rocks and maybe make a few more to fill gaps... NO?
Mast i hadnt even thought to angle any i really like that idea. I basically tried to use 3-4 different sizes leaving some holes and such through out, but i have to agree instead of running them left to right maybe ill do another with more non symetrical rocks. Although i am making all the rocks out of foam even the rocks not in the background so that may break up the left to right look some. I think im start another with angled rocks just to see what it will look like.