DIY Background

[dave2011]

Hi all been looking into making a 3D back ground for my tank ive looked at a few options for doing this which is either using a special cement or a epoxy resin moulding it over insulation board i know the mould will have to be soaked for a few days then drained and soaked a few more time in the bath to get rid off any harmful chemicals left over the thing i dont understand is what do they use to colour it is there some special paint that has to be used

 

[FishFlake]

If you use a cement product to coat the foam you can use liquid dyes used to color cement. Some people will then coat the cement with clear epoxy, though that is not necessary. The epoxy will make the surface more resilient and help prevent leaching from the cement.

Some people use colored epoxy and skip the cement I believe. Beware that some epoxies will melt the bare foam on contact. I've used nonsolvent based epoxies which have not melted the foam.

Others use Dryloc waterproofing paint, which may not be available in the UK.

I used colored epoxy grout on mine, but be sure not to use products with antifungal additives like Microban.

Others will weigh in with more help, so stay tuned.