New 4Ft with DIY 3D Background

Cement Mix turns a nice light grey colour wen Dry, looking good so far ...

 

Looking good so far man!

 

Base


Base with Aquasoil Pockets ...

Not so sure about the Round Caves now, look a lil off ???

 

It's starting to look like an old Aztec ruin - I like

 

thanx Desert n Willem, did 1st coat this Morning and second coat now, just waiting 4 it to dry a bit n then gonna bring it inside n take another two snaps 4 u guys ...

 

Done 4 Today!!
So Far So Good !!


with 2nd Coat ...

 

Hey Guys, quick question for those in the Know ... does it ever set Rock Hard or will it always have that Poly feel to it? not getting much heavier also ??
doin the 3rd coat now ...

 

Good luck with the project.

I did a couple of backgrounds years ago, when I has a pile of polystyrene to spare, and I used a soldering iron to melt all sorts of wierd and wonderful shapes into them.
They turned out quite interesting.
If you decide to play around with the idea... just remember 'safety first' and do it in a well ventilated area.

Have fun.

PS. I had no adverse reaction from my fish at all, but you may want to test it first.

 

I like the look.
What kind of cement is that and where do you purchase it?

 

That is a mighty big slab that will want to float all the time ... how you planning on keeping it at the bottom of the tank? Or you planning on adding a serious amount of silicone and making it stick forever to the base?

Later Ferdie

 

It should be quite solid once you're done. I wouldn't press on it too hard though...the cement is only a few mm thick at best, so you could still push through if you handle it too roughly.

f-fish makes a good point...you will have to glue that sucker down with a good dose of silicone.

 

Hi Gapedi, its called TITE ( builders for R 40.00 ) its a Cement based waterproofing coat, safe for ponds, 1st time im trying this so wish me luck ...

 

ya, like i said, the plan is to silicone to base and base to Tank, hope it works ...

 

Looking good man... The cement will get rock hard yes but like DesertConvert said it is only a few mm thick so if you push hard enough it will break.
Mine got quite a weight to it with all the cement but still managed to make a dent in the cement by accident...

BTW you gonna need a lot of silicone to stick that BG down. When i leeched mine without having it sticked to the side it was soo boiant(sorry for spelling if not right???) that i couldnt press it down under the water with my weight....

Thats a bit scary for when im going to stick it to the side this week...

But overall looking nice man...

 

4th coat on Today

must say it dosent feel much Heavier or stone like
gonna give it the last touch ups Tomorrow n a bit of Green Oxide

should i Seal it with anything??

 

Luis, what are you aiming for with this background, a castle or something?

 

Question - I have not tried this. If you take a soldering iron and melt the flip side so that it forms a shell (cement on the one side and molten Styrofoam on the other) then you should drastically reduce the bouncy. You could probably test the theory first and see if it works ...

 

Ok I just had to get some idea .. so a quick experiment. Two blocks of foam +- same size. Heat gun and reduce it to a shell, see how many stones it would take to keep it on the bottom of a tub of water.
4 stones

16 stones - no heat gun action


Later Ferdie

 

Hi Luis

Sorry to break in here, but how's Mr. Angle ?

Regards

Roger the Dodger

 

I use some waterproofing sealant in my last 2 coates of cement to seal mine up and just leaching...
Just check when you burn the underside away that it doesnt become uneven and you dont have enough place to silicone it to the bottom or side... ie flat cerface where the silicone on the poly can stick to the glass...