# New background



## Alasse (Mar 12, 2009)

Started a new one.....

Just silconed together









Shaped









Will be looking at where to fit the heater and filter now, then onto cementing


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## Alasse (Mar 12, 2009)

Now with one coat of cement. take no notice of the colouring, am experimenting, so this may not be the final colour.


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## Alasse (Mar 12, 2009)

Done and now in tank


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## rtmaston (Jul 14, 2012)

looks very good.may try one myself


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## tbub1221 (Nov 1, 2012)

looks awesome , id like to do something myself , i was actually thinking on artificial stone but this looks so much more pocket easy and it can be trimmed down thin , can you give me a little insight in to the coloring stage , is it color safe paint or something you blended in to your morter mix ? and i guess whats best as far as a quick creet or mortar mix ..


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## Alasse (Mar 12, 2009)

I use cement colours, it is a powder you add to the cement mix. The more you put in the more pronounced the colour. On the final layer i just mix a little bit of the powder with water and add the highlights.

I use a sand & cement pre mix, you just add water to it.

Once complete the whole thing is sealed to make it inert.


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## TroyVSC (Aug 29, 2012)

Looks great. Stupid questions Do you cement all of the foam including the backside. Also what is the whole and grate for? Is that for the intake for a canister filter?


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## Brian757 (Sep 24, 2012)

Goodness gracious Alasse. That is so cool! Definitely a job well done!


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## tbub1221 (Nov 1, 2012)

omg Alasse this is really just impressive... im omw to lowes rite now to get materials... thanks again for the info , also in the other photo u had mesh in the hole for your filtration , im going to build mine around a fluval out of tank system so ill do the same , but i dont know if i could afford rite now an in line heater so do you think i could hide a heater in one , as this would mean id have to allow water behind it but i dont want that , thats why id be mounting and sealing it , so any advice would be helpful .


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## Alasse (Mar 12, 2009)

TroyVSC said:


> Looks great. Stupid questions Do you cement all of the foam including the backside. Also what is the whole and grate for? Is that for the intake for a canister filter?


The parts of the foam to be siliconed to the tak do not get cement, so the back (and sides if it going along sides as well)

The grate is the filter intake. This tank uses a internal filter.


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## Alasse (Mar 12, 2009)

Thanks Brian


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## Alasse (Mar 12, 2009)

tbub1221 said:


> omg Alasse this is really just impressive... im omw to lowes rite now to get materials... thanks again for the info , also in the other photo u had mesh in the hole for your filtration , im going to build mine around a fluval out of tank system so ill do the same , but i dont know if i could afford rite now an in line heater so do you think i could hide a heater in one , as this would mean id have to allow water behind it but i dont want that , thats why id be mounting and sealing it , so any advice would be helpful .


Heaters can be put behind the backgrounds, i just have a small powerhead that keeps water moving around the heater. This particular one has room for a heater, but it would be a squeeze.
Water will need to go behind a section of it for the filter, just make that area a bit larger to take the heater as well (where the mesh is)


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## Alasse (Mar 12, 2009)

I need to pull this down as i have obviously missed sealing it somewhere. The tester cherry shimp are all dead. This background is not siliconed in so no real hassle.


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## tbub1221 (Nov 1, 2012)

ok so you say do not seal it with the creet mix on the back side , is this to make it easier sealed to the aquarium wall flush ?? also , iv been told now krylon spray paints are aquarium safe when touching up or re painting decor so have you ever tried that or do you only use the powder mixes ?? thanks again , iv decided to use in line heater or possibly a diy heater idk yet but since ill be making this 4 a 10G first i only want it to protrude about 2 1/2 " at the deepest caves otherwise most of it will be about 1/2 " or so , and how many coats of the creet mix , or is it just up to my liking ??


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## Alasse (Mar 12, 2009)

Silicone wont stick well to cement, and you will need a good seal to the tank wall.

Powder mixes only, can get a far better colour range using them.

I do at least 3 cement coats, the 1st coat is fairly runny, 2nd and 3rd are somewhat more solid.


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## Summer (Oct 3, 2011)

Amazing!! Wish you lived in the states, I'd so hire you to build me one


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## tbub1221 (Nov 1, 2012)

Wow thanks again for walking me through it , I'll let you know how it comes out.


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## Alasse (Mar 12, 2009)

i think i found the problem with this background. I musta cracked it in a few places when i put it in....i will attempt to repair, but yeah, not sure how that will go....


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## Greenfish (Sep 6, 2012)

Looks great, I have built a larger one and concerned about the bouyancy being a problem staying on the tank with it siliconed to the tank...


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