# My 30 Gallon Tank - DIY Background



## mittos (Oct 4, 2011)




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## FishFlow (Sep 13, 2011)

Looks great.

So, how'd ya do it?


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## meBNme (Oct 7, 2011)

NICE!

Good way to get the 3D look without taking up to much water space.

What did you use?
2 inch Styrofoam sheet?
Paint or quickcret coloring?


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## mittos (Oct 4, 2011)

I'm putting all the pictures in order. I wanted to see if there was any interest first *c/p*


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## mittos (Oct 4, 2011)




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## meBNme (Oct 7, 2011)

Post pics or I'll call you funny names.*whip**NA*


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## mittos (Oct 4, 2011)

meBNme said:


> NICE!
> 
> Good way to get the 3D look without taking up to much water space.
> 
> ...



I actually killed about 3-4 inches of space in the the tank, 4" on the left side where the filter dips into the water.

I stacked a few sheets of styrofoam and coated it with cement and cement coloring.


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## meBNme (Oct 7, 2011)

Prepare for fluctuating PH issues.
Due to the cement.


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## mittos (Oct 4, 2011)

meBNme said:


> Prepare for fluctuating PH issues.
> Due to the cement.


Yeah, I was reading about that. Though, so far its been pretty stable for the last few weeks. Just tested 7.6 or so this morning. Nitrites tested high though... damn fish flakes.


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## meBNme (Oct 7, 2011)

What method did you use to secure it in place?


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## mittos (Oct 4, 2011)

meBNme said:


> What method did you use to secure it in place?


A few beads of silicone I did the trick.


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## sschreiner5 (Oct 11, 2011)

That looks really good. Nice job. I have been wanting to build one myself but havent yet. I have been worried it wont look that good but think I will try soon. I want to build a sand fountain/waterfall into mine.


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## madtyke (Sep 26, 2011)

Looks good


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## mittos (Oct 4, 2011)

sschreiner5 said:


> That looks really good. Nice job. I have been wanting to build one myself but havent yet. I have been worried it wont look that good but think I will try soon. I want to build a sand fountain/waterfall into mine.


That would be really cool! I didn't want to take on more than I could handle on my first large tank but I saw a few How-To's that incorporated a sand waterfall into the background. 

If you do decide to make one of these backgrounds, make sure you get concrete that doesn't have all the rocks in it... What a nightmare, I had to sift all the rocks out of the cement in order to use it.


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## sschreiner5 (Oct 11, 2011)

"If you do decide to make one of these backgrounds, make sure you get concrete that doesn't have all the rocks in it... What a nightmare, I had to sift all the rocks out of the cement in order to use it. "

Thanks for the tip. It's going to be month or two before I try to build one but once I do I'll be sure to make a post with pictures. I am working on getting some more live plants going first but the background is next on my list.


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## mittos (Oct 4, 2011)

Trying to set up some CO2 so the plants can REALLY grow. Can anyone suggest good reading material?

I'm also a home brewer, making beer just makes life more fun. I was wondering if any other home brewers out there ever used the CO2 blow off from fermentation to infuse CO2 into a fish tank...??? Just a thought...


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## mittos (Oct 4, 2011)

CO2, would this work?

Bottle 1 (sugar, yeast, etc.) ---> Bottle 2 (water) ---> Clamp (for flow control) -----> Powerhead (the airline input)?


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## Summer (Oct 3, 2011)

Love the background!!


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

Look much more realistic since you decided not to put sealer on it or paint as either make it shiny and less real looking.
Don't know if it appeals to you but many of the mosses will cling to that very well as will Java Fern.
Great job...


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