Page 1 of 1
building a 3D rock feature background - Safe?
Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 2:27 am
by ehz_148
http://www.instructables.com/id/3D-Aqua ... /?ALLSTEPS
I've been checking out ways to fill in the back of my tank. I'm tired of looking through onto the wall and seeing wires pulled behind the tank, I also want to give my fishies a more 'realistic' environment. Would creating this be safe for my f8's ? There's a list of all the tools, products and what not used. I'm not sure what will leak out and raise/lower water parameters etc.
Re: building a 3D rock feature background - Safe?
Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 4:31 am
by bertie 83
That should be fine. I use styrofoam. It's cheap and easy to shape
Re: building a 3D rock feature background - Safe?
Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 5:05 am
by ehz_148
AWESOME!!! ... I was more worried about cement stuff and silicone. This will be my new home project once I've moved next year. Wish I could just do it now!
Re: building a 3D rock feature background - Safe?
Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 5:28 am
by bertie 83
I have been promising a step by step guide for a while as I have several DIY backgrounds. I will get round to it soon.
Re: building a 3D rock feature background - Safe?
Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 5:37 am
by ehz_148
thanks, that would be awesome. Looking forward to seeing them.
Re: building a 3D rock feature background - Safe?
Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 5:42 am
by bertie 83
Been so busy haven't done it yet lol. Throw in some personal problems and bam. Bear in mind making these takes out a fair whack of water volume so ensure the tank is larger than required, also they need to be fitted to an empty tank so a good excuse for an upgrade all round lol
Re: building a 3D rock feature background - Safe?
Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 10:01 am
by PolishPuff
bertie 83 wrote:I have been promising a step by step guide for a while as I have several DIY backgrounds. I will get round to it soon.
Do you have a picture of your DIY ?
Re: building a 3D rock feature background - Safe?
Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 11:26 am
by Puffer King
yes this would make an excellent thread bertie
Re: building a 3D rock feature background - Safe?
Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 11:49 am
by ehz_148
for now I can't do anything cos plans are relocating to the USA from South Africa, and I can't take my fish with me, so once I'm there I'll make sure I get the right size for that project and the fish. But that doesn't stop me from getting excited about things now!
Re: building a 3D rock feature background - Safe?
Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 1:37 pm
by bertie 83
PolishPuff wrote:bertie 83 wrote:I have been promising a step by step guide for a while as I have several DIY backgrounds. I will get round to it soon.
Do you have a picture of your DIY ?
Will upload some. Prob be tomorrow tho
Re: building a 3D rock feature background - Safe?
Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 3:07 pm
by ehz_148
ok. so i used all aquarium safe tools and materials, and I'm busy doing daily empties and refills of the tank with the feature in it. How many refills it takes to get pH down .... time will tell. Second one done today. The water is super murky. I read it might take up to 15 or more to leech all the lime out of the cement. Which might pose a problem since we just had a little bit of Irina damage and prediction of no water for a few days
As soon as things clear up and pH is normal I'll start cycling the new tank for Tsuki's move. Then I'll post pics if anyone's interested. I kinda went by the above link's instructions. Made a little cave out of a Styrofoam ball hollowed out.
If anyone has any ideas on how to leech lime faster, let me know please? Or a better way other than emptying and refilling the tank. Shot dot!
Re: building a 3D rock feature background - Safe?
Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 3:13 pm
by bertie 83
Can you not lay it on it's back and hose it out. Obviously with polystyrene under it lol
Re: building a 3D rock feature background - Safe?
Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 5:18 pm
by hadla
question about styrofoam: so would any type of styrofoam work? like would those 's' shaped packing peanuts work??? i just had this vision of taking lots of those and using aquarium silicone to glue them to a sheet of styrofoam then covering most of it with plain aquarium gravel (in hopes of getting plants and algae to grow on it to look natural) and somehow getting it not to float without gluing it to the tank itself. i have a bag of packing peanuts and just thought of this lol. or is there some kind of paint/finish i could put over the whole thing before the gravel to make sure the individual pieces dont come off?
whew ok i dont mean to hijack the thread, but i just wanted to get that all out before i forget anything lol. thanks to anyone who can help!
Re: building a 3D rock feature background - Safe?
Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 6:26 pm
by bertie 83
That would be hard work. A thick sheet of styrofoam is cheap and little hassle to sculpture even for non artistic people like me. There are several paints which are aquarium safe, if you don't attach it it will float, unless it's a real tight fit and you use a thick bed of substrate to hold it
Re: building a 3D rock feature background - Safe?
Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 7:27 am
by ehz_148
not sure that hosing it would work. The lime has to actually leach out, and to my understanding that's a process and not something done quickly. was just wondering if there was some kind of aquarium safe agent I can put in the water to force the lime out faster. I'll just keep this up and see if anything changes, otherwise I'll have to laugh it off and somehow detach it from the tank and just buy something from the lfs.