Another DIY Background

These pics show my “rock†background I recently made. (excuse the quality)
Its quick and simple and I think it cost me R50 (I liberated the polystyrene).
Get the polystyrene from an appliance store/wholesaler instead of buying it at builders. The polystyrene is used in packaging for fridges and stoves, you can get some nice flat and bulky pieces.
This is what you need: polystyrene, wood glue, small bag of cement (grey or white), yellow and/or brown oxide (it colours the cement), some sand (I used pool filter sand for the texture), water, and a little time and patience.
Anyway, here’s how I made the background:
1. Get flat piece of polystyrene, stick other polystyrene to it using wood glue. You can carve the polystyrene into natural shapes but it doesn’t have to be neat, you’ll cover up mistakes with the motar.
2. Mix up some cement powder, colour oxide, sand and water till it looks like the colour you want and make sure it isn’t runny, it should be a stiff mix.
3. Smear mixture over polystyrene and let it harden.
4. Put the background in water for a couple weeks for the lime to leach out before you use it in the aquarium.
Now you’re done, simple.
Mine still needs to be soaked in water before I use it in the tank. Oh, you’ll have to figure out a way to keep it from floating, my background can’t go anywhere because of the tanks top bracing and the rocks at the bottom.
Cheers G

 

Cool - but I think "wood glue" is water soluble ? Or does not really matter?

 

I used Alcolin Ultra Wood Glue, its water proof. Besides, it doesn't get in contact with the water, its covered with motar.

 

Hi Linchpin
Firstly, like your handy work!
You did well having used a waterproof woodglue, cement is a hydrophyl it loves water and will virtually never be 100% waterproof.
The Brummer waterproof woodglue is also very good for polistyrine, It foams quite a bit while drying and really fills all crack and cravises, just dont get it on your hands it uses the moisture of your skin to harden and only will come off when you shed that piece of skin:bigsmile:

 

That looks really good, very natural. I think you'll have to be very creative to keep it in place as you say with top bracing on the tank and lots of rocks as polystyrene is extremely buoyant! The effect is amazing, it looks very natural.

@ Guido, thanks for the warning, I would probably have put a layer on my hands just peel it off like we used to when we messed around with wood glue at school!!

 

lol, i remember that, purposefully flooding your arm with the glue JUST TO PULL IT OFF and gross out the girls ahhh, those were the days

 

Some of us, Ferryman, seemed to gross out the girls no matter how hard we tried not to! :bigsmile:

 

pmpl, ah well, that was school for ya, snotty noses and skinned knees

 

I would love those days again no stress or worries except when you tough your shirt then you worried what your mom would say......

That back ground looks pretty good