background possibilities with water in tank?

[WOGGIES]

Hey everyone. I was looking around today and really like the Styrofoam background some people on here made for their tanks. Right now I have a poster on the back of my tank and want a more "natural" looking setup. Is it possible to make a stryofoam background with my tank already set up? If not, do you guys have any other suggestions on a background that I can do what i'm looking for? I want a 3d background with caves and stuff. thanks!

[Fishalicious]

You wouldn't be able to glue the background in with it being fully running... you can however cut it to be a very snug fit and wedge it tightly in the back against the glass sides the substrate also helps keep it in place so it is a possibility.

[lbj41]

You wouldn't be able to glue the background in with it being fully running... you can however cut it to be a very snug fit and wedge it tightly in the back against the glass sides the substrate also helps keep it in place so it is a possibility.
to install it better you could take your fish out and drain the water down to a few inches. then you could silicone it to the back of your tank, refill it, and put your fish back in

[fins_n_fur]

And, you'd have to let the silicone cure for about a day before filling it back up with all of the water. It's sounds like a nightmare chore...do you have second tank to put the fishies in whilst you re-do the regular tank for a day or two?

[Levi]

why don't people ever put the background on the outside

[Fishalicious]

If you have a structured backing wall you can't put it on the outside... you can put up colored card on the outside or colored foil - some of my friends also paint the back outside of the tank so they don't lose any internal space

[simon j]

there is a silicone on the market which you can use under water , and is quite safe.as for background with the silicone, build up the back with thin small rocks and use the silicone to bond them together. but be sure to boil the rocks first. this may give you the look you are wanting

[Lady Hobbs]

The styrofoam background is not a one day project nor even a week. The styrofoam is coated with several layers of Quik Rite concert with each layer dying several days. Then more curing of the silicone. Then filled with water and cured another week as the pH will be very high for a while. As stated, no one day job.

[Becikeja]

It is definately not a one day job.

[sailor]

There is a guy in British Columbia that custom makes back grounds that attach to the outside of the tank. I was going to get one until I found out they went on the outside as I wanted 1 for the inside. http://www.riftzoneaquatics.com/forum/thread.php?threadid=329

[Sinnbox]

is the Quik Rite concert toxic to the fish?

[karbomb]

i have a black background attached to the outside of my tank. they had this dinosaur scape in the LFS i went to today and i almost bought it (i am obsessed with dinosaurs) but the black really looks 10x better then any other scenic background i have seen.

[Lady Hobbs]

is the Quik Rite concert toxic to the fish?

No it's not toxic or they wouldn't use it for backgrounds. It does make the pH very high for awhile which is why you fill the tank (several times), aerate it constantly for a couple weeks until the pH registers normal again. Water softener salt added to the water helps with the curing.

[Lady Hobbs]

there is a silicone on the market which you can use under water , and is quite safe.as for background with the silicone, build up the back with thin small rocks and use the silicone to bond them together. but be sure to boil the rocks first. this may give you the look you are wanting

I wouldn't count on this working at all. The force of the water pushing against something just makes this sound useless to me. I can't see it working at all.

And boiling rocks is also not a good idea. Rocks can explode if overheated. They can just be cleaned with a brush in some good hot water. Boiling is not needed and could end up being dangerous.

[jbeining75]

I wouldn't count on this working at all. The force of the water pushing against something just makes this sound useless to me. I can't see it working at all.

And boiling rocks is also not a good idea. Rocks can explode if overheated. They can just be cleaned with a brush in some good hot water. Boiling is not needed and could end up being dangerous.

yeah I would definetely not boil the rocks. scrub them down real good and rinse them in tank water when you do a change.....

[hpt84]

Since your tank is already setup up, why don't you glue lava rock to plexiglass and place them in against the glass of your aquarium.

Here is the link: http://www.instructables.com/id/Lava-Rock-Aquarium-Background/

I did it for my 55g, you can check it out in my photo gallery if you are interested.

[Heisenberg]

There is a guy in British Columbia that custom makes back grounds that attach to the outside of the tank. I was going to get one until I found out they went on the outside as I wanted 1 for the inside. http://www.riftzoneaquatics.com/forum/thread.php?threadid=329

I made my own Background, using Cardboard the length and height of my 30 gallon. I glued sections of Black Styrofoam packing material
to the cardboard after cutting out sections so it appears like stone/rocks. I cut a section out to allow for my outside filter.
It turned out quite well. I painted a few plants too add some color. I tapped the top and bottom of the board to the tank
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