Hi, everybody Joey here again, and welcome back so last week
I gave you a sneak peek to [a] 3D background with an integrated sand fall this week
I want to show you how to build a 3D background or
Structure a 3D background is certainly one of the most unique features you can create for your aquarium
[I] created my first background around [10] years ago
And fellow Hobbies have been doing it for far longer than that using a [tried-And-true] method of styrofoam and cement now
There are many ways to accomplish this so I suggest doing some further research in finding the method that works best for you
For example. I made a hollow fiberglass background in the past [so] in this video
I intend to simply give you some tips and inspiration to use on your own to get started. You'll need some styrofoam [now]
You can either buy [this] or you can get it for free at a furniture store that throws it out [everyday]
You'll want to get white styrofoam and the thicker the [better]
Start off by measuring the area in your aquarium that you intend to place this I like to start off with creating a thick base
So I silicone a few layers together having a general idea of the final product in mind will help
Now to be honest. I had no idea what I was going [to] create what I made this
I just knew I wanted some caves
Crevices and a lot of texture to use in this example there really is no perfect tool to use when carving so use what works?
best for you now I used a combination of razors and simple knives [you] might even want to draw out the
General formation that you'd like on to the styrofoam prior to cutting so you have a basic outline to follow
There's really no worry of cutting off too much as you can always replace it with another piece of styrofoam and some silicone my advice
Here is just to take your time. Cut slowly. There's no fast way to do this also
Have a shopback [or] vacuum on hand to clean up your mess regularly because this is really messy as you're cutting
Constantly fit it into your tank as you go as well making [sure] it's coming along as planned and it still fits if you plan
To have your filter [behind] it make sure that you carve out a large enough place for it and are
Constantly dry fitting it in place
So there's really no
surprises when you go to install it if you do intend to install a filter behind it just remember that you're going to need an
Entrance and exit for that filter the options and styles here are literally endless and I certainly can't cover everything with [the] basic
Formation completed I like to use a heat gun to lightly
Scorch the surface this makes a surface much harder however you can also sand it to achieve a similar
Texture sanding it will also help bring out definition heating it or sanding
It's also going to stop little bits of styrofoam from coming off in the future when pleased with the final outcome
I move on to cement now. I have seen basically every type of cement used with no real problems however
I like to use a hydraulic water stop cement as I can build it to up to whatever consistency
I like and it doesn't have a tendency to crack plus
It cures fast [all] you have to do is mix the cement with water and thoroughly combined it the more water you add the less
Thick the Mixture will be the first coat should be pretty thin
simply to give the second coat a better surface to stick to I tend to apply all of the coats with a paintbrush now the
Second coat will go on thicker
if you're finding that you're losing definition in your background during this application use your finger or
Pencil to help remove a bit of the cement from those areas or crevices
This is also a good time [to] tell you that you should account for this happening when you're carving
So make sure you carve slightly larger than you want to allow for the cement
let each [coat] cure in between applications
Now cure time depends on the cement use so just follow the [directions] usually after three or four coats you have enough
You'll be looking for a thickness of around two millimeters thick so [now] at this point
You can either install it as is or you can move on to painting if you like it as is
Silicone it in place and ensure all the sides are sealed so the fish can't get behind it
Wait at least 48 hours for the silicone to cure
You're using a lot of silicone so a bit of extra time is needed for this background at that time if you don't like something
About the background you can still cut some [off] and coat it again in the tank
Or even applying [thin] a thicker cement to help build it up a little bit more now comes the water
Changes after your initial fill your ph will skyrocket off the charts
So [you're] going to have to do continuous water changes until it goes back to normal this can take several weeks
Changing the water every three days is what I would [recommend]
Testing the water three days after each fill until the ph in the tank is the same as the ph coming from the tap
Once that happens you can go ahead and continue with the tank as normal however you may not want to have to do water changes
At all so coding the background and the clear Epoxy coating can be done
But it's much more expensive however it not only seals the background
But it also provides a hard protective shell
For painting you have a couple of options you can either simply buy some cement tint and tint it as needed or you can use
100% acrylic paint once cured. It's non-toxic now
It's not going to last forever underwater
But it will last several years [I]
Suggest using it Sparingly to create a more natural look you can also use a two-part epoxy paint, but again. It's not cheap
Formations in the tank are exactly the same except you can make them by simply
Stacking up a few pieces of styrofoam and silicone em together followed by the cement
It's very easy to create rocks this way as well as caves and really anything you want
Just ensure [that] you fully coat the structure with cement followed by silicone in it in place. That's basically it
I think that's enough information to get you started
Now obviously there's pros and cons to a 3D background one is not the cost
This is relatively inexpensive to make however
It does take a lot of time and effort to create one on another note the chances of somebody having the same background as you
is Zero
Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed the video
I also want to thank you for watching and I'll see you guys next week when we build the sand fall