# [Wet Thumb Forum]-Muddy Riverbank Background



## ChicagoAndy (Jan 24, 2004)

This is a relisting of my newbie fumbling with "Alternative DIY Background." I think I've got the pics to show up finally...

I wanted a muddy riverbank look for my 65 gal tank. I got the idea from a display I saw at an aquarium near Cincinnati. Made a bunch of calls to figure out how they did it, and viola! Sorry about photo quality, not my strong point.

Materials list:
Window glass panels cut to size.
Great Stuff construction foam underlayer.
Wire mesh to form concealing wall in front of powerhead.
Blades and knives to cut the dried underlayer.
Epoxy Waterproofer, tints to look like mud. Inert, non-porous, colorfast.
Sand, gravel, bits of tree bark, rocks to "decorate" the panels.
Filtration and CO2 tubing buried in the underlayer.
Silicone aquarium sealant to fix the panels in place and hide seam.

This shows the panels with some early cutouts that I revised repeatedly but gives you an idea of the texture and depth. It was like working with wet styrofoam.









Here the underlayer is complete and dry. The epoxy and "decorations" are being applied. The epoxy effectively seals the the underlayer to avoid toxicity.









These are the completed panels prior to installation.









Panels installed. Middle seam hidden with silicone bead, silicone hidden with sand and gravel. Looks like a silt line.









Too much glare, but side view shows embedded rocks, filter intake.









Here's a cave I built for apistos and cats with some standard cardboard mailing tubing, slate and the epoxy sprinkled with decorations.









Views of the young tank showing how the background fits in. Java moss growing in nooks and crannies. Nice textured look behind cabomba. Powerhead and thermosensor concealed behind little wall center top.


















If this interests you I can provide all details.


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## ChicagoAndy (Jan 24, 2004)

This is a relisting of my newbie fumbling with "Alternative DIY Background." I think I've got the pics to show up finally...

I wanted a muddy riverbank look for my 65 gal tank. I got the idea from a display I saw at an aquarium near Cincinnati. Made a bunch of calls to figure out how they did it, and viola! Sorry about photo quality, not my strong point.

Materials list:
Window glass panels cut to size.
Great Stuff construction foam underlayer.
Wire mesh to form concealing wall in front of powerhead.
Blades and knives to cut the dried underlayer.
Epoxy Waterproofer, tints to look like mud. Inert, non-porous, colorfast.
Sand, gravel, bits of tree bark, rocks to "decorate" the panels.
Filtration and CO2 tubing buried in the underlayer.
Silicone aquarium sealant to fix the panels in place and hide seam.

This shows the panels with some early cutouts that I revised repeatedly but gives you an idea of the texture and depth. It was like working with wet styrofoam.









Here the underlayer is complete and dry. The epoxy and "decorations" are being applied. The epoxy effectively seals the the underlayer to avoid toxicity.









These are the completed panels prior to installation.









Panels installed. Middle seam hidden with silicone bead, silicone hidden with sand and gravel. Looks like a silt line.









Too much glare, but side view shows embedded rocks, filter intake.









Here's a cave I built for apistos and cats with some standard cardboard mailing tubing, slate and the epoxy sprinkled with decorations.









Views of the young tank showing how the background fits in. Java moss growing in nooks and crannies. Nice textured look behind cabomba. Powerhead and thermosensor concealed behind little wall center top.


















If this interests you I can provide all details.


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## tuvik (Dec 23, 2003)

wow!!
realy beautiful much better then the one that juwel makes


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

Very cool! Please do post all the details, step by step and where you got the materials

Robert
King admin
www.aquabotanic.com


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

Awesome!!!!!

Dennis Dietz

http://webpages.charter.net/dennisdietz/Aquatic%20Endeavors.html


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## mm12463 (Mar 5, 2004)

That is slick as snot. Great job and yah post some details. It's tempting to try since it looks so darn good.

Thanks for sharing.

Mike
http://fish.silver-fox.us


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## ChicagoAndy (Jan 24, 2004)

Thank you, I'm really glad to see you like it. There was a lot of trial and error, you're all intuitively handy so to speak, so please ask specific questions if I don't make it clear enough.

Here's a pic of the actual display in the Newport Aquarium near Cincinnati that caught my attention. This was a turtle tank, and the pic is above water, but you get the idea. The artist used pebbles and twigs and artificial leaves to simulate nature. The lack of insects was the only way I could tell it was not real. You can see why I was captivated and decided to try it myself.









The materials:
1. Window glass. Standard cheap stuff, 3/8" I think. Size it at least an inch smaller than your rear tank panel all around. The foam expands a lot and you don't want too tight a fit. Tried variety of plastic sheet products, but you need glass because it wont warp when you apply the foam.

2. Great Stuff brand construction foam, $4 a can at Home Depot. I went through 4 cans, but if you really think through the placement of your tubes and cutouts you can do it with much less. Don't bother with DAP or other brands. I tried, they dry differently.

3. Epoxy Waterproofer and tints. See www.chargar.com and navigate to Waterproofers>>Epoxy. Pricey (approx $75 with shipping), but you get a gallon. I used about a third on the background, wasted about a third due to inexperience, and have some leftover to make those cool caves and things. Relevant aspects of this stuff: Goes on like gooey paint, tints available in almost any color, hardens to non-porous, inert, ceramic-hard surface that is also cement-strong adhesive when drying so holds pebbles and sticks and sand etc. forever. Color will never change. Call them to request tint color chart. Here's a pic:









4. Lot's of plastic cold drink cups and plastic spoons for measuring and holding the epoxy batches, lot's of throw-away paint brushes if you want to do a little work on it here and there instead of all at once. And lots of cheap plastic throw-away gloves.

So, start by thinking through the mechanics; where do you want your intak, output, other hardware, etc. Practice a bit with the products and envision the final product clearly.

1. Put the panes side by side as they will be in the aquarium and coat them quickly with the foam. Foam expansion is dramatic before drying, so play with it a bit before you commit. You can cut away and redo any areas you want. Shaping is not easy while it's wet, but you can do anything to it once dry.

2. After drying, shave the edges as you need, make a jagged cut down the middle to separate the panes again. Trim the center edges way down so the glass can touch again.

3. Cut away for tubes, lines, big rocks, whatever. I used wire mesh to hold the buried tubing deeply in the gutters I made for them, then re-foam as needed. Things to consider include final dimensions, where the tubes should exit, how far they should be off the back wall if your tank has a wide lip, depth of substrate and location of tubes, etc.

4. Put it in your tank to make sure it fits. I've lost an otocinclus already because it got stuck between the glass and the edge of the background. And it's hard to clean algae in the tight fit spots. Work hard on the "fit" now while working with the underlayer only to avoid having to crack off the hardened epoxy later. Cut/shave/shape more as needed.

5. Mix up batches of epoxy waterproofer tint with just a tiny bit of color so you don't interfere with the two part activation by adding too much tint, and brush it on. No harm starting and stopping, just try not to waste too much product. Stick your "decorations" on while portions are drying. Here's some detail:









6. Silicone it inside the rear of your tank. I chose to make it permanent, so I "sealed" it with a thick bead of silicone about three inches from the perimeter, all around. If there is a visible crease between the panels, either use a bead of silicone or mix up a little bit of Epoxy waterproofer and paint over it. It's thick enough to fill gaps, and no expansion from the waterproofer.

Hope that is clear. If you practice a bit before applying this stuff it will go better.


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

If I understand this correctly, you are using glass sheets and attaching the foam to it. Why bother with glass? Why not simply use screen mesh or some other unbreakable material?

Robert
King admin
www.aquabotanic.com


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## ChicagoAndy (Jan 24, 2004)

The reason for the glass is that as the foam dries it expands and adheres dramatically, resulting in quite a bit of disorganized pushing and pulling. So you need a mounting surface that wont warp. I tried plastic light fixture lens materials but they warped. Plus the glass is only 1/4" as it turns out, very thin, so it doesn't take up much space. Lastly, I couldn't think of any reason to be concerned about breaking the glass.


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## Paul Higashikawa (Mar 18, 2004)

Simply cool to look at and very inspirational! Wish to see the tank in a month









Paul


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## ChicagoAndy (Jan 24, 2004)

Thank you. I will post a picture here and in the photo gallery in the future. If anyone is making one of these and wishes to contact me, please do, no problem.


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## kherman (Apr 7, 2003)

That is simply AWESOME!

I was thinking aobut the glass issue. Wouldn't it be posible to use plexi-glass or platic and use small strip of the plexiglass or plasitc to from bracing on the back side of the panel? Be placing bracing perpendicular to the panel, warping should be prevented.

Eitehr way, I love it! Nice work.

------------------------------
Karl's Parts And Construction Journal 
Karl's 125 aquascape


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## skylsdale (Jun 2, 2004)

Nice job! Here's some inspiration for your next project:




























All images from www.biotopia.nl


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## ChicagoAndy (Jan 24, 2004)

Those are indeed inspiring photos. It looks like they may be using the construction foam to fix the stump to the floor and in back. Regarding the plexiglass... if you pick up a can of the Great Stuff and dispense it onto something flexible you'll see what I mean; It adheres strongly to the surface but expands as it dries. It really warps anything flexible. If you want to avoid glass panes you could build the background directly upon the back pane of your tank, though it would be tedious to work on the details kind of upside down while leaning into the tank on its side.

The Biotopia site really has some superb aquariums. Simply beautiful. Gives me some very labor intensive ideas. Someday.


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