DIY background & new setup

So I finished my "practice run" background out on my 10 gal. tank. I want to make one for my 30 gal but felt I should practice on hte 10 gal first.
The background is made from styrofoam that I cut/glued/melted with a heat gun, & painted with spraypaint. Then I coated the whole thing with epoxy resin from the local boat supply place. I also added some fine red sand for esthetics & to give the plants something to root in. The plant bulb I'm using has a red hue (to my eyes) which compliments the red sand & rust colored rocks.
There are 6 barbs, 2 bumble bee gobies, & 3 snails for now. I'm really pleased with how it turned out.
These pics are not the greatest - it's basically a camera phone....let me know what you think.

Before:




1 hr after:


Clearing up:





Left side:


right side:



Barbs Feeling "At Home":


Bumble Bee Goby checking out his new home:


My camera-shy Oscar (different tank):



Matt B

 

Man you got the skillz!! [smiley=guitarist.gif]

Looks incredible so does the layout in front.

Did you base this on those links posted a while back from the cichlid forum?

Great job.

 

Thanks - & yes, I used ideas from several of the other DIY backgrounds on the cichlid forum. I originally tried coating the foam with concrete but that wasn't working well for me. Plus, the resin/epoxy method cures MUCH faster. (days vs. weeks). To be honest, the whole thing was actually very easy to make.
I don't know if you can tell, but the shelf rock in the middle/rear area is actually part of the background & is foam also. The goby's love going under that ridge. Now I've gotta get a brine shrimp hatchery going to feed those little guys

 

Wow really?
Man you should work on movie sets!
Cool stuff.

 

Thats a great looking background. I need to try this project when I get some time on my hands. Congrats on you success and keep us updated on how it works out.

btw, I thought BBG were a brackish water fish .?

 

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Very Nice!!!!!

 

Looking good. What other kinds of plants are you looking at putting in their?

 

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Great job on your new construction. Looks great!!!

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[quote author=somethingfishy link=board=Freshwater;num=1095093792;start=0#4 date=09/13/04 at 16:55:09]Thats a great looking background.  I need to try this project when I get some time on my hands.  Congrats on you success and keep us updated on how it works out.

btw, I thought BBG were a brackish water fish .?[/quote]


Yes, I'm a little peeved at myself right now. Usually when I'm at my local FS, I only really listen to a couple of the guys working there (not this time though). I specifically asked for some ideas on what would be a good sand groomer, even said I was thinking of some flower/bamboo shrimp. The person "helping" me swore up & down that the BBG are fine in freshwater, even after I said "I thought pretty much ALL gobies are brackish...hmmm". My fault for buying a fish that I didn't research beforehand. Unfortunately, barbs are supposed to be very intolerant of brackish/salt, so I have to fish those BBG out somehow. Also turns out that the BBG are mostly live food consumers, not bottom sand feeders like I wanted Again, my fault for not doing the research....

Matt B

 

[quote author=reefman_MC link=board=Freshwater;num=1095093792;start=0#6 date=09/13/04 at 18:08:16]Looking good. What other kinds of plants are you looking at putting in their?[/quote]

For now, I'm just trying to get these plants to take off. I've put in a plant bulb & I think that this substrate will be much better for the plants I have  (all the critters were pulling up the plants from the gravel before).
I think I am probably going to need to make a co2 reactor as I am using 2 power filters on this tank - lots of surface agitation. That & I'm thinking of trying some fertilizer sticks to help suppliment the plants feeding - any recomendations?
If I'm successful enough with these, I'd like to get a lace fern & maybe a banana plant, & maybe something that will creep on the back wall?
Matt B