Michigan Cichlid Association
General Category => DIY => Topic started by: Steve on January 15, 2014, 01:20:14 AM
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Back before Christmas I promised my nephew I would do him a 3D background for his 29g tank, so started working on that tonight. He had a single yellow lab in the tank for about 7 years which just died a few months back. It was huge too, had to be at least 6" or more when it finally died. Once done it will be home to a trio of yellow labs I'm giving him from a batch from one of my fish that are about 7 months old now.
Carving all done in this pic
(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/829/rtvz.jpg)
And drylok applied here. Will be shading it tomorrow and then sealing it for him.
(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/32/9n9n.jpg)
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Looks great! ( as usual )
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Any particular reason you used the green foam board? (Are some foam types better than other for this?)
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Yeah the green is the closed cell foam which is much denser than the standard white open cell foam. The closed cell being denser makes it much easier to carve more detail into the foam itself, plus when you hit closed cell foam with a heat gun (to give it texture) it looks nice, where as white open cell foam will just shrivel up and melt too quickly. Usually most the closed cell foam that is safe to use is either green or purple so those are the two that are used the most for backgrounds. You just want to stay away from any foam that might have any additives in them, or the ones that have a reflective material on the back of course. Some of the white foam such as used for packaging electronics can be used with good results as well as that is usually a denser foam.
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Are the green and purple foams denser than the sheets of pink stuff?
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If the pink one is the one I'm thinking of that I have seen at Lowes & Home Depot then all three of those are about the same.
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All finished so he can pick it up this weekend now.
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(http://i1375.photobucket.com/albums/ag470/stevewayneclark/cody3_zpsab112faf.jpg)
(http://i1375.photobucket.com/albums/ag470/stevewayneclark/cody4_zpsdd702872.jpg)
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Great job
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Just got back from going over and setting it up for him. Got it all set up and running and filled his filter with some established media from one of my canisters. Should be cycled almost instantly since the media all came out of mine but I also added some Start Smart Complete just to be on the safe side. He's very happy with it. I'm going to be taking him some fish tomorrow to stock it (four of my Y.Lab Juvies 1"-2" and a 2.5" Albino BNP. I'll take a pic of it tomorrow after the fish are in.
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Got it set up and fish in for him. He'll add some more rock later I'm sure. Gave him four labs and an albino BNP.
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(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/849/k7zz.jpg)
(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/560/qfz8.jpg)