# Adventures in DIY... ;)



## Blue Fish (Jun 11, 2012)

So...I thought it would be fun to attempt to make some of those fake rock backgrounds that I've seen DIY's for around the web. 

Only, I didn't read the instructions...I just scanned them, thought, oh, I can do this, and went about my way. 

Yes. It's like installing your VCR without reading the instructions. Suddenly there are quite a lot more wires than you have holes for...  

Two attempts were failures before I realized that I needed *different* foam. This isn't craft foam or green plant foam...no...this is 8' x4' sheets of insulation foam. Totally different texture.  

So, off to the Home Depot...


----------



## Blue Fish (Jun 11, 2012)

So, day two of my adventures in DIY.  

Got my foam, got my paint...
Cut out my pieces, fitted them to an empty tank
Glued everything together
Spray painted one set black, another set brown
Added the accent paint to make the black look like slate and the brown look like, well...some kind of brown rocks...lol!
Then coated everything in a clear-coat epoxy so that the paint wouldn't flake off. 
Everything is going according to plan.  
So you know that this is going entirely too smoothly and something is bound to go wrong. Soon.  

Then I had an adventure with the silicone.  I snipped the tip, fitted everything into the caulk gun...and the silicone wouldn't come out. Squeezed and squeezed and finally heard something pop...only to realize that the plunger on the caulk gun had busted through the bottom of the silicon tube. 
On one hand, I cannot use the gun now. On the other hand...I have access to the silicone...a bit messy, but whatever. Some plastic knives later, and I'm scooping this stuff out like it's the most disgusting icecream ever.  

Thirty minutes later and my pieces are set into the tank, everything is glued in, and we're just waiting for it to cure.  

Next step, adding water...and hoping that this stuff stays stuck in the tank.  Foam is VERY buoyant...


----------



## Blue Fish (Jun 11, 2012)

Photos:








Slate still in foam










Brown still in foam









Black with and without accent paints, left side finished, right side still in base coat









Slate right side install









Slate left side install









Very happy with how the slate paint turned out. Glare from the matte clear coat causes a weird shine on the brown...that one definitely looks better in person. Slate has a seam down the center for the divider.









Brown left side install









Brown right side install

Benny is assisting  :









My poor rose bush...it's got the crud...hoping it's going to live.


----------



## Blue Fish (Jun 11, 2012)

Filled the tanks with water today...so far so good. Nothing has come unstuck, no cloudiness, nothing chipping off...maybe this is actually going to work, lol!


----------



## RowdyBetta (Feb 1, 2013)

If it works for you, that would be sooo awesome! It looks amazing!


----------



## crumpledpaper (Sep 14, 2013)

Wow, that's so cool! Nice job!


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Great job! They look realistic.


----------



## Blue Fish (Jun 11, 2012)

Thanks! They're sitting in water now soaking for a few days until all of the silicone smell is gone, then I'll try them out. Possibly this evening, depending on what time I escape from work. 

Will post pics when everything is settled in.  

They're actually really easy...surprisingly easy, if you can cut with a straight knife and smear some paint around, you can do it, lol!


----------



## RowdyBetta (Feb 1, 2013)

I can't wait for more pics! ^^ OmGallifrey, it's just too much coolness. DX


----------



## CosmicSyringe (Jul 20, 2013)

I've been thinking about this DIY project by Blue Fish nonstop and lost this thread but now I've found it again!!!! It's the coolest DIY idea I've seen!

Any update on the rock backgrounds??


----------



## Blue Fish (Jun 11, 2012)

Oh, lol, thanks! Unfortunately, I cannot take credit for the original idea.  There are several DIY tutorials for things similar to this on youtube, but they use cement or drylock to cure everything. I am hoping to avoid that level of difficulty.  

Yes, I have installed the two tanks, put in fish, plants, etc. and so far so good! I've got lots of Cabomba, so I need to vacuum really well before I take show photos because of all the dropped needles, but in the next couple of days I'll post pics.  

Thanks for your interest! 
Now that I'm at least moderately secure that this process works, I'll post a full run down of steps and materials. It really is easy, fun, and makes a nice focal point for your tank for really, really cheap.  
I've got a 40g breeder that I'm upgrading my sorority into with all live plants, and that's my next project.  Going for smooth river rock look this time.  I've been working more than usual lately, so less time for fishy endeavors, but it looks like I've got some time off coming in mid-October to continue on with my playing.


----------



## RowdyBetta (Feb 1, 2013)

Yay! I can't wait for the pics and tutorial!  I love how yours turned out so much, I want to do it in my 10 when I convert it to a NPT.


----------



## Quinn (Apr 4, 2010)

I can't wait to see how it looks in the set up tanks! What a neat idea, now I want something like that. There's never enough tanks (or money)!


----------



## CosmicSyringe (Jul 20, 2013)

yay!!! Can't wait to see!


----------



## Blue Fish (Jun 11, 2012)

Okay, so I fell of the face of the internet for awhile back in the fall winter...so sorry! I got a second job (I now work on-call for two hospitals...because I never planned to have a life anyway, lol!...Seriously, hoping that SOMEONE will have a full-time position open soon...which is why I got the second job...) and then it was holidays and Christmas and all that stuff...but I finally found my way back to the internet, lol!  

Okay, tutorial and list of needs. 

- Insulation quality pink foam sheeting
- Krylon Fusion black spray paint
- Krylon Fusion Clear Coat Matte Spray Paint
- Acrylic craft paint
- Krylon "make it stone!" Textured Spray Paint (optional)
- Hot Glue and a Hot Glue Gun
- GE Silicone ONE in clear and a caulk gun (MUST be the ONE, Two has mold inhibitors in it and will harm fish) 
- OR, aquarium sealant. The GE is much cheaper though and Just as easy to use. 
- A sharp knife of any type, I used kitchen steak knives. 
- A Heat Craft Knife...this is optional. If you want to create a river-rock like look, this is probably your best bet though. But, if you're going for slate or other "stacked" stones, you don't really need this. 

Okay, so you've been to walmart and Home Depot, and you're got all your supplies. This entire project takes about a week from start to finish, because there are several coats of paint and some downtime to allow everything to set.  

- So, first step, take your big pink sheet and start cutting out rock shapes. When I do the slate walls, I just take a black sharpie and start drawing on the foam on where I want to cut. The most natural look is to make several different shapes and lengths of foam sections to cut out. 

- Next, cut them out. 

- Once everything is cut out and you've placed it in the tank how you want it to sit, then take your glue gun and glue everything together. DO NOT glue the pieces into the tank, only to one another!! THIS is very important!! 

- Now, take the black krylon fusion and spray everything black. Make sure to get the back, underneath, and into any crevices. One coat may suffice, but most likely you're going to need to do two or three light coats to get everything really covered. 

- Let everything sit for a day in the dry/sun to cure. 
I did this project in the summer, and I found that after about two hours I could apply the second and third coats because they were fairly thin and it was very hot and sunny. Drying time may take longer if it's cloudy, rainy, or not as hot.  

- Now the creative part starts. You're going to take the acrylic paint and mix up shades of grays and blacks. NEVER use anything straight out of the bottle, that will not look natural. Just swirl together varying drops of black, white, and grays until you get a swirly-not-quite-mixed paint, and apply to the background anywhere you want to highlight. There's really no right or wrong here, and if you mess up, just paint over it and try again. This is just adding highlights and dimension to the background so that it really looks like slate. If you look at actual slate stones they're not straight black, there are seams of grays and lighter blacks mixed into the natural stone. That's what you're trying to achieve, and having that not-quite-mixed paint helps, because it naturally adds in highs and lows without you having to do anything.  

The alternative is to use the Stone Textured spray paint and add highlights that way. This paint comes out in flecks of many different shades of black and gray, which gives a little bit different look. You have to be careful with this though not to spray too much, you're just looking to accent and highlight the stones, not coat them. Also, it's hard to get proper darks and lights with this...it's a process to figure out what works for you.  

- Let all this dry for a day or so. 

- Coat every surface, front, back, sides, underneath with four or five coats of the Krylon Fusion Clear Matte Coat paint. This is going to SEAL all the other paints in so they won't chip off. This is also why you need a THICK layer of it, so many coats, drying between each one, to get it really well in there. The craft paint is non-toxic, and the krylon is non-toxic, BUT, the craft paint, left unsealed, will not last long in an aquarium. The clear matte coat will prevent that from happening.  
You can use a satin finish as well, it's not a big difference, but I would avoid anything shiny because it's going to look weird otherwise.  

- Now you're ready to install.  Foam is VERY buoyant (floats), so you're going to be gooping on the silicone. A thick layer is ideal, and get it all over the back of the stones and glue directly to the back/sides of the tank. This is not a removable project...at least not without some serious scraping. So be *sure* you know where you want to put the pieces before you do this. They're in there for good once this dries. You do have an hour or so after you put them in to move them and you can wipe the silicone away with a wet paper towel, but overall this is a permanent installation. Let everything dry for at least 48 hours. 

- At this point, there will probably still be a nasty silicone smell. That's okay. I did this in the backyard, so I just took the garden hose and filled up the tanks with water. I let them sit that way for a week to make sure that none of the paint came chipping off, and to make sure that everything was glued in well enough to avoid coming loose and floating. 

- A week later, dump the tanks, they should no longer smell, and fill with gravel, plants and fishies.  You're good to go.  


Links and photos of what I've used: 
Foam:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Owens-Co...uared-Edge-Insulating-Sheathing-36L/100320356

Paints:
http://www.krylon.com/products/fusion-for-plastic-clear/
http://www.krylon.com/products/fusion-for-plastic-black/
http://www.plaidonline.com/apple-barrel-colors-2-oz/5/product.htm
http://www.dickblick.com/products/k...530000014403&gclid=CJXEz9jlsb0CFc1j7AodsQUApA

Silicone:
http://www.amazon.com/GE-Silicone-W...95891723&sr=1-14&keywords=ge+silicone+i+clear

Optional Hot Knife: (for making smooth rounded edges like river rocks)
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Professional-Hot-Knife/24419124

Pictures to come in next post.


----------

