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PCS & Stuart M. Grant - Cichlid Preservation Fund - Details here


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3d Background


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#1 rax

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Posted 05 July 2010 - 12:04 PM

Well i have almost finished my background and thought i would post some pics of the progress.
I used polystyrene from The Good Guys that they were happy to give away. pieces as well as 2400x1200 sheets 10 and 20mm thick.
After reading all the blogs on this topic I could find i decided to use the expansion foam as well.
I also chose to cement render it all then coat with polyester resin.
I chose polyester because the cement would protect the foam and stop it melting. (i was sooo wrong) ohmy.gif but more on that shortly.
Steps:
1 - shape and glue foams
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Using expansion foam - no big advantage as it was hard to control and I found myself shaping it when dry just as I would normal foam blocks
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after shaping i applied a slurry of cement with sand that filled up many of my finer detailed lines and coated the whole unit.
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Divided it into 3 so it would fit into the tank.
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once it was right i siliconed it into place. Use lots of silicon then double it.
then I cement slurried the joints and coated then with resin.

By this time i was worried about the waterproofing properties of polyester resin and chose to swap to epoxy resin. Begged a pool maker for a sample and scored a ltr free so I coated the whole lot again including joins and put a layer of beach sand on the wet resin as the final surface.
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Glued in some silk plants and have been flushing the tank for the last week to ensure no residue remains.
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NOW: Lessons learnt for me next time and you first time-

1 when you shape the foam dont bother with fine detail just creat a overall shape
2 you dont need cement if you use epoxy resin
3 make sure resin is UNWAXED
4 Wear gloves whenever using resin and dont scratch your ear with gloves on lol ohmy.gif
5 do 1 layer of resin to seal, let dry then next layer can be coated with sand for final surface.
And the last but most important lesson is: practice on a mates tank first, you will learn lots that will change the way you will do your own.

Would i do it again ........ YES biggrin.gif


#2 dazzabozza

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Posted 05 July 2010 - 10:53 PM

Some good tips there Rax.

When I first saw the pics at the start of the project it reminded me of a construction yard with a crane and tip truck LOL!

End result turned out well though!

welldone.gif

#3 Hydonia

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Posted 06 July 2010 - 07:24 AM

way to go Andy. Make sure you post up some pick when you get the fish in.

#4 rax

rax
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Posted 06 July 2010 - 08:11 AM

QUOTE (Hydonia @ Jul 6 2010, 07:24 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
way to go Andy. Make sure you post up some pick when you get the fish in.



[color="#0000FF"]Thanks will be setting up this weekend.
Question: how long should i wait before putting the fish in?

#5 Hydonia

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Posted 06 July 2010 - 08:37 AM

ahhh the age old question....... I will call you.

#6 danotaylor

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  • Location: east perth

Posted 09 August 2010 - 09:09 PM

g'day andy...
just wondering how the 3D background you made is going? how long did you wait until you put fish in? any worries or more tips? how about some pics with the tank full?
cheers mate, smile.gif
danny

#7 mambo

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Posted 14 December 2010 - 11:15 AM

would love to see this tank now full of fish and plants...?

#8 tha_krust

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Posted 01 February 2011 - 08:44 PM

what was your overall costs?




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