2 replies to this topic

[Cicolid]

DIY Coral Background….Col

I wanted something different for a background for our Tanganyikan tank.
The tank is 153 x 61 x 46 cms ( 60 x 24 x 18 inches)
Although there are many backgrounds available there were none that I liked.
So I decided to build my own. The actual assembling took about 4 hours overall.
Items used :-
2 Buckets of coral pieces and worm tubes etc.
2 Pieces of 4mm glass cut to size, I used 30 x 36cm for each panel.
1 Tube of Aquarium Safe Silicon.
Heaps of patience and cups of tea (or beer). LOL

I had several dry runs, sorting out the best way the pieces would fit together with the least mount of gaps possible. A bit like a complicated jigsaw puzzle.
 DIY_Start.jpg   47.73KB   549 downloads  DIY_Sanding_.jpg   37.23KB   348 downloads

I then clamped my belt sander (on it’s side ) to a bench, and then sanded the base of every piece of coral etc flat to give the largest gluing area possible.
By clamping the sander to the bench it leaves both hands free to hold the coral etc.
All the pieces were then dry assembled on pieces of chipboard cut to the size of the glass panels. I then sanded all the cut edges of the glass to remove any sharp areas.
It was then a matter of transferring the pieces from the board to the glass, adding the Silicon to all the flat areas of each piece before the final positioning on the glass panels.
The pieces that went around the perimeter of the glass were placed so that they over hang the edges of the glass.
 DIY_Silastic_.jpg   44.27KB   341 downloads  DIY_Finished_Panel_.jpg   47.78KB   409 downloads
Where there were gaps I either glued another piece of coral etc over the existing, or squirted Silicon into the gap and sprinkled sand or small gravel which I then tamped down with a pencil or screwdriver.
Assembling the 2 panels only took about 2 hours because as with a lot of projects the preparation takes a lot longer than the actual job.
The panels were then left for 2 days to allow the Silicon to cure. During this time I kept going back and adding other pieces to cover gaps etc.
 DIY_In_Place_.jpg   28.05KB   392 downloads
Fitting of the panels inside the tank. Due to the panels being oblong I had a choice of which way to fit them. After trying the panels in different ways I decided in the end to fit the panels with the longer edges horizontal. As the panels were shorter than the height of the tank I decided to raise them up, this way they would reach the waterline and also the area below the panels would be covered with limestone caves etc and would not be seen.
I placed the panels in the tank and using different thicknesses of slate or bricks to stand the panels on until I found the height which looked best.
I then gently lowered the panels face down in the tank, applied the Silicon to the whole perimeter of each panel before standing them up into position pressing firmly to make sure I had good contact all round. The panels were allowed 2 days to cure before I started with the limestone rocks etc.
 DIY_From_Left_.jpg   37.44KB   476 downloads  DIY_From_Right_.jpg   34.31KB   457 downloads  DIY_Front_.jpg   37.11KB   759 downloads

All shells, worm tubes & coral were boiled for 30 minutes & soaked ( water changed daily ) for 3 weeks prior to being used.

[Boof86]

photos just dont do it justice, they look really great in person

[milky]

That looks awesome! well worth the effort, im sure your fish will love it!
thanks for sharing!