coycub Posted December 28, 2005 Report Share Posted December 28, 2005 Hey Guys. Well I've just got a new 5' x 18" x 18" tank and lashed out for a Univeral Habitat 3D latex background to go with it. They cost far too much btw! I would have brought the 6' x 2' x 2' but I am impatient and it needed to be built, and so I walked out with the 5 footer instead, the 6 footer will come once the 5 footer is done. Anyway below are some pics of what I am up to so far. It's going to be for my rapidly growing Black Ghost Knife Fish (Apteronotus albifrons) and will probably put a few Black Veil Tail Angels or Altum Angels in there also. I am planning on heavily planting it and rigging up a DIY CO2 kit etc. Anyway I'll keep ya's posted. Bare Bones Tank Hmm, getting this latex background in will be fun. Thankfully it's bendy! ARGH! I hate silicone! It's so sticky and messy. Some Natural Red 3mm - 6mm substrate might help. Cheers Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted December 28, 2005 Report Share Posted December 28, 2005 wow that looks fantastic Matt! Please do keep us posted on progress. I hate that rubber background for the mess, but it looks SO good once done. I had it in my 4' African tank and my 2' tall brichardi tank. I read somewhere once about alternative backings, using sand and silicone or something. There must be a cheaper way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coycub Posted December 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2005 Yeah I researched some DIY backgrounds with spray foam, resin, concrete over polystyrene etc, I'm just not that creative I'm afraid but I was tempted to give it a try, and still might for the next tank. Those backgrounds cost as much as a 6' x 2' x 2' tank!!! *ouch* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splendidbetta Posted December 28, 2005 Report Share Posted December 28, 2005 Looks great already With the latex background, do you need to ensure that it has been sealed to the glass properly with silicone so that anaerobic bacteria don't start growing behind the background? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted December 28, 2005 Report Share Posted December 28, 2005 no, I think you seal it to stop fish getting stuck behind it. Mine in my 4' actually has the filter inlet behind it, so the water's always circulated. Try as you might to seal it, I doubt you ever completely could. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Figure_8 Posted December 28, 2005 Report Share Posted December 28, 2005 I love to watch a work in progress with tanks.. I always get so many ideas! Good luck with your project Matt :goodo: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coycub Posted December 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2005 Thanks Guys. Yeah the latex backgrounds really do need to be securely siliconed and if you don't have your inlet behind the background, you need to make doubly sure there's no leakage. It's a tough job looking for leaks, I'm still waiting for the 2nd lot of silicone to cure because with the first lot I missed a couple spots I thought were good to go! Anyway it's all fun, I love setting up tanks, especially planted ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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