DIY 3D Angkor Wat Backdrop / Background

[Sulla]

Hello just thought you guys would want to see the [acronym:632d8f34ce="Do it yourself"]DIY[/acronym:632d8f34ce] backdrop / background I am working on for my 125. It is based on the temples of angkor wat in Cambodia. After all the carving and shaping is done using the HotWire foam carving tools I will then cover it with quickrete with color and acrylic fortifier added. Below you can see my photosketch made using many images of temples and photoshop and then my progress todate. Let me know if you have any kind of feedback.

[Mr Burns]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THAT IS UNFREAKIN' BELIEVABLE!

you are quite the artist, no doubt about that. if you wanted to go all out, you could airbrush the color onto that then cover it with a clear epoxy....

i can't wait to see how this turns out

[Sulla]

Thanks I am glad you like it I thought about painting then covering it with apoxy but after looking at all the online articles of making backgrounds etc I think the conrete will look more relistic. I did buy several different conrete colors so I will have a pallete of light grey to black to red to tan to creat depth etc with. Its always fun on a project like this to see how its going to turn out.

[Mr Burns]

sounds like you have it all figured out! hurry up and finish so we can see some pics...but don't rush

[DonnieP]

Sulla
A lot of painting with the cement will be lost in the long run! I found that after about two months a nice coat of algae will cover the background and when it does the colors from the painting will be lost. I also found that shading the cracks and crevaces was not necassary since the light from above gives it all a natural shading in these areas.. Your project looks great, I too will be looking forward to the finished background. If you would like to take a peek at mine, I have enclosed a link to my site below where I have the whole project documented. My last update on the tank was when it was eight months old, its now been a year and I have had no lose of fish, several spawnings, and the water parameters are great.. good luck on yours..
Donnie
http://www.catfishheaven.net/day1.html

[DonnieP]

Sorry about the multiple attachments, first post on this board, its a little different..

[Sulla]

Thanks Donnie for all of the advince. Your site was the one that inspired me to do the background this way


Also as a general update I had more time to work on the background today. I made the cutout in the far left side piece where the canister filter intake will be. I even added the grate to keep fish out and cut tunnels out to the front of the foam between the bricks so I get plenty of flow but you cant see the grate. This far left piece is basicly finsished exept for the conrete

I also started working on the face this is going to be the hardest part by far I believe. After working on it for a couple of hours I think the foam is only going to act as a rough background and I will shape most of the face by hand with the concrete. also I am having to make the face a little smaller to move it back from the front glass of the tank. But over all I am happy with the progress.

PS More pics on the way.

[BillyZ]

Thats going to be very nice when finished!

Welcome, both of you, to Aquarium Advice

[Sulla]

OK well I had some moving I had to do today so I took the day off from working on the background and decided to post a group of the latest photos.

This first image is of Donnies tank after being up about a year and having a nice covering of algea. It looks really great now.


This image is of the side of the background that I am finished carving on. Also this image was taken before I cut it off of the main block and made the passages down to the inlet for the canister filter.


This is a picture of the end piece fitted into the tank.


This is an image of some of the "Non-aquarium" plants I got today to round out what I need for the tank. Between the ones I have and these I will have a nice green tank with lots of interest besides the background. Thats about a 3' by 3' area they cover. I went ahead and picked them up so I could start soaking and cleaning them.


This is an image of the space for the inlet for one of the canister filters (the other inlet will be on the other in with the returns coming out behind the face.


Top View


A view of the front look closely and you can see the light coming thrue the inlet tunels going to the canister filter inlet, also on the bottom left you can just see the grate I am using.


This next image shows me starting on the face and gives a good idea of the process I am using to make a rough background to mold the cement on.


This is the latest progress on the face before I stoped last night.


more to come....

Sulla, Donnie

Both of you are amazingly talented!

I'll keep a close eye on this thread for your progress Sulla.