Alasse Posted December 26, 2011 Report Share Posted December 26, 2011 I'm picking up some things (render, colours, pond sealer, paint brushes, sponges etc) tomorrow, all going well *L*, to start DIY'ing a custom 2ft tank i now have free At this stage i am planning to do a full background, which will come part way along the sides as well as the back. I will also be DIYíng some 'rocks' and some retaining walls if it goes as planned lol Some will be rendered foam some will be siliconed/sanded. Will update with pics once i get started......just doing out the 2ft first, gotta give it a vinegar treatment so its fully clean and fully dry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alasse Posted December 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2011 (edited) So 5 hours later i have this so far Full wall (rock in front) Cave Intake cover Used so far 1 tube Selley's Glass Silicone Sealent Clear 1 Chrisco foam box + 2 packing foam pieces Craft mesh from Spotlight Lighter Knife Edited December 27, 2011 by Alasse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayPee Posted December 27, 2011 Report Share Posted December 27, 2011 Wow looking bloody good so far. Like the intake cover piece. Make sure you list the products that you use in each step. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alasse Posted December 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2011 Thanks JayPee 5 hours to do it so far Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alasse Posted December 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2011 1st coat of render on....6 hours work, fiddly lol and i'm fussy Still wet in pic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo 1973 Posted December 28, 2011 Report Share Posted December 28, 2011 Nice job so far mate . Do you bag the render on with a sponge or something ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alasse Posted December 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2011 Thanks Painted it on with a artists small brush *L* Tried a larger brush wasnt happy with the results of that, couldnt get into all the nooks and crannies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alasse Posted January 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 (edited) Coloured render layer - 5.5hous Edited January 5, 2012 by Alasse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alasse Posted January 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 Coloured and 1st coat of sealer - 2 hours (white is sealer not yet dry) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish fiddler Posted January 5, 2012 Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 That looks awesome, great stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayPee Posted January 5, 2012 Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 Come up a treat i must say. Looks great. I have always thought of doing something like this for the bottom of a tank. So its not a bare bottom but still easy to clean. Can't wait to see it in the tank. =) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alasse Posted January 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 Thanx JayPee That would look awesome. You wanna give it a go. I've really enjoyed it and will be doing some more once this one is up and running. Want to see how the pond sealer holds up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayPee Posted January 5, 2012 Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 One day i will. =) one day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo 1973 Posted January 5, 2012 Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 Come up nice mate , how much do you think everything cost you to make ? Cheers Jamie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alasse Posted January 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 So far its taken me 18.5 hours. I've learned a bit of stuff and will be wiser on next ones, thus cut the time to make. Its cost me approx $55 in materials (not factoring in silicone needed to adhere it to tank) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo 1973 Posted January 5, 2012 Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 That's great for the money you've spent . Would you mind putting up a pic or a list of all the products you've used . I'm really considering making one for my 6ft now . Do you have to rinse or soak it now to get rid of any chemicals maybe ? Cheers Jamie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alasse Posted January 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 Selleys Glass Silicone Sealant Render It render 9kg (used 1/2 bag) Cement Australia Sandstone oxide 150g " " Dark red oxide 150g " " Dark green oxide 150g " " Dark brown oxide 1kg Crommelin Waterproof Pond Sealer 1L (used most of this) <----------i used a spray bottle to apply Once the last coat of sealer is on, it has to sit for 7 days before it can be submerged with water, It says to thoroughly rinse then fill with water. I will be filling the tank and letting sit for an hour them emptying it and refill. I will be letting it sit again for a bit so i can check that i got all areas of cement covered and nothing with water stats changes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alasse Posted January 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2012 Siliconed the background into the tank, just finished rendering the join and edges. Will wait until the render is dry then, clean up the edge & put the final coat of sealer on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alasse Posted January 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 So i've finished all i can do. Siliconed the free standing "rock" in. I ended up giving it another coat of sealer, so 4 coats all up. Now its gotta sit for 7 days for the sealer to fully cure. Updates once it cured and "fingers crossed" it gets filled for the 1st time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olly Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 love the work it looks awsome you put alot of time into this and it paid off cant wait to see it in the tank olly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparhawkleo Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 that looks awesome what kind of render and sealer did u use eg the brand but again looks great and cant wait to see the finished product Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparhawkleo Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 lol sorry just saw the post with all the details hahah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alasse Posted January 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 So i filled the 2ft with the DIY background in it. Learnt some things for next time i make one (will add these at the end) *L* All in all for my 1st go it came up quite well. It did stay where it was meant to....so far. Tank has been emptied again, just finished the 1st coat of black paint on the outside, now gotta wait for it to dry to do a second coat. Once the ssecond coat is on and dry, the tank will be put back in place and substrate put in, then filled and planted. Will be a week or so before goldies go in. But i will be throwing some canaries in (feeders) to make sure all is good. I will be testing daily while the feeders are in there to make sure its safe even for them. I cant run the canister on it until the replacement part arrives and that could be at the end of the month or more. That will give me time to modify the outlet to fit behond the background. So i will put internals to keep the water moving. Tis a bit exciting now i'm at the business end of the build Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alasse Posted January 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 Not a brilliant pic. Tank is still quite cloudy (had a blonde moment lol. Washed a bucket of gravel, had it sitting beside a dirty bucket of gravel, you can guess which one i used!) but anyway it gives you an idea of how it looks. I'll update with another pic once its clear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alasse Posted January 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 Now lessons learnt during this process! Check and recheck and then check again you have the size right! Do not let the silicone come in contact with the pond sealer, they turn a slight white, nothing to out there but you can see it on the edges. Once the BG weathers a bit that should blend in. I actually dont mind the look, it gives it a more natural feel, but just be aware of it Do NOT mix quartz sand in to try and get a bit more texture. Measure your canister tubing prior to finishing BG, will save you having to modify the inlet & outlet *L* Do not make to many hard to get to places with your foam, a more flowing type would definately be easier to render! (and far quicker) Overall though i am really pleased with how this came out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
