The rear background gives an aquarium spectacular view, hides the equipment and creates a more comfortable environment for the inhabitants of the aquarium. The appropriate option can be chosen in the store, but the finished products are designed for a specific standard. Therefore, it is necessary to include fantasy and make a background for aquarium with your own hands.
Minimum cost
It is necessary to look at decorative films with photocollage or drawings. All the difficulty of making is reduced to adjust the film to the size of the rear wall of the aquarium, and then stick carefully and without bubbles.
There are craftsmen who can make a beautiful painting on glass. But even in the absence of artistic skills, you can paint the back wall with any monophonic color. Most often for these purposes, black or blue picks up.
However, experts do not welcome this type of decor, since toxic paint harms fish and live plants. It is impossible to replace such a background, and if a desire to change it, you will have to buy a new aquarium pet.
3D-volume
Since 3D is considered one of the fashionable design directions, it is necessary to get acquainted with the process of manufacturing a bulk background.
Natural decor
One of the most beautiful design options is considered Background from living algae. For the manufacture of such a background requires wood bark, fishing line, algae and silicone glue. Technology is simple. The bark is purified and washed with water, then plants are attached to it using a fishing line. Well, and then glue the entire design to the back wall.
There is a more complex way of decor living plants. It will take a metal mesh, several rubber suckers, a fishing line, algae or moss. First, we cut out two parts from the grid, similar to the sizes of the back wall.
Then moss is installed on the grid or algae and secured their fishing line.
Well, then the grid is folded in half, put the suction cup on the back wall and secure the background. At first, it looks not too aesthetically, but when the moss starts up, the aquarium will resemble the corner of the river bottom. It is important that there are no gap between the grid and the wall so that they cannot get the smallest inhabitants of the aquarium.
There is another interesting version of the decor from natural materials. For it, they take a dark gray plate of hard PVC, real stones and snags. Stones lay on the board and poured them with a silicone rubber.
While the adhesive makeup dries, the squals are thoroughly washed. And when the glue dries off, free spaces between the stones are fill in polyurethane foam.
The improvised trunks of the trees are pressed into the foam and leave three to five hours to complete drying.
Surplus foam is cleaned with a knife, and the scene itself is thoroughly grinding. Only after that it can be put in aquarium.
Live background requires a certain experience and skill, so it is worth seeking to decorates that can be made of girlfriend.
Styrofoam
To create a decor you need to take a sheet of foam, silicone and tile glue, a stationery knife, acrylic paint (better dark) and a brush. The order of work is as follows.
- The foam plastic is blocked on uneven parts and glue them among themselves, focusing on the dimensions of the aquarium.
- Side sides of the scenery are cleaned with a knife.
- Several layers of tile glue are applied to the resulting surface, they give dry, and then they apply a thin layer of paint.
- The design is dried, poured with water and leave so for 2 days - during this time it is cleared of harmful impurities.
- At the final stage, the decor is attached with silicone glue.
From the foam, you can also build a dilapidated underwater castle.
The process will be more time consuming, it will require more time, since when performing such a work, accuracy, patience and creative neatness are needed. Breaking is much easier than to build. But the result will make sure.
In addition to the foam, the cement packaging and silicone glue will need. From the tools you need to prepare a bowl for cement mortar, a brush and a toothbrush, a construction knife, a sprayer, a handle (marker or a felt-tip pen) and sandpaper.
When everything is at hand, you can proceed to construction work.
- Apply the layout of the future design to the foam and trim it in accordance with the aquarium wall dimensions.
- Horizontal grooves cut with a knife (an indentation of the line in 2-3 mm is allowed).
- Cut vertical grooves.
- Similarly draw and cut the arch, which will indicate the entrance to the lock. The arch is performed on a separate piece of foam.
- After that, all billets are carefully grinding the suitable number of the appropriate number. It curls corners of the propyl.
- Parts of the future castle fasten with silicone glue and leave to dry until the morning. For reliability, you can additionally be coppled to their toothpicks.
- In the morning, a cement mixture is prepared (according to the consistency, it should resemble a thick shampoo) and apply to scenery in 3 layers.
- After applying each layer, the decor is washed under the strong water pressure to identify weak points.
- When the last layer is applied, the design is washed again, extra particles are removed toothbrush. If everything fixed firmly, the decor is installed in the aquarium.
- The lock is fixed on wedge-shaped struts from foam fixed with soil.
Polyfoam is very grateful, which allows to implement the most interesting ideas. We just need to show fantasy and stock patience. Then the positive result will not make himself wait.
Mounting foam decor
In addition to the mounting foam, a sheet of polyethylene, epoxy and a spatula will be required. You should stockpenter or pebbles, prepare acrylic paint. Work is carried out in stages.
- Polyethylene is applied foam and evenly distribute it with a spatula.
- We take the design stones and leave until complete drying.
- Apply the second - thicker - layer of foam, form an arbitrary relief and lay out large flat stones.
- When the background dries, a layer of epoxy mixed with acrylic paint is applied. This is far from the slowest stage of work, since the resin quickly thickens.
The finished background is fixed to the rear wall of the aquarium with the help of silicone glue.
Stone laying of polystyrene
Expanded polystyrene - another harmless material for fish and plants that allows you to create Unique structures.
For example, the same stone masonry for each aquarist will work out in its own way.
General recommendations look as follows.
- A rectangle or a square, similar to the size of the rear wall of the aquarium, is cut out of polystyrene foam. If the container is too big, the background can be made of several parts.
- Then cut the parts that will be laid out by the second layer. Enhanced layers need like brickwork.
- The number of layers is not limited, but for small aquariums there will be quite thickness in two layers.
- At the edges, protrusions should be obtained, which give the decor an additional volume.
- When the required thickness is made, all parts of the future decor can be glued with a sealant that does not distinguish harmful substances.
- A day later, we begin to disguise the aquarium equipment: cut off the corners in places where the heater and the filter is located.
- Then the time comes for creativity - cutting the grooves, depadies and caves in which weak fish can hide.
- The resulting decor is cut into several parts, they are convinced that it corresponds to the size of the aquarium, and then cover it with two cement layers. Moreover, it is given to dry, and before applying the second, carefully wet the entire surface so that the cracks are not formed.
At the final stage, the resulting background is painted with green, brown and black paint, and then attach it to the rear wall with the help of suckers or sealant. It is allowed to lose decor with natural stones.
This article lists not all ideas on the manufacture of the background, but for sure the listed options will inspire someone to create their own unique design for aquarium.
On how to install a background for aquarium, look next.