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Author Topic: DIY Styrofoam Background! Help needed!  (Read 3812 times)

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Offline Gohans_Onna

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Re: DIY Styrofoam Background! Help needed!
« Reply #10 on: December 19, 2009, 06:12:17 PM »
The brand was GE, but it seems to be dry now. Maybe it was a fluke lol.

And I'm using Aqua something or other...I think I pretty much have it figured out how I am going to do everything, butttttt....

Now I am STILL stuck at the Epoxy issue. The only size I can find is 80 dollars...and I seriously don't want to spend that much money on it.

I found a sealant for concrete, would that work? I'm a little scared to try it and ruin everything.

I'm almost done carving everything. Tomorrow I am going to try to go get some kind of screen for the hole I am going to make in the background so the water can circulate.

Also, does anyone know if I should Epoxy the BACK of the background, that's still going to be Styrofoam?
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Offline Cholly

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Re: DIY Styrofoam Background! Help needed!
« Reply #11 on: December 19, 2009, 11:23:14 PM »
Is it aquarium safe silicone? So long as it is, I'd go ahead and use it in place of epoxy adhesive anyway. A lot cheaper that way. If it says "mildew resistant" anywhere on the tube, it is NOT aquarium safe, it has mildewcide in it.
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Offline Gohans_Onna

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Re: DIY Styrofoam Background! Help needed!
« Reply #12 on: December 20, 2009, 04:49:54 PM »
Lol, you scared me with the mildew resistant thing. I went and looked and I don't see anything on there about it  :hmmm: The reason I am looking for the two-part epoxy is for when I paint the background with concrete mixed with black paint. I heard that you're supposed to paint the background with clear Epoxy to help prevent the chemicals from the concrete from leaking into the water and having to do like 10 water changes to make the water/pH safe.
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Offline Cholly

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Re: DIY Styrofoam Background! Help needed!
« Reply #13 on: December 21, 2009, 05:20:49 PM »
Better scared than finished with dead finned friends. Now I get where you're going with the epoxy. Urethane should do the trick just as well. It comes in a satin finish too, which isn't as shiny. Either one would have to completely cover the whole piece. Let the concrete cure fully before coating it, or you'll soon end up with cracks.
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"Laws that forbid the carrying of arms... disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes..." -Thomas Jefferson's Commonplace Book

Pam

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Re: DIY Styrofoam Background! Help needed!
« Reply #14 on: January 07, 2010, 10:24:24 AM »
Erica, I admire your DIY spirit and sorry I can not give much advise as I have only read about others completing this project.

I look forward to seeing your project once completed.

I do want to offer you a link to another forum  http://www.kcfishclub.org where a gentleman named Glenn Minor has posted several of his amazing DIY background projects.
There is an informative article on the home page at the bottom right, in the forum pdf news letter (including all supplies used) on one of his projects as well as he (gminor) has posted several DIY background projects in the forum under the DIY. Also worth viewing is thread posted by DaveW "150 gallon back ground project".

Again I admire those that can do and wish you the best luck!
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