# Video Update: My DIY Background for my 33g Mbuna Tank



## bingerz (Mar 3, 2011)

Im finally done!!! After weeks of my background just sitting in my garage, seeing it everyday i park my car...over the weekend I forced myself to quit procrastinating and finish painting it. It's a diy background, made of styrofoam. not the pink type, it's the white kind that comes in all furniture packing. i think the material adds to the texture of the rock look.

looking back, i wish i couldve done the diy BG that you silicone to the inside of the tank, but i had my tank already running and it would be too much of a hassle to rip it apart and put everything back in. oh well, i think it's time for another tank build!! :lol:


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## Shell Dweller (Jul 11, 2010)

That looks awesome....I'm jealous....and so are my fish

So that is not on the inside but on the outside of the back of the tank. right?

No matter I like it. According to Joey, the one who puts up the tutorials on tank building says the diy BG that gets siliconed to the inside dont last. I dont know if thats true or not. Maybe someone who has done that could shine some light on that matter.

Anyways I'm inspired by yours, nice job indeed.


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## bingerz (Mar 3, 2011)

hehehe thanks chuck for the kind words!! yep, it's behind the tank. i measured it so it would fit in the gap between the glass and my ac filter. so the filter sits on it and holds the bg in place, but what sucked was mine was still too thick, so last night i was going back and forth between putting it in place and putting the filter on top of it AND going back to my worktable to shave some foam off it. it was a pain in the butt! it would've been worse w/o my shopvac...i love that thing!!! 


are you talking about uarujoey? ive seen his tutorials on acrylic tank building. some good resources! after seeing that it makes me want to make one...but i'm afraid one of the kids might put a nasty scratch into it.

ive heard that with the in-tank bg's africans will nibble away algae from it and also take off parts of the background itself. but....visually they are very impressive!!


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## discuspaul (Jul 2, 2010)

Way to go - great job !!
Admire your patience & perseverance in shaving it down to fit properly between the tank glass and the filter box - innovative thinking - and it works like a damn holding the BG in place no doubt.


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## bingerz (Mar 3, 2011)

emile, Hehhehehe, ur giving me too much credit..hehehheh! i was stuck in the middle of the whole operation, that there was no turning back. My fish were in a bucket cuz i cleaned out the sand in my filter. I didnt wanna lose all the bb so i squeezed the sponges in the tank. It was nasty...its amazing how u can have a clear tank with all the gunk in the filter. So i was trying to fit it while hoping the filter would clean out my tank and suck up all that bb back into the sponges. I probably finished around 2am. I guess its a learning experience, i shiuldve just squeezed it into another bucket now that i think of it. that wouldve saved me so much time!


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## jay_leask (Apr 22, 2010)

awesome job! it looks cool.


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## Clayborg (Jan 4, 2011)

Very nice!


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## Stoogie (Apr 9, 2011)

Looking good, Bingerz!


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## saltwaterfish (Mar 7, 2011)

nice tank, you do a good job !


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## Shell Dweller (Jul 11, 2010)

I was talking about the DIY type BG. Styrofoam and concrete mix over that. Those are the ones Joey said dont last very long. Has anyone made one with styrofoam and concrete? And if so hows it holding up?


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## bingerz (Mar 3, 2011)

thanks guys for the complements!! 

@chuck i'll look around i think i put a sticky on one post


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## `GhostDogg´ (Apr 22, 2010)

Looks great!!!
keep us posted on how the fish take to the BG.


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## bingerz (Mar 3, 2011)

Here's a few videos of my tank. I kept them short...I dunno how long someone can sit and just watch my fish swim around. I mean, I could do it forever, but...im biased, they're my fish. That's my thermometer bobbing up and down...my powerhead keeps on pulling it off the glass.

‪July 20, 2011 11:43 PM‬‏ - YouTube

‪July 20, 2011 11:45 PM‬‏ - YouTube

‪July 20, 2011 11:48 PM‬‏ - YouTube

‪July 20, 2011 11:52 PM‬‏ - YouTube

‪July 20, 2011 11:50 PM‬‏ - YouTube

anyone know how ppl show a thumbnail of the video? mine is just coming out as links.


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

styro and quikcrete looks awesome but super stupid brittle, made one not that long ago and it lasted a few months and began to crumble, and i was so irratated with it i turfed it


Shell Dweller said:


> I was talking about the DIY type BG. Styrofoam and concrete mix over that. Those are the ones Joey said dont last very long. Has anyone made one with styrofoam and concrete? And if so hows it holding up?


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## sarcastickitten (May 26, 2012)

I am looking into DIY a waterfall for my next tank project, but am I correct in understanding that this magnificent background is on the outside of the tank?? and is Styrofoam and cement don't last, is there something that does?


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

if you want kitten i can send you my how NOT to do the in tank diy background lol

and i think this one is outside the tank

I think i can actually help with the water fall though


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