kajaksurfa
Seedling
Hi there,,
A few years ago I experimented with a background that came out quite nice and was very easy to make.
Base material used was such brownish paper the painters use as to cover up the floors when painting.
I got the "structure" by wrinkling the paper into a ball and then unwrinkle it again.....I did so a couple of times.
Then I fitted it in the aquarium as I liked, cut it by scissors and taped it to the side walls.
Pump and heater was placed behind...I made sure they got enough space to be easily removed for cleaning.
I turned the aquarium on the back and then I applied one thin layer of polyester resin (from a boat repair shop) on the paper with a brush and let it harden for 1 hour , thereafter the paper was stiff enough to add more polyester resin + very finely chopped glassfibre so that the layer became 2-4 mm thick. I used a brush as only tool. Drips on the glass was later removed with a razor blade after hardening.
Temperature must be +18 or higher for the resin to harden and dont forget to use a carbon mask for your health.
After a night of hardening with good ventilation the background did not smell as bad anymore and I cut the holes for the pump outlets and I made a couple of waterchanges before taking it into use.
I had this background for some years withuot any problems at all before I sold it.
The paper itself got "impregnated" with the resin and did never dissolve or rot.
Maybe next time I will add some color to the paper to give it a bit darker appearence.
Cheers, Leif from Uddevalla, Sweden
A few years ago I experimented with a background that came out quite nice and was very easy to make.
Base material used was such brownish paper the painters use as to cover up the floors when painting.
I got the "structure" by wrinkling the paper into a ball and then unwrinkle it again.....I did so a couple of times.
Then I fitted it in the aquarium as I liked, cut it by scissors and taped it to the side walls.
Pump and heater was placed behind...I made sure they got enough space to be easily removed for cleaning.
I turned the aquarium on the back and then I applied one thin layer of polyester resin (from a boat repair shop) on the paper with a brush and let it harden for 1 hour , thereafter the paper was stiff enough to add more polyester resin + very finely chopped glassfibre so that the layer became 2-4 mm thick. I used a brush as only tool. Drips on the glass was later removed with a razor blade after hardening.
Temperature must be +18 or higher for the resin to harden and dont forget to use a carbon mask for your health.
After a night of hardening with good ventilation the background did not smell as bad anymore and I cut the holes for the pump outlets and I made a couple of waterchanges before taking it into use.
I had this background for some years withuot any problems at all before I sold it.
The paper itself got "impregnated" with the resin and did never dissolve or rot.
Maybe next time I will add some color to the paper to give it a bit darker appearence.
Cheers, Leif from Uddevalla, Sweden
