Making a DIY aquarium background

The background gives the aquarium a spectacular look, hides equipment and creates a more comfortable environment for the inhabitants of the aquarium. A suitable option can be found in the store, however, finished products are designed for a specific standard. Therefore, it is worth turning on fantasy and making a background for the aquarium with your own hands.

It is worth taking a look at decorative films with a photo collage or drawings. All the difficulty in manufacturing will be reduced to adapting the film to the size of the back wall of the aquarium, and then sticking it gently and without bubbles.

However, experts do not welcome this type of decor, since toxic paint is harmful to fish and living plants. It is impossible to replace such a background, and if you want to change it, you will have to buy a new aquarium for your pets.

Since 3D is considered one of the fashionable areas of design, it is worth getting acquainted with the process of manufacturing a volumetric background.

One of the most beautiful design options is considered background of live algae. To make such a background, you need wood bark, fishing line, algae and silicone glue. The technology is simple. The bark is cleaned and washed with water, then plants are attached to it with a fishing line. Well, then the whole structure is glued to the back wall.

There is a more complicated way of decorating with living plants.He will need a metal mesh, several rubber suction cups, fishing line, seaweed or moss. First, two parts are cut from the grid, similar to the dimensions of the back wall.

Well, then the grid is folded in half, put on the back wall of the suction cup and fix the background. At first, it does not look too aesthetically pleasing, but when the moss grows, the aquarium will resemble a corner of the river bottom. It is important that there are no gaps between the net and the wall, so that the smallest inhabitants of the aquarium cannot get into them.

There is another interesting version of the decor made from natural materials. For him, they take a dark gray hard PVC plate, real stones and driftwood. Spread the stones on the board and fill them with silicone rubber.

While the adhesive is drying, the driftwood is thoroughly washed. And when the glue dries, the free spaces between the stones are filled with polyurethane foam.

Excess foam is removed with a knife, and the decoration itself is carefully sanded. Only then can it be put into the aquarium.

Living background requires some experience and skill, so you should look at the scenery, which can be made from improvised materials.

To create a decor, you need to take a foam sheet, silicone and tile glue, a stationery knife, acrylic paint (preferably dark) and a brush. The procedure is as follows.

1. The foam is broken into uneven parts and glued together, focusing on the dimensions of the aquarium.
2. The sides of the decoration are cleaned with a knife.
3. Several layers of tile glue are applied to the resulting surface, allowed to dry, and then a thin layer of paint is applied.
4. The structure is dried, poured with water and left for 2 days, during which time it is cleaned of harmful impurities.
5. At the final stage, the decor is attached with silicone glue.

You can also build a dilapidated underwater castle from foam.

In addition to polystyrene, you will need cement packaging and silicone glue. From the tools you need to prepare a bowl for cement mortar, a brush and a toothbrush, a construction knife, a spray gun, a pen (marker or felt-tip pen) and sandpaper.

When everything is at hand, you can begin construction work.

1. Mark the future design on the foam and cut it in accordance with the dimensions of the aquarium wall.
2. Horizontal grooves are cut with a knife (indentation from a line of 2-3 mm is allowed).
3. Cut vertical grooves.
4. In the same way, an arch is drawn and cut out, which will indicate the entrance to the castle. The arch is performed on a separate piece of polystyrene.
5. After that, all the workpieces are carefully sanded with sandpaper of a suitable number. The corners of the cuts round it.
6. Parts of the future castle are bonded with silicone glue and left to dry until morning. For reliability, you can additionally fasten them with toothpicks.
7. In the morning, a cement mixture is prepared (by consistency it should resemble a thick shampoo) and applied to the decoration in 3 layers.
8. After applying each layer, the decor is washed under high pressure to identify weaknesses.
9. When the last layer is applied, the structure is washed again, excess particles are removed with a toothbrush. If everything is fixed firmly, the decor is installed in the aquarium.
10. The lock is fixed on wedge-shaped foam spacers fixed with soil.

In addition to polyurethane foam, you will need a sheet of polyethylene, epoxy and a spatula. It should stock up with soil or pebbles, prepare acrylic paint. The work is carried out in stages.

1. Foam is applied to the polyethylene and evenly distributed with a spatula.
2. Weight the structure with stones and leave to dry completely.
3. A second - thicker - layer of foam is applied, an arbitrary relief is formed and large flat stones are laid out.
4. When the background is dry, a layer of epoxy mixed with acrylic paint is applied to it. This is far from the slowest stage of work, as the resin quickly thickens.

The finished background is attached to the back wall of the aquarium with silicone glue.

Expanded polystyrene is another material that is harmless to fish and plants, which allows you to create unique designs.

General recommendations are as follows.

1. A rectangle or square, similar to the dimensions of the rear wall of the aquarium, is cut out of polystyrene foam. If the capacity is too large, the background can be made of several parts.
2. Then cut out the parts that will be laid out in a second layer. You need to apply layers like brickwork.
3. The number of layers is not limited, but for small aquariums two-layer thickness will be sufficient.
4. On the edges should be ledges that give the decor extra volume.
5. When the required thickness is made, all parts of the future decor can be glued with a sealant that does not emit harmful substances.
6. After a day, they begin to disguise the aquarium equipment: they cut off the corners in places where the heater and filter are located.
7. Then comes the time for creativity - cutting grooves, troughs and caves, in which weak fish can hide.
8. The resulting decor is cut into several parts, make sure that it matches the size of the aquarium, and then cover it with two layers of cement. Moreover, one is allowed to dry, and before applying the second, the entire surface is thoroughly wetted so that no cracks form.

At the final stage, the resulting background is painted with green, brown and black paint, and then attach it to the back wall using suction cups or sealant. It is allowed to weight the decor with natural stones.

This article does not list all the ideas for making the background, but the options listed will certainly inspire someone to create their own unique design for the aquarium.

See below for how to set the background for the aquarium.