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Universal Rocks Magnetic 3D Background

45K views 47 replies 17 participants last post by  RyTheFryGuy 
#1 ·
Has anyone ever used the Universal Rocks "Rocky 3D" Aquarium Background? It's only 1/4 inch thick, it's flexible, and it's held in place by magnets instead of silicone. It's also under $100 (well under for some sizes), so there seems to be a lot to like about it, but I haven't found a review for it. I have a 55 gallon tank, and this seems like it would be perfect, since it looks good and hardly takes up any space. Anyone have any pros/cons with using the magnetic background on glass?
 
#2 ·
Got a link?

I just acquired a 240 and am thinking about doing my first in-tank background, however, the tank is acrylic and I haven't seen many acrylic tanks with styrofoam backgrounds. Anyone know if there is an issue with acrylic tanks and styrofoam backgrounds due to the silicone?

TIA.
 
#3 ·
Here's their catalog as a PDF. The "Rocky 3D" background is on page 2:
http://www.universalrocks.com/Universal-Rocks-Aquarium-Reptile-Brochure- March-2011-w.pdf

Here's a video showing the product from the company:


I can't mention specific retailers inside the thread, but I've found at least two places in the US online that sell it. The 48" by 20" for the 55 gallon was between $77 (with shipping) and $91. That's really reasonable for a background.
 
#5 ·
I have in-tank backgrounds but they are siliconed, not magnetic. Don't you have to attach the magnetic ones flush to the back glass, thus leaving no room for heater or hoses?

I silicone mine in 1-2" from the back. The heater and intakes fit as usual. You won't get algae unless the back is facing a window or your aquarium light is not in front of the background.

With 1-2" of space and the filter intakes in the space, debris is swept up by the filter. I do occasionally (1-2X annually) stick a narrow siphon hose back there if there is any accumulation.

The trick is where to cut the holes int he background. And where to place the heaters and filter intakes relative to the holes.
 
#8 ·
for now i haven't hidden the hob intake nor cannister intake/output. they are simply hanging in front of the background. trying to figure out how to post a pic.
te="DrTenochtitlan"]
boxrunr said:
I just purchased and placed this background in my 55 gallon. It came with clips, no magnets. Looks good. I like that it's thin.
Could you post a picture of your tank with the background in it? How did you attach your filters?[/quote]
 
#9 ·
There is a sticky in the Photography forum. Save your pic on a free website like photobucket. Copy the img link provided into the CF topic. Click Preview to verify you can see your pic, then Submit.
 
#12 ·
DrTenochtitlan said:
boxrunr said:
That's a nice looking tank! :thumb: The background goes quite well with your rock. Any issues with the background itself?
Thanks. Thus far no issues with the background. The next day after i had placed the background, i noticed that the water was a bit cloudy and that there was a film of dust on the aquarium glass. Did a water change and wiped the glass, and everythings been looking fine. Perhaps i didn't rinse the background adequately before placing(?). I really wanted to hide the equipment but in the end i figured there wasn't enough space on a 55 g.
 
#16 ·
So here is my review of the Universal Rocks "Rocky 3D" background that I promised.

First, this is the background on my floor, just as it came. It's lying on a sheet of cardboard, which was in turn wrapped in cellophane. That's the company's packaging. Then, it was lightly rolled into another larger box and sent to me. (The product itself is quite flexible.) That box apparently came open during shipping, but there was no damage to the product, and nothing was missing. That was the fault of the store I bought it from.


As you can see, it's VERY thin, only about 1/4" inch. It's made from an extremely hard but flexible molded rubber, with actual rock particles attached to the surface and painted to look more real.


Here's another picture of the edge. I put my finger in the photo so you could compare the thickness to it.


Here it is with my new Beamswork Reef Bright light with the lights off in the room. I haven't installed it yet; I just set it in there loosely to give an idea of what it will look like complete.


A little closer with the lights in the room on.


Here's a close-up at a bit of an angle, so you can get a better idea of the texture. It's quite textured actually, for being so flat. The straight-on photos don't really do it justice.


And here's a picture from the side of the tank. Again, it's resting in there loosely, so it's not flush, but you get the idea. Again, you can see both the texture and how truly thin it is.


I spent just over $77 with tax for this background, and I've only found available to purchase from two online retailers in the US. My tank is a 55 gallon, by the way. They no longer manufacture the background with magnetic clips. The "clips" they had were just four uneven pieces of small PVC pipe with a slit, to hold the top of the background flush with the tank. In my opinion, the clips are about worthless. That said, I'm sure magnetic clips could be made, although I have decided to silicone mine to the back. It should be very easy, and there's a how-to video online. If necessary, it IS possible to cut the material, but it is VERY tough apparently. My guess is that a box cutter will work with some effort. As far as placing equipment, I would think that the heater suction cup could attach on the side in the corner as close to the back of the tank as possible. I'm still not sure about the intakes for the filter, though, and I haven't bought my canister filter yet so that I can experiment with the placement. That said, since I've seen pictures of others with the background installed and they had no issues, it must not be a huge problem.
 
#17 ·
Just to summarize, I was *very* pleasantly surprised by the background itself. It's so slim, that it doesn't even stick out beyond the top lip of the tank. That said, you won't be hiding anything behind it, but that was never the intention. Needless to say, I think this will be a great option for anyone with a 55 gallon tank that doesn't want their background to take up any room.
 
#19 ·
DrTenochtitlan said:
Just to summarize, I was *very* pleasantly surprised by the background itself. It's so slim, that it doesn't even stick out beyond the top lip of the tank. That said, you won't be hiding anything behind it, but that was never the intention. Needless to say, I think this will be a great option for anyone with a 55 gallon tank that doesn't want their background to take up any room.
Thanks for the thorough review. Let us know how it goes with the installation too. Look forward to seeing it in place, water and fish and all! :popcorn:

I have a 55gl as well, and not liking the black background in this particular tank, was wondering what to do instead. This seems like a great option!
 
#20 ·
Check out this thread for another really interesting use of the Rocky 3D background on a 200g build! An important lesson learned from his experience is that the background is thick plastic covered in rock material, but is "100% harder to cut than you'd think"! He says he burned up three saw blades making all of his cuts! It's that hard. He recommends SOAKING the background thoroughly before making any cuts.

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=249482
 
#21 ·
DrTenochtitlan said:
Check out this thread for another really interesting use of the Rocky 3D background on a 200g build! An important lesson learned from his experience is that the background is thick plastic covered in rock material, but is "100% harder to cut than you'd think"! He says he burned up three saw blades making all of his cuts! It's that hard. He recommends SOAKING the background thoroughly before making any cuts.

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=249482
Thanks for the link - what a great build! I was in my LFS yesterday and could see the Rocky 3D background in person and it does seem very tough. Good tip about soaking it first :)
 
#22 ·
Ladyfish said:
Thanks for the thorough review. Let us know how it goes with the installation too. Look forward to seeing it in place, water and fish and all! :popcorn:

I have a 55gl as well, and not liking the black background in this particular tank, was wondering what to do instead. This seems like a great option!
I thought I'd update this thread with some new pictures. I now have the tank complete and cycling. All it's lacking right now is the fish, but you can get a much better impression of how the background looks with finished landscaping. Let me add that this background is NOT siliconed in, it's simply in there loose. I'm using the large rocks at either end to hold the background in place at the bottom (you can see this in the second photo taken from the end of the tank). The middle is kept flush at the bottom with the substrate itself. The top is held in place using four cheap clips that come with the background. These are perhaps 1" cross-sections of a small PVC pipe. They are split down the middle, so they clip reasonably tightly onto the lip of the tank. The pipe presses against the top of the background, and is sufficient to keep it in place. I'm sure these could probably be improved upon, but they do work. All of my equipment that requires suction cups is stuck onto the sides of the tank. Only my canister filter return hangs over the back, and it stays in place just fine loose.





 
#25 ·
I just received my Universal Rock aquarium flexible background. I was wondering how to place the filter tubes because the background is only 1/4 inch thick which is great. After seeing how you set yours up, it doesn't look bad at all with the tubes in the front. It is very nice. With my heater I will place it on the side glass in the back corner.
 
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