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DIY fiberglass BG

9K views 17 replies 8 participants last post by  ziyad 
#1 ·
Anyone ever try a fiberglass background? I am interested in a DIY BG, however just set up a tank and would be unable to displace fish to cure a concrete version. Just researching some options, I may have to wait but if there are other non toxic options I might jump on it. Thanks for any replies.

Tony
 
#2 ·
i was gonna make a foam/concrete background, but was worried about the curing time. i'm very impatient.

so instead of concrete i decided to cover the foam with fibreglass. it worked fine, except the resin i used ate away the foam slowly, so basically i ended up with a very vauge representation of what i had carved in the foam. didn't bother me though, and i think it looks good now that there is a little algae growing on it. i tried to stick gravel and sand to it using excess resin, but that didn't work too well, and occasionally it comes off. but all in all, i was happy with the result. if I can find a pic later i'll try and post it.

cheers
 
#3 ·
I know of one person that used a natural rock formation as a base to create his fiberglass background on. He made the rocks greasy, applied the fiber and the resin a couple of ties and removed the finished background from it. I'll see if I can find the link.

About the curing of a concrete background, you don't need to do that in your tank. Any lace where it is in contact with water will do. Put it out in the rain or keep it wet in any place or way will do the trick. It's a process that has nothing to do with your tank, just with the fact the concrete is kept wet for a while.
 
#5 ·
The best way I saw to create a FG background is by shaping sand, covering it with a blanket (to prevent the epoxy from running), adding epoxy resin and fibreglass. After the resin has set you can remove the sand and let the resin cure. This takes up to 1 week.
Epoxy does not rot in water. Polyester does rot. The fibres that are released are not good for the fish. You could seal the polyester with a top coat to avoid the rot, but you'd need to do that on both sides. So you'd need a lot more material, even though it's cheaper.
By adding pigment to the epoxy you don't need to paint it at all. Throwing sand on the epoxy does provide a very nice texture.
 
#7 ·
thanks for all the info, I think I might find the material and give it a shot once the weather warms up. It is a little cold for me to be doing this right now but I am definitely going to give it a shot this spring... I will keep everyone posted on how it turns out... Thanks for the help
 
#12 ·
wow, my brother is a boat rebuilder by trade, and is totally amazing with his fibreglass repairs / works (( repaired a few front bumpers on hs car hahah)

i was going to post a question asking about fibreglass backgrounds, as i was a bit worried about making a 8 foot long conrete background, :) but im glad to see it can be done

thanks
 
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