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My way to hide overflow towers (lots of pics)!!!

64K views 66 replies 33 participants last post by  gsubioguy 
#1 ·
I posted the start of this project a long time ago. It has taken several years to complete. (due to many reasons) I have finally got "my way to hide my overflow towers" done! This is the whole project from start to finish.

This is my tank 180 gal AGA with overflow towers



This is the template for the back of the tank


This is the basic structure for the BG




This is the BG with some carving done

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa288/R-R-WDUB/DSC00644.jpg[/IMG
[img]http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa288/R-R-WDUB/DSC00643.jpg

This is the BG when first put into tank to test the fit, before Dry-lok



I had done some alterations to the BG. Added caves,shelfs etc... I did not get any pics of some of the changes. Keep in mind I did not use concrete. Only Dry-Lok directly onto the styro. All the stryo that was added was attached with Gorrila Glue. Holds like a mutha on styro.

This is the first coat of Dry-Lok. I thought it was too uniform of a grey.




This is the second coat with a charcoal tint added



This is the final product. Siliconed to the back of the tank. Im filling it with water for the first time hope it holds



This is the tank filled but still cloudy. Any input would be appreciated. More pics to come. Thanks!

 
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#3 ·
Bell, will you be using the Dry-Lok method? Or concrete over the styro? I kinda feel like the guinea pig. I have not heard of anyone using straight dry-lok. Except maybe you. Good Luck
 
#5 ·
you're not the guinea......i am :D
check out my old thread from when i was building my 350, pages 6 & 7....
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... &&start=75

i donated the 2ftx6ft piece to monster fish rescue, tfg put it in one of his friends tanks and said it looked awesome :)

i did and am going to do what you did, you did it right :)
only thing i did a little different was after the solid grey coat set up, i went back with darker mixes and "dabbed" with the end of the brush which really added a textured look to it, i'm also going mix in a little of the cyan color too get a little color mixed in......
 
#7 ·
I knew some others had tried this method but never seen the final outcome. Thought that all either gave up or just never posted again. I assumed I was the guinea pig. I did add some colr to the BG by dry-brushing a lighter tone over the top of the original color. This gave it some highlights. It is hard to see in those pics. Here are some more of the BG after the water had cleared up.









So what do you think? How does it look? The stump is only temporary. Need to find some larger rocks to fill in some of the forground, maybe a large piece of driftwood. Any stocking ideas? Any comments welcome.
 
#8 ·
I think it looks great, I love the black sand :)
Technically you are one of the first to get the drylok/styro up and running, so kudos :)

I think adding some tall blade grass would really add to it too, I got the silk blade from micheals and zip tied groups of it to some egg crate, it looks awesome coming up through the sand.....I'll see if I can dig up some pics from my 75 which had it with play sand.....

Now that the water cleared up you can see the details nicely :)
 
#10 ·
Yep just like paint,ad a slight tint for the first coat...because drylok itself is almost white and it'll be difficult to tell if you did a thorough 1st coat.
I did my first coat very thick, then the next day added more coats with different shading and dabbing, I felt like bob ross.....
Give it a couple days to fully cure before you submerge it imo.
Drylok has the consistancy which is thicker than paint, don't just dump your tint for color in the main can, you can only go darker, not much tint is needed to change it's color, a few drops will change a quart mix drastically.....
 
#11 ·
Very true what BELL said. Dry-Lok is a latex based waterproofer paint. It is used for sealing basement walls, pools, birdbaths and ponds. It is slightly thicker than regular latex and it has very small amount of "grit" in it. It is almost like someone added a cup of silica sand to a gallon of latex. You can have it tinted at the store to a light grey or a light tan. I chose grey. Then added a small amount of concrete tint (charcoal) to darken it. Do like BELL said mix small batches at a time. Mine cured for several months due to my limited amount of "tank time". One other plus with this system; no loss of detail. The paint does not add a thick layer like concrete. I really thick concrete is obsolete. With all of the cracks and crevices I think the fish will like it. Plus there is over 20 caves or hollows for fish to hide.
 
#13 ·
LOL .... I doubt you could carry this thing!! I really like it myself. I am really glad I took the time to make this BG. The pictures do not really do it justice. I should shoot a video of the thing. It looks very nice in person. Thank You for the compliments Tripn. You should try it. Its not as hard as it seems and there is a lot of support and info on this site.
P.S. Thanks to everyone on this site. This site gave me the knowledge and inspiration to do this. This is my first BG. And now I have several others in the planning stage. NO MORE SCRAPING THE BACK OF THE GLASS!!!! NO MORE UNSIGHTLY HEATERS,PUMPS,LIFT TUBES, AIRLINES etc... THANKS AGAIN!!!
 
#14 ·
Hi . i like the backgrd alot!! However has anyone seen ill effects to the fish? Isnt there a mildewcide in dry lock? mildewcides are very toxic , even cured I believe?. I find it hard to believe that styro doesnt crumble. Amazing. Well keep us posted cause Id love to try one myself. I may use some cheap fish as guinea pigs. The insurance to it must be to let it CURE plenty long time before addg h20& fish. VERY CLEVE& Nice!! Good Luck & Thanks enjoyed the project pics alot! Chuck
 
#16 ·
Great job R-DUB... Looks really nice

I built mine last year and have had no ill effects at all from the Drylock...

Built one for a friend that had a salt water tank
and it dosen't do real well in salt water, Just came apart every where...

Getting ready to build another one for my 75 gal and might try to put some caves in it....
 
#17 ·
Thanx for the compliments. Glad to hear your BG has held up well. No peeling, cracking or flaking?? Please send pics of your new build. I have done some aqua-scaping with feather rock will post some new pics soon. Good Luck.
 
#18 ·
Sorry did not include this on my last post: Dry-lok (on the label) is said to be used for coating fish ponds and birdbaths. Also for water containers. I pretty sure it is safe. But to be sure my tank has sat with water for over a month with twice weekly (50-75%) water changes. Not really for "curing" purposes, but for $$$ reasons. Soon as I have some extra cash, there will be some fish. Or readers could help donate! LOL
:D :lol:
 
#23 ·
Maybe I should have called it the cyclops monkey. Thanks alot! Now every time I look at my tank I will see this image. LOL I have added some aquascaping will send pics soon.
 
#25 ·
The fish are on hold right now. I need some side work for extra $$$. The overall cost was quite cheap. The styro was free from a friend.
Drylok 20.00
tint 8.00
silicone 20.00
pvc 5.00
gorilla glue 30.00
spray foam 7.00
brushes 5.00
______________
total 95.00

Most of the cost was gorrila glue used to hold the small styro rocks together. The gorilla glue holds styro very well. Better than silicone, and dries in minutes not days. The pvc is hidden behind the BG so that I can run an airline or add a UGJ later on. Thanx
 
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