creating a 3d background for my cichlids

[hazelnut1]

Just started building my 3D background, got the polystyrene and I'm making progress.
I'll be using polystyrene, cement, and some special silicone for fish, should be good.
Here are some pics so far,

I started on one side of the background, then decided to strip the tank, haha, my room's a mess now.
Need to get the rest of the water and sand out, then I can put the polystyrene in and see how it looks.

Also picked up this little number, what a bargain. It's gonna be their temporary home until the big tank's done. Now I'm trying to convince mum to keep this one or a bigger one in the lounge, haha...

[lithe]

Looking good so far, really interested to see how it turns out. Gonna be keeping an eye on this one.

[hazelnut1]

cheers, gonna keep workin on it and chuck up more pics when i can

[hazelnut1]

quick update, not much progress but another pic, sorry about the pic quality, my camera was being a bit temperamental.

[Coralay]

Really excited to see how this all comes together, looks like it's gonna be awesome.

[hazelnut1]

cheers, getting excited myself, slowly but surely its coming along

[hazelnut1]

all the polystyrene is now stuck together, just need to get the cement on and it's in place!

[velocity]

This'll be getting painted, gonna look loads better once it's done. I like the idea of using real rocks too, but with this I'm a bit worried the fish might try nibbling on it, haha.

[hazelnut1]

Yeah, I was thinking of adding some colour to it, maybe with cement dye, but choosing a colour is proving to be a real challenge. I'll be applying about three layers of cement, so that should keep everything secure and strong. I'd love to use real rocks, but I'm hesitant because of the weight, especially since the tank is upstairs in my bedroom.