Each piece of the background was individually installed into the aquarium as opposed to being pre-assembled on the table, then installed. The 24 inch height of the aquarium posed an interesting challenge when installing and then later cementing the caves at the bottom.
Some aspects of the background were modified during the build process. One of the plant pockets on the left side, about half way up, was shortened for aesthetic reasons. The flat brick-like center pieces are all siliconed directly to the glass.
The first coat of acrylic/cement mix has been applied in this picture.This was accomplished more easily by laying the aquarium on it's back while applying the cement.
Second and third coats of cement mix have been applied with some brown liquid color. Numerous cave entrances at the base of the background serve as intake for water flow thru the hidden hardware compartments.
Copy/printer paper has been temporarily taped to the side of the aquairum to trace the outline of the background. This is in preparation of painting the exterior of the aquarium to hide the sides and back of the background. Both sides were traced.
This 30 gallon tall aquarium posed an interesting challenge when applying the layers of cement to the lower surfaces due to the narrow width and depth of the tank.

In hind sight, this project would have been a good candidate for building the background outside the aquarium instead of inside.

Depending on the background design, each strategy poses different challenges, so sometimes it's difficult to decide which will be easier. All said and done, it worked out. On to the next!

Dramatic AquaScapes
aquarium and semi-aquatic background designs beyond the traditional
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