DIY Aquarium Background

This artificial rockscape attempts to recreate a setting of layered sedimentary rock where uneven and broken surfaces provide unintentional opportunity for plants to take root and schools of fish to thrive.

This DIY aquarium background is also designed for ample hiding places and convenient placement of live plants throughout.

The CO2 reaction chamber compartment has been coated with clear silicone to help protect the otherwise exposed styrofoam from wear. The pink color will not be visible once everything is in place.

The small styrofoam cubes at the bottom of the compartment were strategically positioned to hold the reactor up just a bit and allow improved water movement thru the compartment.

Here's a birds-eye view of the powerhead compartment. The return from the powerhead fits thru a small hole in the background that points out to the middle of the water column.

This compartment, just as the CO2 reactor compartment, was coated with silicone for added protection against wear. The larger compartment in the corner is for a heater
and filtration equipment.

This was an exciting moment during the build process. After several weeks of work, the garden hose fills the tank for the very first time.

The tank will soak for a total of 30 days, during which it will be drained and filled about once a week. This is necessary to leach out excess calcium and magnesium from the cement and lower PH as a result.

The black substrate is a synthetic product made by 3M called Color Quartz. Unfortunately, this particular product is no longer manufactured, but there are other black sand products on the market that work just as well.

A small piece of Hornwart plant floats on the left. Hornwart is an attractive floating plant that grows quickly and helps consume Nitrites during initial aquarium cycling. Heart shaped Anubias plants fill the plant terraces througout the background. A large Java Fern attached to a piece of limestone is on the right.

A half dozen guppies were added to start the cycling process.

This top-down view shows the back left corner hardware compartment and powerhead compartment.

As intended, all hardware is easily accessible for maintenance but completely hidden when viewing the front of the aquarium.