# has anyone seen or used these backrounds?



## ruthieb (Oct 18, 2010)

I found this online this morning and am really interrested....I sent an email with questions and am awaiting a response.
What do you guys think?

Largest selection of aquarium backgrounds on the web 3d | Designs By Nature


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## fleshfrombone (Jun 15, 2008)

Very cool. No I have not tried one. Why not build your own?


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## bobzarry (Mar 2, 2005)

When you consider the materials, time and effort needed, at that price, I think it's well worth it.
Not to mention that not everyone is talented enough to pull that look off.


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## ruthieb (Oct 18, 2010)

I've never built a backround before and am kind of intimidated by it....I do like the idea of being able to mount this - or something like it - to the back wall, installing a drip wall and/or waterfall feature and then planting. The price is better than I expected it to be for something so nice looking.
I've been pouring over the DIY pages and think it's probably best that I start out with something smaller to make my first attempt.
Yeah, I'm a chicken!


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## bobzarry (Mar 2, 2005)

ruthieb said:


> I've never built a backround before and am kind of intimidated by it....I do like the idea of being able to mount this - or something like it - to the back wall, installing a drip wall and/or waterfall feature and then planting. The price is better than I expected it to be for something so nice looking.
> I've been pouring over the DIY pages and think it's probably best that I start out with something smaller to make my first attempt.
> Yeah, I'm a chicken!


What I did notice is that it looks like the less expensive backgrounds tend to be more monochrome. If it were me I would do a touch of dry brushing some color on some of the areas to bring them out even more. But that's just me.

Great find by the way!


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## ruthieb (Oct 18, 2010)

I was thinking the same thing!
I might just do that, although I plan on having vines, moss, etc. covering portions of the backround so it might not be quite so necessary.

On another note, what pumps or powerheads would you recommend for the water feature? It's a 26 gallon glass bowfront - 20" long x 24" tall. Ideally, I'd like to have a waterfall with slow moving stream and possibly a couple of drip features...


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## ruthieb (Oct 18, 2010)

I just heard back from the manufacturer and this is what he had to say:

Thanks for stopping in!!! The amazon background is just made of a dense polyurethane foam which makes it very easy to carve out any channels needed in the back to hide tubes, filter intakes, cords etc. The background is flat backed so it will mount flush on the back to eliminate anything getting back there. In regards to the plants really just treat it as a real piece of rock or wood. Personally I've only really used moss and java ferns and they attach just fine. I guess You could always poke small holes in the BG if need to help out the roots?

It's looking like I am going to try one of these out...I'll be sure to take pictures of my progress and post them.


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## bobzarry (Mar 2, 2005)

ruthieb said:


> I was thinking the same thing!
> I might just do that, although I plan on having vines, moss, etc. covering portions of the backround so it might not be quite so necessary.
> 
> On another note, what pumps or powerheads would you recommend for the water feature? It's a 26 gallon glass bowfront - 20" long x 24" tall. Ideally, I'd like to have a waterfall with slow moving stream and possibly a couple of drip features...


As far as pumps go, these are what I use in all my tanks.145 GPH Mini Submersible Pump


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## fleshfrombone (Jun 15, 2008)

I think with some research and planning it could be done for little money. After seeing some of the stuff people on the board have created I have absolute confidence that almost anybody could pull this off. The process as I understand is actually pretty simple, just time consuming. But yeah if you'd rather buy a prefabricated background more power to you. It's definitely a nice piece of work.


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## Raf (Feb 20, 2010)

The backgrounds is nice. But I find the lack of depth a disadvantage.
You can easily try to create it yourself. The materials needed to create something like this are not that expensive.


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## ruthieb (Oct 18, 2010)

Well, now that I feel a little guilty for "taking the easy way out" *smiling*....I went ahead and ordered the Amazon background. I should get it by the end of the week and am really looking forward to seeing it in person. How well it plays out in my tank still waits to be seen!
I'm going to play around with a less expensive, older tank and see what I can come up with as far as a DIY. So many of the backgrounds I've seen on the board are absolutely gorgeous....
Thanks you guys, this is such a fabulous board. I'm so happy you all are out there!


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## saruchan (Jun 12, 2010)

Has it arrived ? I really want to see how it looks set up! They look awesome I'm thinking about ordering some as well! Thanks


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## ruthieb (Oct 18, 2010)

It arrived 36 hours after I ordered it! It is really beautful and almost hate the thought of it being covered over by plants...once I get it set up, that is. Three day power outage with a huge snowstorm kindof put a damper on my build plans. 
I will definitely take pictures once I begin and will say this much, if you are thinking of ordering from them, do it! These backgrounds are truly amazing....


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## saruchan (Jun 12, 2010)

Wow lol yeah I checked them out and ordered one last night theve already s hipped out lol can't wait . Can't wait to see what you do with it either


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## the_deeb (Apr 21, 2008)

These backgrounds are becoming increasingly popular on various aquarium sites. Apparently the company has great customer service. The backgrounds look a lot nicer in person than in the pictures on the site. They also have more depth than may be apparent in from the pictures. Here's an example of the "river stump" background being installed in a 125g tank (18" width, so the background looks to be at least 9" at its widest point):


















(image courtesy of user "aclockworkorange" on monsterfishskeepers)

I also really like this one:


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## saruchan (Jun 12, 2010)

Awesome cant wait till mine arrive!


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## ruthieb (Oct 18, 2010)

Which one did you order? This is the one I have.....


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## saruchan (Jun 12, 2010)

2 days ago, I messed up on the shipping though I had it sent to the wrong adress. Customer service there is great though its being rerouted. Looks nice


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## jpstod (Sep 8, 2005)

I have seen the Universal habitat Backgrounds in Person
As a matter of Fact I am working on being able to buy wholesale.

I have several in Tanks for My Geckos 






And Several Shots from the March 2009 Arlington Texas NARBC event


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## jpstod (Sep 8, 2005)

Watch this Video


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## jpstod (Sep 8, 2005)

YouTube - UniversalRocks's Channel


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## saruchan (Jun 12, 2010)

Mine just came in, cant wait to set it up.


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## ruthieb (Oct 18, 2010)

Nice! There products are really beautiful, aren't they?
I'm finally going to get to work on mine after the holiday. My plants arrived - thank you NEHerp! - my springtails got here today and my substrate will be here tomorrow. I've emailed them and am awaiting a reply as the two other backgrounds I want are unavailable.


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## saruchan (Jun 12, 2010)

Yeah they definately are and I plan grabbing some more as well. You should post some pics when your done setting it up, I don't really know how ill be setting mine up.


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## ruthieb (Oct 18, 2010)

saruchan said:


> Yeah they definately are and I plan grabbing some more as well. You should post some pics when your done setting it up, I don't really know how ill be setting mine up.


I'll definitely post pics and I hope you do as well....I've got a general idea of how I want the viv to look. It seems that the more I go through the construction pages, the more I change my mind as there are some amazing builds there!
I keep going back and forth about wether or not to put in a water feature....I'm considering just a drip line with a Big Dripper so I don't have to bother with a continuously running pump inside the viv. That way I can run it for a few minutes once or twice a week between mistings.


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## saruchan (Jun 12, 2010)

I'll post as well!


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## ruthieb (Oct 18, 2010)

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/members-frogs-vivariums/62155-28-gallon-bowfront-build.html

I finally got to work on my tank using the background....here's the link. Did you get started on yours yet?


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## ruthieb (Oct 18, 2010)

saruchan said:


> Mine just came in, cant wait to set it up.


So...did you ever get your viv set up? I'd love to see some pics!


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## jpstod (Sep 8, 2005)

I have seen several of these backgrounds and they look a lot better in person than in pictures. There is so much more depth and detail than be seen in the pictures. I wish I get my Hands on them easily.


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## ruthieb (Oct 18, 2010)

I agree....photos don't do them any justice at all. 
How come you can't them them? The company is great, shipping is fast and the price is really reasonable, especially for the smaller ones.
My tank is growing in nicely and I am gradually adding more things. My broms arrived and I'll be adding a few more today.


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## jpstod (Sep 8, 2005)

I was not aware that they sold directly to the Public.
I looked once before and never could find where they sold to the Public and their Distributors who sell to the Public is far away.

Until recently I had not seen one in person. I hate ordering stuff sight unseen. When I do I am Usually Highly Disappointed.


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## ruthieb (Oct 18, 2010)

Here's the link to their website - 

Largest selection of aquarium backgrounds on the web 3d | Designs By Nature


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## jpstod (Sep 8, 2005)

They are a Retailer not the Makers.

I am getting a Business permit for a Pet Supply Store and Will be able to buy Direct from Distributors


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## ruthieb (Oct 18, 2010)

Nice! 
So, when this comes through for you....you'll be offering sales and discounts to Dendroboard members, right ? *wink*


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## jpstod (Sep 8, 2005)

ruthieb said:


> Nice!
> So, when this comes through for you....you'll be offering sales and discounts to Dendroboard members, right ? *wink*


Or Trades for Frogs.

Right Now it is just a pipe dream

But I will Say that if I do sell items you will see them in the Classified Section on a Regular Basis and I will look into being a Sponsor.

Kinda of an Irony here is that the Local Shop who could order these backgrounds for me never would even if I was gonna PAY FULL RETAIL..and probably a little more because there was no way to know how much they retailed for since I had no way of know what retail was.


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## ruthieb (Oct 18, 2010)

jpstod said:


> Or Trades for Frogs.
> 
> Right Now it is just a pipe dream
> 
> ...


I'm in retail - in the pet industry but for dog and cat - and most likely they won't because none of their distributors carry them. It's a hassle for them because they would have to order one or two things from someone that they don't deal with on a regular basis. 
If you were interested in just getting one or a few just for your own personal use, you could just order direct from the place I got mine from....just a thought.
Anyway, good luck with getting your pet supply store together. Keep us posted!


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## jpstod (Sep 8, 2005)

Well I know that there is not a Minimum order for the Backgrounds...The Local Shop makes regular weekly Orders from the Fish Supplier who Carries the Backgrounds. The Supplier at a Reptile Show told me to contact the Local Dealer. I walked in with item # I wanted. Guaranteed Sales and They Made Excuses. I told The Supplier and Since they Sold Retail I paid them over $300 Retail for 2 Backgrounds. They Put them on the Truck for Delivery to The Local Shop and I picked them up there no Extra Charge.

I Will tell you this if someone walks up or wants to prepay for any Supplies I will Buy for them.

No Cost to get items Delivered..No Cost Of Overhead for items sitting on a Shelf..No Employee Handling...So I do not see why They Would not order. Especially Since I would Have Paid 100% Mark Up.

The Supplier Contacted Me about Selling them Locally. I have also already got people asking what I will Carry if I do Open A Shop...I got People calling me about PDFs which I do not have.


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## ruthieb (Oct 18, 2010)

I don't get it either...who knows why people don't want to make money? Can't understand it but at least you did get your backgrounds.

We special order things all the time for people, items we don't normally carry, but the owners won't do it unless it's something we can get from one of our regular distributors.
I wish I could get them to carry viv supplies as I get a killer discount....


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## ruthieb (Oct 18, 2010)

saruchan said:


> Mine just came in, cant wait to set it up.


Hey Saruchan...did you ever set up a viv using the background you got? I'd love to see pictures. 
I just built my second viv with the same background you bought and posted pics of here and am really pleased. http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/members-frogs-vivariums/68137-new-man-creek-16-gallon-bow-front.html


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## DJboston (Oct 25, 2008)

A lot of people wonder why people don't just make it themselves.

I think people are a little naive to the processes in reproducing identical easy to install backgrounds as opposed to the crude techniques in DIY guides.

DIY tank backgrounds involving carving foam and coating in cement are not the same as reproducing backgrounds for the fish and reptile industry. 

I'm not saying a DIY background can't look amazing, I do them for my tanks as well. But if you opened a business, it's physically impossible to carve foam and coat in cement every single time. You need to bring in methods from the prototyping industry thats used for creating a lot of the products we use today.

My rock backgrounds I am selling soon are hollow cast resin. They are created by having an initial clay and rock model, making a negative mold in an expensive silicone rubber, and casting using a urethane plastic resin to keep it very lightweight, easy to drill and add pump, and add broms.

Now the actual look of the finished product is HEAVILY dependent on how the actual clay model looks. If you rush it and it's under detailed and flat, the finished product will be bad. But if you put a ton of work into it and have the talent to do so, you can create a fake rock background that looks exactly like the real rocks it's replicating. Paint work is key too to realizing this replication.

Anyone selling foam backgrounds for the fish and reptile industry is using a more advanced and expensive technique to replicate their product.

This is not something you can do with products from home depot like with the common great stuff and quickerette technique. Pond foam is also an amateur technique as well.

If anyone saw my fake rock at my table at frog day, you'll see how close real rock texture and shape can be replicated. When painting on cement, you can only get the texture so close. That's why a lot of fake rocks that aren't made from real rock textures are so smooth and under texture. Or the texture isn't realistic.

Did I lose anyone?


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## DJboston (Oct 25, 2008)

fleshfrombone said:


> I think with some research and planning it could be done for little money. After seeing some of the stuff people on the board have created I have absolute confidence that almost anybody could pull this off. The process as I understand is actually pretty simple, just time consuming. But yeah if you'd rather buy a prefabricated background more power to you. It's definitely a nice piece of work.




If you're referring to making a clay sculpture, negative mold making, and casting in a rigid foam or plastic than yes, it's not rocket science. Though it definitely is way more involved than spraying cheap foam and coating in cement. The reward is greater as with the clay sculpture, you can shape it exactly how you want the actual finished background to look. Plus, you'd be able to sell a few copies to friends or open up shop even!

Prototyping and tooling art is available to everyone, but even with some of the stuff I'm doing, people asked me at frog day, "So you carve each one of these model kits by hand." I was dumbfounded lol I'm amazed that someone would think I could replicate a sculpture in plastic to 100% detail and specifications each and every time haha. I basically would just explain how it starts with a clay sculpture and that when you make christmas cookies, you pour the batter into a metal cookie mold. Same principle. 

I think these backgrounds are great but can't be compared to many techniques in the hobby as they're simply not the same thing. 

The backgrounds I'll be making are geared more towards frog hobbyists. First one is a 10 gallon vert that simply adding to a 10 vert will make the tank look very very dynamic. So many ideas running through my head and I would hope after replicating rock nearly 99.999% that someone wouldn't comment on my background saying that it can be done cheaper with great stuff foam and cement, because it simply can't lol


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## saruchan (Jun 12, 2010)

Ill post pics soon sry was away from here for a bit


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## VivariumWorks (Feb 27, 2008)

Yea these aren't that easy to make right NOW for average DIYers.
But that will all change soon. 
Just wait. 
This hobby is about to get a great new tool for the novice DIY background makers.


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## jpstod (Sep 8, 2005)

As an Sub-par Background Maker who has wasted more money on attempts to make backgrounds. I can not wait for more options.

I just bought another Universal Habit Background.


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## saruchan (Jun 12, 2010)

Not the best picture. Its the one on top. Ill be redoing it again soon, I was using it as a grow out tank for my cobalts so I'll redo it once their in there permanent viv.


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## VivariumWorks (Feb 27, 2008)

Yea that Universal Rock background turned out great. They make stuff second to none. Gotta love polyurea. Don't worry, even if you are a "Sub-par Background Maker" that won't matter. I've streamlined the process so a 10 year old can do it. Its just waiting to get the custom designed materials from the manufacturers thats driving me nuts.


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## erlese (Jun 11, 2008)

VivariumWorks said:


> Yea these aren't that easy to make right NOW for average DIYers.
> But that will all change soon.
> Just wait.
> This hobby is about to get a great new tool for the novice DIY background makers.




Thats awesome!!! did you make that??? DAMN... thats so much nicer looking than the greatstuff/ peat method..


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## ruthieb (Oct 18, 2010)

Love this! I would love to build something like this and add vines and moss coming from between some of the rocks leading into a small, shallow pool.


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## DJboston (Oct 25, 2008)

Very nice background! Similar to how my rock backgrounds are being designed. They'll be available to everyone and made of a hollow urethane resin. Very tough and will last a lifetime, be lightweight, and easy to drill. Also, I can apply pretty realistic paint jobs.


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## VivariumWorks (Feb 27, 2008)

DjBoston:

Thanks, yea that is one of the more popular designs in my mold library.

Your projects and mine are the definition of convergent evolution. Eagerly looking forward to seeing your end results! Just be careful, it can sweep you off your feet. It was only when I was doing taxes the other month did I realize I had spent over half my total yearly income on molding projects, not including my relationship. But, hey, was it worth it? YES!! Mold casting is a passion like none other.  

ruthieb:

You will be able to make something like this soon-ish. I've designed a product that will allow you to make these at much lower costs than all other methods available right now. Especially the ones I use. Better living through chemistry. 

erlese:

Yes I made that one last summer. Do a search for posts I've started. You'll see a LOT more of stuff like that. 

Main reason I haven't started selling these in mass scale online is that there is still a million things that need to be done before I feel the product is ready for plug and play application. Doing my best to make these as easy as possible so a 10 year old with a new reptile can drop-in my design or make their own. Lots of RnD, lots of testing, lots of website development. One day at a time, but eventually we find our way.


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## erlese (Jun 11, 2008)

VivariumWorks said:


> DjBoston:
> 
> Thanks, yea that is one of the more popular designs in my mold library.
> 
> ...


Ok. I have seen your posts!! Very cool!! You and DjBoston ( which I just went over and met him) is very cool. and ( I have seen his work) very nice!! You two should seriously talk


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