dainiusiva
New member
http://najjar-najjar.com/projects/?cat=2&l=0&project=5
more info on najjar najjar official site. i would like to know more about the tank too
My Shadowbox Background Project
- Thread starter euromomtx
- Start date
http://najjar-najjar.com/projects/?cat=2&l=0&project=5
more info on najjar najjar official site. i would like to know more about the tank too
I dig the desk that doubles as a slide, or is that a slide that doubles as a desk
OneReef
Reef Guru
I have a sheet of clear frosted plexiglass/acrylic. Can I use this or do I need to go get light blue acrylic and sand it? I didn't know if it was more important to have the blue colored acrylic to get your color, or how clear frosted would look with blue painted hardboard behind it? Which is better looking? thanks for any help on this to get me started with my acrylic piece.
euromomtx
New member
OneReef, for me it worked out better with the blue acrylic sanded but it might be different for every set up!
A while back somebody asked about a picture of the box behind the tank and I finally got around to take a picture:
Keep in mind that's just what worked for me. There are probably lots of different solutions for this. I like my seahorse tank with just the gel sheets and NO box just as well.
Also ignore the acrylic braces on the box. Those have nothing to do with the shadowbox. There are just Vortech holders. (I have 4 Vortechs. Two always stuck well to the board, the other two always fell off and drove me crazy. Seriously who would sell $400 powerheads with cheesy sticky velcro mounting like that? I got the Vortech Holders from http://www.mrcobscorals.com and am very pleased with them. They look like this:
)
Anyway: my box opens on the top so I can exchange bulbs if needed. The box itself is located about an inch or two behind the tank so if there's a splash over it's easy to clean. I cut a hole in each side to provide some ventilation for the bulbs but I don't know if that's needed. I had plans to buy those little mesh vent covers to cover the holes but haven't gotten around to it yet.
I'd love to see what you come up with OneReef!
A while back somebody asked about a picture of the box behind the tank and I finally got around to take a picture:
Keep in mind that's just what worked for me. There are probably lots of different solutions for this. I like my seahorse tank with just the gel sheets and NO box just as well.
Also ignore the acrylic braces on the box. Those have nothing to do with the shadowbox. There are just Vortech holders. (I have 4 Vortechs. Two always stuck well to the board, the other two always fell off and drove me crazy. Seriously who would sell $400 powerheads with cheesy sticky velcro mounting like that? I got the Vortech Holders from http://www.mrcobscorals.com and am very pleased with them. They look like this:
Anyway: my box opens on the top so I can exchange bulbs if needed. The box itself is located about an inch or two behind the tank so if there's a splash over it's easy to clean. I cut a hole in each side to provide some ventilation for the bulbs but I don't know if that's needed. I had plans to buy those little mesh vent covers to cover the holes but haven't gotten around to it yet.
I'd love to see what you come up with OneReef!
OneReef
Reef Guru
OneReef
Reef Guru
Yes, I love it. Looks much better in person than in the pics. I've had several people that have commented on how much they liked it in person. I was ready for something different than the standard black background.
euromomtx
New member
I feel the exact same about mine. People sometimes ask if it looks as good in person as in the pictures and the truth is (in my opinion) anything that looks less boxed in than an opaque background looks better than what was the norm before.
Even just the lighted gel sheets on my seahorse cube look so much better for a display than black or blue or paper coral backgrounds.
No doubt about it.
I am so glad all your hard work paid off for you!
Even just the lighted gel sheets on my seahorse cube look so much better for a display than black or blue or paper coral backgrounds.
No doubt about it.
I am so glad all your hard work paid off for you!
Ryan Reefs
New member
Inspiring for sure. I'll be employing this background technique in my next tank.
havnmonkey
New member
I've nearly finished my 30g build... next step is the shadow box. I have 4 xr-e q5's (350ma moonlight driver) on an aluminum u-channel for light. Question: anyone used translucent blue acrylic? seems like it could be better than transparent + sanding/steel wool.
eplastic dot com is fairly pricey, found some on ebay 48x24 sheets for a decent price... haven't checked locally yet.
eplastic dot com is fairly pricey, found some on ebay 48x24 sheets for a decent price... haven't checked locally yet.
Christian J
New member
Found a German shop that sells readymade lightboxes ("hintergrundlicht") for freshwater aquariums: http://www.aquascaping-shop.de/epag...?ObjectID=2174925&ViewAction=View&PageSize=50
Don't know if these boxes can be modified easily for reef tanks, made it's not worth the trouble (the box light would have to be mounted upside down to make it fade from the top down, and it must be is strong enough to match that of the reef tank's main light).
The site also sells "milkglass" foils separately, but they appear to be white/transparent, not blue. Could that work together with blue light?
Don't know if these boxes can be modified easily for reef tanks, made it's not worth the trouble (the box light would have to be mounted upside down to make it fade from the top down, and it must be is strong enough to match that of the reef tank's main light).
The site also sells "milkglass" foils separately, but they appear to be white/transparent, not blue. Could that work together with blue light?
yousmellsfishy
New member
Great thread. Thanks, euromomtx for documenting everything. I am upgrading my tanks and will give this a try. My plan is to aquascape a long (side to side) cave with the shadowbox lighting up the back, kind of like a swim-through with a light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. The roof of the cave will serve to conseal the shadowbox light and hide the planned coast to coast overflow box. I just ordered some of that "snaptint" window tinting which I'll try to apply directly to the back glass of the tank in lieu of the scuffed up acrylic front panel. I'll definitely post pics.
smitch
New member
http://www.windowfilmandmore.com/blue-frosted-privacy-film.aspx
I wonder how well this would work. It has to be cheaper than buying acrylic. Like stated earlier, it would block some of the lighting being fixed to the back.
I wonder how well this would work. It has to be cheaper than buying acrylic. Like stated earlier, it would block some of the lighting being fixed to the back.
euromomtx
New member
the problem would be that it would cling to the glass surface and based on the Fatherree findings cut back on available light.
What has worked well for my second project - the seahorse cube -was gel sheets that were mounted to hang off the frame rather than cling to the glass
What has worked well for my second project - the seahorse cube -was gel sheets that were mounted to hang off the frame rather than cling to the glass
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