My Shadowbox Background Project

[karimwassef]

I'm not getting a dedicated fixture. I used a premade 16 ft strip of LEDs and a 12V adapter on an 8ft metal channel. It's probably about 40W.

I didn't put it in a box yet, so the background light from the garage windows (behind the tank) is shining through.

The tank has 400W of UV and RB LEDs running in the evening and 1200W of MH during the day.

But I have a shelf that runs end to end that creates a cavern for the entire back of the tank. I was hoping the cave effect would help the shadow box effect ... Look like an open sea on the other side of a cave opening...

 

[karimwassef]

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Not really working without the "box"

 

[Christian J]

I used a premade 16 ft strip of LEDs and a 12V adapter on an 8ft metal channel. It's probably about 40W.

I bought a 16ft LED strip too, but I think mine was just 23W in total. Since your tank looks much larger than mine I wonder if 16ft will be enough for you. (I mounted three strips in parallell, that was all I had space for in my box).

I didn't put it in a box yet, so the background light from the garage windows (behind the tank) is shining through.

I have a shelf that runs end to end that creates a cavern for the entire back of the tank. I was hoping the cave effect would help the shadow box effect ...

The idea is to let the light at the top of the box shine on the box' backside, and from there bounce into the aquarium. Without a backside to bounce on it probably doesn't work.

Looks like the pictures are taken from the backside of the aquarium, correct? Perhaps the spray paint is too thick and blocks too much light. You could also try transparent blue tinted film, but then it may not be blurry enough (if that's what you want).

The tank has 400W of UV and RB LEDs running in the evening and 1200W of MH during the day.

No idea if a box can work with all that light. As an alternative to a background box, you might try mounting a cheap T5 fixture a few feet behind the tank (far away that the tube lighting will blend into one), pointing directly towards the backside. That light should be strong enough, but it may not work together with paper rocks since they'd be lighted from behind.

 

[karimwassef]

It is from the back. I think the paint is too thick.

I looked for blue tinted film but didn't find any.

 

[karimwassef]

Tried another brand but the bubbles between the glass and frosted plastic film are pretty bad.

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[Christian J]

Tried another brand but the bubbles between the glass and frosted plastic film are pretty bad.

Did you use soap water and squeege out air bubbles with e.g. a credit card? Some bubbles may have to be punctured with a needle. Maybe this has to be done before spray painting or you'll scratch the paint.

I looked for blue tinted film but didn't find any.

Not sure where to find it either. Stage spotlights use a kind of color gel that may work, not sure about price.

Here's a window film, maybe it's too grainy, can't say: http://www.snaptint.com/product.php?productid=16205

If all else fails there's always acrylic, but it's not cheap, so get a few samples in different colors and surface structures before buying the large piece.

 

[karimwassef]

The soapy water helped get rid of the bubbles.
I found blue film that's intended for car window tinting ($30 so about 3x can of spray can)
I found that having the LEDs face the glass resulted in point lights shining through the frosting. But turning them down or a little back causes a reflected diffuse blue light to flow through the frosting.

Will keep trying.

 

[karimwassef]

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Used a white polystyrene plastic sheet behind the LEDs and tilted the LED bar backwards so the light bounces off the white plastic.

So with a white frosted front and white plastic sheet (no blue in either) and 30W blue LEDs, it's getting there...

 

[ChimolaFish]

I thought I would lay off sinking any more money into my tank. I just bought my black background, and now I need a shadowbox :[ haha

 

[Shawn O]

Resurrection! I like this idea very much.

Karin, looks great. Any recent pics?

I wonder if using an underwater photo in the lightbox, like the one posted earlier,
behind the sanded acrylic would look good if it were bowed outward at the center (closer to the blue plexi on the sides, like the new Samsung Curve).

 

[karimwassef]

Sure. I'll post some.

 

[karimwassef]

I don't have a wide view. You can see it in some of these

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I'll take a better pic tonight

 

[pyithar]

awesome thread!

 

[Swanwillow]

Someone mentioned using the gel sheets for their background. I wonder if I can put the sheets directly on the glass, and have various colored ones to make the rocks, or does the box have to be a box?

If that made any sense at all. Like, layering sheets of acrylic to create the shadows vs having a light between the fuzzy sheet and things in the background.

 

[Ellery]

I think I will give this a try on my 120 build I'm doing right now. I feel it makes a whole difference in what a piece of the ocean really could be.

 

[Misled]

I'm bringing this back because I found another way. The pic shows what mine looks like. What you see in the backround is the back side of the backing, (it's a reef with corals on the back). I am going to put a light box it. I found some LED's at Ikea i'm going to try first, but I think they may be too bright. I'll post pics when I'm done.

 

[davocean]

I'm bringing this back because I found another way. The pic shows what mine looks like. What you see in the backround is the back side of the backing, (it's a reef with corals on the back). I am going to put a light box it. I found some LED's at Ikea i'm going to try first, but I think they may be too bright. I'll post pics when I'm done.

I like the look of this, curious what you are using?

As for LEDs, I just found some really cool ones at Pier 1 imports, choices in colors and sizes from micro lights to decorative seahorses and sea glass, like tons of options, and they come w/ a remote that adjusts brightness

 

[Misled]

:wave: It's a double sided backround I got off ebay. It's glued completely to the glass. You see the corals shadows coming through the back because of the window behind it. Looks like this without the light.

 

[Scrubber_steve]

:wave: It's a double sided backround I got off ebay. It's glued completely to the glass.

The background you bought appears translucent, is that correct?

 

[Misled]

Yes. It's plastic.