Well slowly getting things rolling on this test build. Picked up a used 10 gallon for an aquatic store for $6.00. Filled it with water to test the seals, everything looks good.

Couple of pics. They don't really show much but it was more for a visual for myself to get some ideas

The metal jigger is a representation of the bulkhead with strainer drain i'll be putting in. The background is going to be a DIY rock wall made from styrofoam sheets bought at Menards. A 3/4 inch thick piece measuring 2 feet by 8 feet was like $1.50. Hobby lobby had pretty much the same stuff but it was a 1" thick that measured 12"x36" for $8.00, so keep that in mind if you plan to do the styrofoam route, check your local hardware stores first because hobby lobby is way over priced.





I can't really progress from here because I need to get my glass drill bit and bulkhead installed so that i can make the final cut on the length of the background and install the supports for the eggcrate false bottom.

I thought of wrapping the background partially around one of the sides but after i stuck some styrofoam in there on the side to get an idea of how it would look I come to the conclusion that I was loosing alot of space in the viv and it would look crammed, so I think for this one i'm going to just stick with a backwall design only