How to Paint an Styrofoam Aquarium Background

Building your own Styrofoam aquarium background is a fun project that will make your home a great place to hang out and hide. Plus, a Styrofoam background enlivens the decor of the fish tank, making it an attractive addition to any room's decor. This project is great to do with kids on a rainy day.

Things You'll Need

  • 2 sheets of Styrofoam
  • Exact-o knife
  • Non-toxic glue
  • Non-toxic latex paints
  • Brushes
  • Epoxy
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Instructions

  1. Make a Painted Styrofoam Aquarium Background

    • 1

      Cut random holes into one sheet of Styrofoam with an Exact-o knife. The Styrofoam sheets should be the length of your aquarium minus 1/5 inch, and at least 3 inches thick. The holes should be big enough so that your fish can swim through them.

    • 2

      Place the Styrofoam with cut-outs on top of the fresh piece of Styrofoam. Stick your pencil into the holes and trace the holes onto the bottom of the fresh piece of Styrofoam.

    • 3

      Cut out the traced holes. Don't worry if the holes don't match up exactly. A little difference between how the two Styrofoam sheets are cut creates depth and visual interest. Just make sure your fish can swim into the holes.

    • 4

      Glue the two pieces of Styrofoam together with non-toxic glue.

    • 5

      Paint the Styrofoam sheets with the latex paints. You might choose blues and greens to mimic the water, or brown and tan to mimic a rock form.

    • 6

      Paint two or three layers on the Styrofoam to provide an opaque cover. Allow each layer to dry for 1 or 2 hours before applying the next layer.

    • 7

      Mix the epoxy resin. Be careful because it dries very quickly. Make sure that the layer you spread over the Styrofoam forms--especially around the holes--is very thin.

    • 8

      Allow the resin to dry completely on the Styrofoam form for 24 hours. Run the Styrofoam form under warm running water for at least 15 minutes so that any residual chemicals are removed.

    • 9

      Insert the Styrofoam form into the aquarium. If the fit is too tight, shave off a little of the edges. If you've accidentally shaved off too much and the Styrofoam is too loose, you can use a sliver of Styrofoam as a wedge to tighten the fit.

    • 10

      Check on your fish within 1 to 2 hours of inserting the background to make sure they're settling in and that there are no unforeseen problems.