Installing Amazon Tree Background

- Measure the inside length of your tank or enclosure.

- Cut the background 1/4" shorter then the length you measured. This allows 1/8" gap on both sides to apply silicone.

- Diagonally trim 1/2" off the bottom corners of the background so that the siliconed edges of the tank does not interfere with the background sitting flat on the bottom of the tank. (This is not necessary if you have an acrylic tank.)

- Place the background in the tank and using a felt tip marker, outline the bottom of the background.

- This line will be used as a guideline to apply silicone.

- Apply silicone following the inside of the line.

- Now carefully lower the background into place.

- Match the bottom edge of the background with the outline of silicone and press firmly into place.

- Run silicone along the sides, filling in the 1/8" gap.

- Let silicone dry for 24 hours before filling the tank.

- When filling the tank, alternate filling the front and back of the background. This is done to even out the water pressure on the two sides of the background

Cutting and Rejoining Background

- The background can be easily cut with any utility knife or razor blade. Simply cut into the background approximately half the thickness of the background.

- Next, place the background along the edge of a table and press down along the cut that you just made.

- The background will snap clean in half, leaving you with perfectly matching edges.

- To join the two pieces back together, apply a bead of silicone along the cut edge and match the two pieces together.

- The two pieces match seamlessly!

- Remember to allow 24 hours for the silicone to dry.

Drilling Holes in Background

- Using a drill and holesaw, drill hole in desired location.

- Apply a ring of silicone along the back of the hole.

- Place plastic wire mesh over the hole and let dry.

- Water will flow to the back of the background through this hole acting as an overflow and surface skimmer.

- The plactic screen will also prevent fish from getting behind the background.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the backgrounds made out of?

The backgrounds are constructed from a hybrid industrial grade foam.

Is it safe for animals?

Yes, it is completely safe for animals. It is non-toxic and ph neutral.

Can the backgrounds be cut or trimmed?

Yes, they can be easily cut or trimmed down to size. This can be done with any

handheld saw blade or even a utility blade.

Can I hide the intake/outtake tubes and heaters?

Yes, but only on the Deluxe 3D models. This is because the Deluxe models have

more width, there is space behind the background to hide just about anything you want.

How are the backgrounds installed?

The backgrounds need to be siliconed into place. Simply apply black silicone along

the edges of the background and softly press against the walls of the tank or enclosure.

Allow 24 hours for the silicone to dry and you are ready to fill.

For those with reptile enclosures that do not want to silicone the background into place,

you can use Velcro strips to hold the background in place.

My tank has a center brace, do I have to cut the background?

For larger tanks with center braces, the Slimline backgrounds come in 3 modular pieces,

so center braces will not be a problem.

The Deluxe 3-D models will need to be cut to fit a tank with a center brace. Alternately, you can remove the top rim of the tank , install background and then replacing top rim.

How much space do the backgrounds take up?

Depending on the style of the background that you choose, the width will vary.

For our Slimline models, the width ranges from 1-2 inches.

For our Deluxe 3D models, the width ranges from 6-12 inches.

Rainforest is maximum 6 inches wide.

Amazon Tree is maximum 12 inches wide (at base of the tree trunk)

Malawi Rock is maximum 12 inches wide

Tanganyika Rock is maximum 9 inches wide