How to clean ARSTONE aquarium backgrounds

There are several possible variants of cleaning a 3D aquarium background from algae, decaying organic material and fish waste.

  1. The most effective way to clean a 3D background is to dry it thoroughly (you can do it right in the aquarium tank), after that you can peel off the flakes with a brush, the drained dirt can be easily cleared away. After brushing, rinse the background thoroughly, and place back into the aquarium tank.
  2. You can, however, do without cleaning, by simple drying (you can also polish the dry background with a brush in case of wide contamination). In this case, the background will be cleaned in a few weeks after filling the tank with the water. The bacteria will simply eat all the dead organic mass under the influence of micro flora.
  3. Another way in case there are no live plants in the tank. It is possible to apply chemicals to control algae, for example “Algae destroyer” or “Algae blocker”.
  4. The young suckermouth catfish Loricariidae can also help. They just won’t let the background overgrow or get dirty.
We do not recommend using soaps or chemicals that can easily contaminate the aquarium tank if they are not entirely removed after cleaning.

How to cut ARSTONE backgrounds

Sometimes you need to cut a background to adjust its size to the tank. You can easily cut a 3D aquarium background with a hacksaw for wood (preferably fine-toothed).

Installation of aquarium background by ARSTONE

  1. If you have a laser tool, it will facilitate the background marking, if not, you can mark it up manually (see points 5,6).
  2. Extend the marker pen in order to properly mark the background up.
  3. Measure the length of the inner aquarium tank length.
  4. Measure the inner tank height using the tape line.
  5. Mark up the background length with the extended marker pen.
  6. Mark up the background height with the extended marker pen.
  7. Cut the background with the saw.
  8. Stick the background in the tank with special aquarium silicone.
  9. The finished aquarium tank with the installed background within.

Sometimes aquarium producers install glass cross pieces into the tank. In this case you can place the background into the tank by cutting it up. After that, the parts are stuck together inside the tank with aquarium silicone. You should saw the background angularly so that the seem was uneven and looked like a natural rock crack. The finer saw you use, the less visible seem you’ll get. You can also cut the background with a rotary power tool. This way is highly recommended for professional aquarists. If you do not want to cut the background, you can temporarily remove the cross pieces. After the background is installed, you should place them back.