Make Your Own Small Scaled Pillars for Your Aquarium!

Hi Everybody!

Let's get in Roman Style!

Today we would be making some Pillars which would be a decor for our Aquarium!

Some Simple and easy to get Materials which had cost below $3 for me !

These Look Great in your Aquarium and your could even make a full Scene of Rome by making different castings from cardboard.!

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Warning Before Attempting: These pillars are made of Portland cement and Portland cement changes the pH of water, I suggest to keep only hard fishes ( Like Cichlids) for some 3-4 months in the tank in which these decor are kept . Wait Until all pH in the cement is little down to keep soft water fishes in that tank . Other than this you can also keep the casted pillar in tub full of water for 3-4 months with regular water changes!

The Above Picture of pillar was kept in my Aquarium for some seconds only to click a picture and show how beautiful they are! :)

Step 1: Let's Start!

Gather all the Right Materials :

1) Cardboard ( which have groves in between for strength ) ( Could be procured from cardboard containers of Air conditioners / Other Appliance Boxes )

2) White Portland cement is a must, to make pillars white! :P

3) Cello Tape / Duct Tape

Step 2: Removing the Upper Layer.

Start by Removing the Upper Layer of Cardboard.

( My Cardboard was Having 2 Layers ,Just Remember to remove layers until you get the groves.)

There would be an Upper Layer under which there are groves

To make the cardboard soft , you may need to remove the other side layer too!

( Just to make it soft and roll it )

Step 3: Roll the Cardboard

So , As we all know .. We are making a pillar and Pillar would be cylindrical shape.

Diameter and Length could be any of your like!

Make Sure to tape the whole roll with cello tape / duct tape.

This Holds the cardboard when wet mixture of portland cement is added.

Step 4: Tape the Roll to a Plastic Base

Now , We Would be taping the Roll to a plastic base , as portland cement would not stick to plastic when dry.

Do Remember to Tape the roll firmly to the base because the mixture might leak if there is a big gap.

Step 5: Make & Pour the Mixture

Make the Mixture a little bit thick and pour in in the cylinder.

Step 6: Remove Tape From Cardboard

Now after 5 Hrs. of Drying , Remove the tape because cardboard would have been wet and needs to be dried!

Cardboard might feel sticky at this time :P

Step 7: Remove the Cardboard

Now you could remove the cardboard by hand.

Step 8: Leave It in a Tub for 2 Days

Fill a small tube with water and submerge the pillar .

Leave it for 2 Days .

This would not affect the pH of the Pillar but it would help it to Remove Powder which is given out by portland cement time by time!

Step 9: Optional: Coat It With Aquarium Safe Silicone

And if you want it to put it inside your Aquarium Immediatly , then you could use Aquarium safe silicone and coat it with a painting brush on the pillar,

This might give a glossy finish which i don't like..

Decision is up to you only.. :)