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Originally Posted by mudgudgeon I've done the same, I also use a heat gun (industrial hair dryer) I bought a cheapy from bunnings, it works great to create random, more natural shapes compared to just carving.
I have used that for few areas, you can see some of the heat melting in this pic:
t83qfm.jpg
This here is what i meant about the melting idea. have no idea how to actully do it. can anyone give me a way to get rid of bubbles/ small foam bits.
cheers
 
with the painting... just wondering how to get all the roughness/ bubbly parts? i herd about the melting idea......can anyone tell me how that is done exactly?
cheers phil

Oh ok ! The way you wrote it made it sound like you wanted to know about painting
 
finally painted!........ i can see the circles that make up the foam board.... doesnt look like rock, looks more like foam. DAM does anyone have a solution to cover them up.
cheers
 
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Awesome work guys! Months ago I started one for my 4 foot aquarium and I bought coloured Bondcrete as the hardener and waterproofer... I figured that once dried and set if I kept it in water for a period of time to let it cure and any residue run off, that it would be fine for the fish. Does this sound logical or am I going to harm my fish and turtles?

Thanks in advance
 
finally painted!........ i can see the circles that make up the foam board.... doesnt look like rock, looks more like foam. DAM does anyone have a solution to cover them up.
cheers

It sounds like you painted straight onto the foam without rendering the foam ! Unless you are keeping geckos your wall will disintegrate pretty quickly.
The only way to fix it is to either render then paint it or to paint more layers.
If you're keeping gecko it will be fine, anything other than that, render it.
 
Awesome work guys! Months ago I started one for my 4 foot aquarium and I bought coloured Bondcrete as the hardener and waterproofer... I figured that once dried and set if I kept it in water for a period of time to let it cure and any residue run off, that it would be fine for the fish. Does this sound logical or am I going to harm my fish and turtles?

Thanks in advance

I hope you let it air dry well before you drowned it .
Rinse it well and test it out with a couple of goldfish first. Give the a month, if they survive I would think you'd be fine. I would have sealed it with pond sealer though, it's specifically designed for livestock.
 
I hope you let it air dry well before you drowned it .
Rinse it well and test it out with a couple of goldfish first. Give the a month, if they survive I would think you'd be fine. I would have sealed it with pond sealer though, it's specifically designed for livestock.


Yeah thanks for the advice. It's yet to be completed so ill do what you said and seal it with pond sealer.

Whats a good one to get?
 
I use bondall "pondtite" but bunnings have stopped stocking it. Others have used crommelins (not sure on spelling) pond sealer.
 
This has given me the confidence to start my own when I have time. Better than that pre made stuff that costs an arm and a leg at pet shops. Will post pics.
 
Quick question, as I have read this thread several times, but this hasn't been asked (I may have skipped it, though). Can you build the background directly out of styrofoam, or should it be stuck to a backing board (mdf or perspex)? The reason I ask is that the vivarium that we just bought CAME with some styrofoam, but it is pretty thin (about 1/2" at most). Wondering about doubling it up (to save weight), and/or whether the rendering will make it more rigid/durable?

Would prefer to make it a drop in version (going to do two sides and half a bottom), and don't want to waste styrofoam or space if I don't have to, but don't want to build it and screw it up for want of a quick answer to a dumb question...

:rolleyes:
 
Get a sheet of 3mm MDF, quite light, a 900x600 with one side coated white is around $6-7 at Bunnings.
 
Thanks Joe, yes I know I can glue it to 3mm MDF, my question was whether just styrofoam was going to be rigid enough or not.

If no-one has tried it, I might try it myself, and leave me with the option of gluing the MDF to the semi-finished shape if it doesn't work.

Cheers
 
If you made it out of one piece of high density type foam and it was just painted and sealed like some of the commercial aquarium type backgrounds I can't see why it wouldn't work, but if it was pieces glued and rendered I don't think it would be rigid enough and could crack whilst trying to position it in the enclosure.
 
Yep, good call. Being multiple pieces glued probably not rigid enough. One formed piece, no worries, but not multiples.

Cheers
 
It was originally a drop in version, but Elliott's first foray in there resulted in him getting behind it! I have now silicon sealed it in, filled in the bigger gaps (especially around the cord hole in the side) with expanding foam and then render, sealed it up, and she is all good to go. Picking up a new thermostat this arvo, a week of testing, then I will put Elliott in there in his click clack with the lid off until he is happy enough to sleep elsewhere.

Will take a more recent photo once I have it all set up again...this was the original test before it was all sealed in.

View attachment 298862
 
More photos of the finished setup (well, sort of). Waiting on the thermostat to arrive, after which I will do some heat tests without substrate, then with substrate, then with heat spot on the shelf. It gets to 35 degrees on the shelf, and I will have the floor temp at 30 at the warm end far left, with overnight at about 25 since Elliott is still only 10 months old. As he gets older, the base temps might decrease, we'll see.

The transition setup is shown here with a granite paver with heatcord in situ. Once I have everything working, I will put the paver in with his click clack on top with the lid off. That way he gets to choose his existing hides with temps he knows, or he can explore as much as he wants, hiding in the new hides or basking on the shelf. When it is obvious he isn't using his old hides on the paver, I will remove the paver and keep his hides in there loose until he outgrows them, and I will put another hide in down the cool end.
Current setup:
View attachment 298896

Right hand side showing position of paver once testing is done:
View attachment 298897

Left hand side showing shelf for basking and his new big hide:
View attachment 298898

Complete setup, ceramic heat lamp on the left, moonglow light on the right, set on a timer:
View attachment 298899

Was a journey with lots of learnings - thermostat-less heatcord will crack glass, and seal everything tight to the walls, cos little nakeys can get in small spaces are the two biggest ones.
 
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