Fake rock wall in a weekend. (Pic heavy)

[matt1084]

the sand is from any garden center, sandpit sand is fine.
I made a smaller one not long ago and once i coated it in pondtite twice I mixed 1cup of pondtite with 3 cups of sand and made it into a thick paste and smeared it on sections of foam to give a contrast in texture.
If you want to do large sections work in little sections, little bits at a time or you run the risk of bits drying and the sand not sticking.

 

[HerpAddict]

Very nice.
You make it look easy, I might actually give it a go now. I already have liquid nails and pond tight.
Thanks for the pics

 

[SYNeR]

Great pics / guide. It seems so easy?

I may have to try this out..

 

[woody101]

is pondtite good for normal snake enclosures ?? like is it ok for around the light fittings and the heat? or will that effect it GREAT WORK BTW

 

[matt1084]

it doesnt burn under a naked flame, I was doing a little modification and melting the styrofoam and the dry pondtite didnt catch fire, melt or burn very easily at all. I dont see why it couldnt be used to water proof an enclosure. I read the back of the pack and it says not suitable for porous surfaces like wood. You could get around this by undercoating the enclosure, once dry it should be pondtiteable.

Just Siliconed it in place which was fun. The background was a perfect fit and a very snug fit but a little viewing window i added in the side came back to bite me in the ****. Sealing the hole so water doesnt get behind the background was a little difficult. Ill post some pics tomorrow when the sun comes back up to play.

 

[Froggiestyle]

nice work mathrew, do you think it would suit frogs also????

 

[jacks-pythons]

nice work. u did a great job

 

[matt1084]

I dont see why not, the only thing you have to watch is chemicals in the water and on surfaces. The aquarium silicon if given the right drying time is fine and used on many frog tanks. I have not used pondtite in frog enclosures but if used properly and allowed long enough to fully cure I dont see why not but like i said i have not done it before.
Ill be filling it with water soon and im hoping i sealed it properly. fingers crossed for tomorrow.

 

[zan777]

I really love the wall you have created. What sort of texture do u get from the pondtite material? is it grainy? I have a foam model of a tree stump i've created and am looking for something to "seal/waterproof" it. But I dont want to use it if it will make my tree look more like rock due to the grainny texture it may make.

thanks

 

[FusionMorelia]

for the love of god stop posting this awesome looking foam stuff, i just finished a hide now i gotta try this!
thanks alot for posting such a sweet looking wall now my drinking weekend is ruined by wall building!

 

[J-A-X]

I really love the wall you have created. What sort of texture do u get from the pondtite material? is it grainy? I have a foam model of a tree stump i've created and am looking for something to "seal/waterproof" it. But I dont want to use it if it will make my tree look more like rock due to the grainny texture it may make.

thanks

Clear pondtite has no texture itself, it a very liquid product as opposed to the thicker varnish type product, it's like water to apply, the only downside is it dries shiny, great for a "wet look" and is designed for use in fishponds so I'd guess it would be fine for frogs too for those that have asked.

The sandstone pondtite that Matt has used definitely looks thicker (in the pic with the tub) than the clear,

 

[BigWillieStyles]

Looks great, like the way you touched it up with some paint. Did you dab it on?

I used grout on my background with two or three thick layers which make it as hard as rock and hopefully will take the weight of a reptile larger than your keelbacks

 

[Just_Plain_Nuts]

good looking wall, well done!

 

[matt1084]

when i painted it I used a few coats of varying rock colours. I used a technique called dry brushing, just put some paint on the brush and then wipe off as mush paint as possible and then brush it back and forward across the wall to highlight any bits the remanding paint catches on. If you go to youtube im sure there will be a video showing how.
Im filling the tank today so ill put a few more pics up later tonight.

 

[zan777]

Clear pondtite has no texture itself, it a very liquid product as opposed to the thicker varnish type product, it's like water to apply, the only downside is it dries shiny, great for a "wet look" and is designed for use in fishponds so I'd guess it would be fine for frogs too for those that have asked.

The sandstone pondtite that Matt has used definitely looks thicker (in the pic with the tub) than the clear,

thanks for the reply. Matt, Does the "sandstone" pondtite have a grainy texture or is it pretty smooth?

Thanks

 

[matt1084]

here is another updated picture for all those who wanted it, Its not full of water yet but by the end of this weekend it will. The keelback who is going in there just shed and is currently being cooled so ill warm him up now and once the water is heated he should really enjoy the extra room.

 

[cadwallader]

that looks awesome dude congrats youll have to post pics of the keel back when he is in there

 

[Froggiestyle]

hey matt that looks sweet as tho my tank is 80 cm high and 60 cm long lol. but its only going to be 60 by 60 the background. I was thinking that i could do mostly want you have done seal it with the pond sealer stuff then maybe through silicon over it and cover it fully in a mixture off coco peat and peat moss. done a tank like that before but using expanda foam instead. could always ask someone
.

 

[matt1084]

Ok so i filled it up with water and added a few more living plants. Im going to let it settle down over night and see how the little canaries go.
Front view

another angle

A couple of my canaries that i added. There are also some yabbies in there too for interest.

Ill post some more pics when the keel back goes in tomorrow if everything goes well.

 

[BigWillieStyles]

wow looks great, more pics when the snakes are in please.