# Fake rock wall in a weekend. (Pic heavy)



## matt1084 (Jun 5, 2011)

Well I thought i'd knock up a fake wall for my keelbacks new enclosure. 
Its a 4 foot fishtank so I wanted to have it filled halfway and have a few ledges and areas for it to bask. 
I used the following
Wall = styrofoam boxes (FREE)
Glue = Liquid nails fast set ($6.95)
Paint = Pondtite sandstone colour ($22.95) and a bit of craft paint for final detail.

I began by attaching the styrofoam boxes at the right length to fit in the tank, once they were fixed at the right length i could work on the shelves and ledges. 






I then cut out some ledge shaped pieces and stuck them together to be added later. 





Once the ledges were in the rough shape i used a BBQ lighter to seal it and make it look like rocks, then attach them to the back wall section. 





once I was satisfied with the overall shape and look of it i once again sealed it with a flame and started to paint it with the Pondtite sealant twice, which is for fishponds so it should be safe with snakes. 









It took a while to dry but once it was dry for the second time i added a bit of colour with acrylic paints above the water line to make it look sandstonieish. 









No all i need to do is silicone it in place and let it cure for a week, ill finish this project next weekend. ill have to post some pics with the driftwood plants and keelback in there. 

Hope people like it and im keen for any suggestions that could make it better. 
Matthew


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## abnrmal91 (Jun 5, 2011)

Awesome good work


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## babba007 (Jun 5, 2011)

Wow thats awesome. I might have to try that myself next weekend


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## Snakeluvver2 (Jun 5, 2011)

Very nice


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## RamsMice (Jun 5, 2011)

Very nice can't wait too see more


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## Pinoy (Jun 5, 2011)

Nice and easy! 
Good job 

Just wondering, did you use the flame to make the surface uneven, or was it dug out then flamed?


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## matt1084 (Jun 5, 2011)

both, if they were dug out first then flamed, i kinda ran out of gas so i used a candle and matches as well.


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## grizz (Jun 5, 2011)

I really like this one, second nicest on the forum to date in my opinion!


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## Dan40D (Jun 5, 2011)

Nice, that looks awsome, going to book mark this for when i do my enclosure backgrounds, show us the setup once it is finished as well.

Love the PJ's as well :lol:


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## matt1084 (Jun 5, 2011)

thats a big call, i was impressed in what can be done in a few hours over a weekend and improved the look of the tank 100x. I still have a few final touches to add and a bit of paint to make it look a little more realish. Im glad you liked it.



> Love the PJ's as well /QUOTE]
> I like to call them lounge pants.


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## dossy (Jun 5, 2011)

nice to see a reall man paint his toe nails haha

thats a very nice rock and i find using the candle better then a gas tourch because its a slower melt.

keep us updated


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## pythonmum (Jun 5, 2011)

Great stuff. Thanks for showing the stages in the construction. It will be excellent to see it in place in the tank with the final landscaping.


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## KingSirloin (Jun 5, 2011)

Nice work, looking forward to the finished product.

Anybody wanting some pondtite, try Bunnings. My local store at Thornleigh (NSW) is clearing it to make room for 'more profitable items to them' and it has been marked down. I bought two 1 litre tubs of clear pondtite for $10 each, and they have a sale on the rest of the Bondall range too apparently. I don't know though if it's all Bunnings or just local.

Also the clear one is not for flexible use, unlike the coloured versions.


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## matt1084 (Jun 5, 2011)

hahaha, didnt notice my toes look painted, must be the lighting?


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## bucket (Jun 5, 2011)

everyone has master the art of backgrounds now is my time haha any tips for a 4x4x2 enclosure


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## Snakeluvver2 (Jun 5, 2011)

Measure twice, measure again, be patient and let it dry


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## bucket (Jun 5, 2011)

i can get foam from work but i've heard of guys being throwing out of home cause of the mess haha


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## matt1084 (Jun 5, 2011)

i must have the best wife ever, i did mine in the lounge room. Got to love a dyson!
For a 4x2x2 id do a lot mor larger ledges and overhangs. if its not going under water, once painted with pondtite throw sand at it on the lawn not lounge room. this gives it an awesome texture.


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## reptileKev81 (Jun 6, 2011)

Nice thread! I plan on converting my 3x2x2 fish tank for my beardie when she gets a little bit bigger.
I plan on doing the whole sand dusting thing to give my beardie some grip and traction. What kind of sand are you using? Also, where did u get it from and for how much.

Looking forward to see your follow up pics.

Cheers
Kev


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## NotoriouS (Jun 6, 2011)

That looks great!! Will definitely be trying something similar in the near future! Thanks for putting this up!


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## matt1084 (Jun 6, 2011)

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.


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## HerpAddict (Jun 6, 2011)

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


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## SYNeR (Jun 6, 2011)

Great pics / guide. It seems so easy?

I may have to try this out..


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## woody101 (Jun 6, 2011)

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


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## matt1084 (Jun 6, 2011)

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.


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## Froggiestyle (Jun 9, 2011)

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


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## jacks-pythons (Jun 9, 2011)

nice work. u did a great job


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## matt1084 (Jun 9, 2011)

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.


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## zan777 (Jun 10, 2011)

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


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## FusionMorelia (Jun 10, 2011)

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!


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## J-A-X (Jun 10, 2011)

zan777 said:


> 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,


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## BigWillieStyles (Jun 11, 2011)

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


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## Just_Plain_Nuts (Jun 11, 2011)

good looking wall, well done!


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## matt1084 (Jun 11, 2011)

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.


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## zan777 (Jun 11, 2011)

Jaxrtfm said:


> 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


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## matt1084 (Jun 11, 2011)

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.


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## cadwallader (Jun 11, 2011)

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


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## Froggiestyle (Jun 12, 2011)

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
.


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## matt1084 (Jun 12, 2011)

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.


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## BigWillieStyles (Jun 13, 2011)

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


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## matt1084 (Jun 13, 2011)

Ok well all of my canaries are still alive, and the tank looks good apart from the fact that its a bit humid. Due to the heater in the water and the cold nights its a bit of a sauna in there. Im just wondering how the keel back would go in the humidity?
Does anyone else have any humidity prob with their keelbacks?


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## Snakeluvver2 (Jun 13, 2011)

They won't, they are semi aquatic and should be used to those conditions, should be important to have some "dry" land though. 

What was the coloured Pondtite like? Runny or thick?


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## jordan-gibson (Jun 13, 2011)

d watch out that the snake dosent get to close to the yabbies or they might have a go at it


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## matt1084 (Jun 13, 2011)

ill declaw them if they do and the colour was sandstone but i did put a little paint onto it to make it more natural looking. 
Ill put the keel back in now and watch how he/she goes in there. there are 2 ledges above the water that will always stay dry. 
Hope it likes it!


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## Snakeluvver2 (Jun 13, 2011)

....so was it runny or thick? haha


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## matt1084 (Jun 13, 2011)

thick, went on like a paste. it will wreck a paintbrush.


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## Snakeluvver2 (Jun 13, 2011)

Sweet, just wondering as the Clear Pondtite is more like a liquid.


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## crocka79 (Jun 15, 2011)

Well done mate, looks wicked!


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