# Rock wall vivarium construction



## Devanny

After i saw arielfs and melas rock tanks i decided to build one myself using an 18 x 18 x 24 exo terra, styrofoam and cement.
I started by siliconing a black piece of plastic tubing in the corner to run the water pump powercord and the actual water fall tubing, i also siliconed 2 pieces of driftwood one of the pieces of driftwood will hold 3 broms that i will mount and spread moss around when im done. I thought i'd try with styrofoam that i had laying around altho next time i will be using the closed cell foam ( styrofoam is very messy to work with ). I cut and shaped a billion pieces of styrofoam to mimic rocks i then hot glued them around the tubing first then around the pieces of driftwood, after a few days of allowing the silicone to cure i started with a thin/watery coating of cement then another and another and another untill i achived what i was looking for, spraying tap water and allowing time in between each coat of coarse then i took multiple sculpting tools to add demension/texture and shape to each one of the "rocks".....This is what i have so far, its in the process of curing then will come the white vinegar wash and finally the painting will begin, i plan to use Liquitex "BASICS' permanent acrylic paints.



The start of the "Devatopia" vivarium lol 




































Hope you all enjoy , ill be posting progress pics...


-Devanny


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## Nubster

Awesome. I can't wait to see more. I want to use this technique on my next tank and the more people that try it the more I really want to give it a try. Looks like it is going to be sweet.


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## Manuran

I applaud you for the sheer number of foam pieces shaped and glued into place!
That just looks meticulously done. It looks good. Can't wait to see it finished.


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## Mywebbedtoes

Ambitious! I like it. This looks very promising. Keep us posted.


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## moothefrog

Cool!What are you gonna put in there?


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## LittleDip

Amazing!! It looks wonderful!! Please keep us posted. I've seen this method done so many times and just looking at your post makes it look "TO EASY" Thank you for sharing!! I would like to do something like this in one of my tanks.


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## Devanny

Thanks, i did use a lot of piece i wanted that stacked slate kinda look.
This will be home to my Nancy Pumilios.


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## MELLOWROO421

Looks great! Keep them pics coming. Look out Wayne, she may end up building YOUR next viv 
BTW, I love those Nancy's!


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## Mywebbedtoes

No kidding! Good looking start, and frogs. Those are my dream frogs by the way, so way to go!


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## Devanny

i wish i could build tanks like Wayne....thanks.

I have a question....do liana vined hold up to humidity pretty good?


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## Mywebbedtoes

My guess would be yes. They look like they would.


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## knuckles4696

great job dev looking good, i cant wait till you send me this tank and the nancies as well remember ill be waiting by the mailbox punk


p.s.- how did you get the styrofoam onto the glass? im not sure if i read it and didnt understand it sorries!

carlos


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## edwing206

Looks good so far. Can't wait to see the finished product!


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## Nubster

knuckles4696 said:


> great job dev looking good, i cant wait till you send me this tank and the nancies as well remember ill be waiting by the mailbox punk
> 
> 
> p.s.- how did you get the styrofoam onto the glass? im not sure if i read it and didnt understand it sorries!
> 
> carlos


Hot glue...


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## Devanny

Ok, thanks Wayne ill be using that vine then.

Knuckles, i hot glued the pieces of styrofoam to the glass, thank edwing i cant wait to finish it but this kind of background needs time to cure/ neutralize and so forth but im trying to be as patient as i can be.


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## hoyta

Looks good!
Looking foward to seeing the outcome


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## nathan23

Nice job so far Devanny. It kinda reminds me of thoses bricks you see on some of the houses. I can't wait to see the finished product w/ the waterfall and all.


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## RedEyeTroyFrog

one of the worst creations ive seen on this board...hahaha j/p Vanny, u kno i like it, where are some new pics tho hop to it already!


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## MattySF

Looking real good. Very detailed and promising so far. You must be the patient artist type to take on something so meticulous. Looking forward to seeing more.


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## Haroldo

Devanny said:


> Ok, thanks Wayne ill be using that vine then.
> 
> Knuckles, i hot glued the pieces of styrofoam to the glass, thank edwing i cant wait to finish it but this kind of background needs time to cure/ neutralize and so forth but im trying to be as patient as i can be.


Beautiful and meticulous work there!

Don't mean to be a party pooper, but you hot gued the styrofoam to the glass? In my experience, even mid-grade hot glues won't stick to glass long in humid conditions...


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## Devanny

I thought about that too, but i think the cement will hold it, well at elast i hope it does!


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## thetattooedone

Looks like it's gonna be really nice when it's done. Nice shot's of the Nancy's too. I should've recruited you to snap some pictures of mine!

Brent


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## Devanny

Thanks!, Yeah i hope it turns out good and natural looking. It was hard work to get them to stay still long enough let alone keeping them from jumping out.


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## MzFroggie

OMG it is going to be beautiful when you are done...The time you have taken to cut each piece..I can't wait until your done..Keep posting..You have made me want to get out the bed and go and try this myself...Good Job!!


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## brog32

looks great so far, I cant wait to see it finished!


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## Devanny

Thanks guys, which species would this suit better Nancy's or yellow fantasticus?


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## chrism

Tank looks wicked- wanna build me one!!! Also, gotta say- loving the avitar pic! HOT HOT HOT!


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## melas

Looks great! Just wait until you start painting it! I think that's the best part. If you choose to do a black wash you get instant results. It just really adds a TON of depth! It's funny because I just got on here to post my progress with an 18x18x24 exoterra! Great minds must think alike . . . or something! Can't wait to see it finished!


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## AQUAVIVARIA

Hi Devanny,
If the humidity is high it will probably suffer ! they are very porouse ! If you wanted you could allways cut to desired lenghs and then seal with a satin clear none toxic varnish ! 

David Hall


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## frogsanddogs

I have been watching this thread & wondering if you have an updated picture you could post? I love the design of this & the incredible detail work & I am thinking of trying a rock wall tank as well, so would love to see some more progress pictures on this. 
Also, what are the blue pieces? It looks like something wrapped in blue tape? Perhaps one is glass and maybe one driftwood? What is the reason for wrapping in the blue tape? Does this make the cement stick to them or is it to keep the cement off as it is something you want embedded in the wall, but not covered in cement? Either way, if you could post what it is and the reasoning and then also whether the technique worked... or any difficulties with it or things you would have done differently? 
I am slowly getting up the courage to try a tank with the cement technique, but trying to learn from other people's posts and experience as much as possible before tackling it myself.
Also, does anyone know any reason why you could not use one of the concrete/ cement stain/ coloring products? I noticed most people paint their rock walls to give the appropriate effect when they finish & this looks amazing in most of the posts, but it seems most of the people who have posted these are extremely artistic & have a lot of painting skill to begin with, which I don't... so not sure it would come out as well for someone who doesn't have much painting/ shading technique & experience...so when I was shopping for the concrete products, I noticed they also have stains in different colors including black & other colors... I am wondering if you mixed this with a few of the later coats & perhaps left some of the layers without it if this would also provide the desired effect to make it look more like a rock wall with the appropriate depth/ shading... & is there any reason these coloring products would be harmful to the frogs or any other reason not to use them?
Thanks in advance for any answers to my questions & awesome job on this tank!!! Looking forward to hopefully seeing update pictures!


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## Devanny

frogsanddogs:

Thank you for the comments, i havent been working on it much because of lack of time but i did finish the vinegar wash and now the only things left to do is a good rinse with water, paint and plant then after a while ill introduce the inhabitants which will be my cayo nancy pumilios or my tarapoto imis (havent made up my mind yet).
The blue pieces are pieces of driftwood which i covered in blue painters tape to prevent the cement from getting on to them, i ended up removing the back piece of driftwood because the cement was "gluing" it to the background, i plan to silicone it back on after im done with the painting.
The only 2 things i would do diffrently is use closed cell foam and laticrete latipach tile grout, i used styrofoam because i had lots of new pieces and didnt want them to go to waste, the cement i used didnt dry as smooth as i thought it would.
Heres an update picture...its crappy because i had to take it in a hurry.


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## Devanny

So I finally got a few days off and i've been experimenting with the painting.































































Its not done I was just testing out diffrent paint looks, im still going to add more "rocks" to it.


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## RedEyeTroyFrog

looking good, but i mean i would have had this thing done ages ago... lol lets go D get a move on!!


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## Devanny

RedEyeTroyFrog said:


> looking good, but i mean i would have had this thing done ages ago... lol lets go D get a move on!!




Umm well I work T so shut it...Im going to be working on it every single day now so I can finally finish it.


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## melas

Yeah that's looking VERY nice! Way to go! I love that you have some shots with it partially painted. I think its so cool to see how it comes along. The paint just adds so much! Stay the course!


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## Devanny

Thanks Matt, I love how it comes together too...I just have to get a darker black the one im using tends to turn too gray when I water it down.


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## divingne1

That looks fantastic. You have some nice vivarium building skills.
Candy


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## Bcs TX

Looks good Devanny.
Please post more pictures as it progresses along.

-Beth


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## Devanny

Thanks Candy and Beth, its along wait to gt it done mostly because I had no time or was too tired but I will be working on it regularly and will post progress pictures.
Matt did you seal yours?


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## melas

Devanny said:


> Matt did you seal yours?


Nope. I used the polyethylene foam which does not have the leaching problems associated with the polystyrene. From what Ed said about the whole endocrine disruptor thing so in your case you may want to . . . 

I DID seal my little pool just to make sure it would hold water for extended periods of time.


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## Devanny

So styrofoam will leach? Im not "foam smart" lol so sorry if my questions sound retarted.
Also what kind of sealer would I use....I dont want my rockwork to look all shiny since it will take from the realistic look.


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## melas

Devanny said:


> So styrofoam will leach? Im not "foam smart" lol so sorry if my questions sound retarted.
> Also what kind of sealer would I use....I dont want my rockwork to look all shiny since it will take from the realistic look.


I'm just regurging what Ed said in this post 
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/34675-concrete-binder-concrete-2.html

I'm really not certain as to potential danger involved with this. I was always under the impression the polystyrene was virtually inert when kept at room temperature. I've read that the issue was when it was heated (ie: microwaved, etc) to much higher temps. One thing to also consider is that the Exoterra backgrounds that come with the terrarium ARE polystyrene . . . this is one of the reasons that my backgrounds have to covered the entire back wall - so that they aren't soaking in water 24/7. some water hits them but it all runs off relatively quickly. I really don't want to take a stance either way - maybe Ed will chime in on this one . . . 

As far as sealers - I found one that was an epoxy - it said "natural finish". There was another one next to it that said "wet look finish". I only used it in the water bowl so I can't really say for sure but I don't think it will be "shiny" on a rock wall.


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## clwatkins10

Very nice! This is one of the nicer ones! Looks much bigger than it is.


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## LittleDip

The "Devatopia" vivarium is looking great! I can not wait to see updated pictures.


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## CHuempfner

Wow, Devanny! 
I have been back and forth about wanting a rock wall in one of my tanks. One day I like them, and then the next day I'm a little iffy. After seeing how realistic yours is turning out, I am definitely wanting to try it! 

Obviously, it takes some patients and a good plan in mind. I can't wait to see it once you have it completed and planted. 

Good job-
Crystal


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## Theend882

Wow it looks awesome!


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## Ed

ScienceDirect - Environmental Research : Effects of Styrene Monomer and Trimer on Gonadal Sex Differentiation of Genetic Males of the Frog Rana rugosa

It was a weak effect but note the short contact time with the tadpoles. In a non-flow through or recirculating enclosure the contact time will be much greater. 

Ed


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## gold3nku5h

You need to come over to my house and make on with me  ... how mauch? (borat speak)


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## Devanny

clwatkins10: Thanks, it does look bigger than it is...I plan to use a taller tank next time.

LittleDip: Thank you, I should have more pictures up when my order of latticrete comes in so I can add more o it (plant pockets and such)

Crystal: You should try it, its so much fun I think thats why i've been lagging a bit I love working on it.


Thanks for the comments and info.


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## jausi

Devanny said:


> So styrofoam will leach? Im not "foam smart" lol so sorry if my questions sound retarted.
> Also what kind of sealer would I use....I dont want my rockwork to look all shiny since it will take from the realistic look.


HI Devanny,

Great job with your viv, if your looking to seal the concret well check this link I use concret sealent for a paludarium I had before, here is, i hope this can help you:

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/beginner-discussion/29051-paludarium-proyect.html


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## Devanny

Unfortunatly I had to tear this tank down because of a little incident but I am rebuilding it and using closed cell foam this time instead of styrofoam.
Here are a few pics of the "skeleton" process.

The first coat. Side 1










Added pieces of foam to create more demension.
































Side 2.




















I know it looks like crap but these are only a few shots its really taking shape and looking realistic, ill post more pis when I get home.


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## melas

Woohoo! Looking good! I think the extra "dimension" was a good call!


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## Devanny

Heres some 2nd coat pics.


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## RedEyeTroyFrog

nice D money.... nice


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## Anoleo2

I would never have the patience to do all that... 

Looks pretty sweet!


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## Devanny

Thanks for the comments.

Heres more pics of the sculpting.
The rockless part is where I will silicone a piece of driftwood.
The little hole on the rock is actually a PVC cap that will act as a water holding pocket for tad rearing.


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## frogparty

that last pic looks like a froggy staircase!


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## Devanny

Haha its actually part of the waterfall feature.


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## Guest

Nice work, if only swedish folks was this good, i dont know but we seams to be the worst background builders from what i can see on the forums


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## melas

So Devanny what did you use to do the etching etc? It's funny - you are actually a few coats ahead of me now! What lit the fire under you butt? Looking good!


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## Devanny

Thanks Nile.
Matt I used an exacto-knife that I had laying around, it helps when you lightly spray the "rocks" before you start culpting.
Haha, I've been working on it at work so every chance I get I start working on it. Im actually done I jut did some touch ups last night, Jealouse?


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## melas

haha! indeed, very jealous! I wish I could sculpt cement at work! I'm stuck here on this dusty old computer! I'm definitely putting in some good quality time on my rock wall tonight though!


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## JPccusa

Any progress on this project Devanny? I really want to see the finished viv w/ the water feature.


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## melas

Yeah Devanny! You actually pulled ahead of me there when you slapped the concrete on first - what's the hold up yo?? Too busy sending me plants?


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## Devanny

Beauty takes time!...jk Im currently painting it then after thats done im going to paint on the kyoto moss soup. I have to get some plants for it too.



melas said:


> Yeah Devanny! You actually pulled ahead of me there when you slapped the concrete on first - what's the hold up yo?? Too busy sending me plants?


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## melas

What is this "Kyoto Moss Soup" you speak of? Do tell!


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## JPccusa

I was curious as well but since I'm a noobie, I thought that was a well known "soup." LOL


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## frogparty

The moss soup I use is equal parts cheap beer and water, with dried moss or moss spores mixed in. Spray it where you want the moss to grow, keep moist, tada!
Others suggest using buttermilk instead of beer, I don't like it, smells BAD but have seen good results


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## frogparty

Devanny I have a question for you... if the translation of sana sanita culita de rana is "heal heal little frog's tail", why is the litteral translation "let me kiss it and make it better"?


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## Devanny

Just something I like to snack on while painting my rock wall 

Moss Soup= moss sores + buttermilks, paint it on the surface where you want moss to grow. I tried this recipe but GODAM! it stinks and I didnt get any moss 
The beer method I have never tried, but im sure it wouldnt smell too good after some time.
My version is secret and does not coontain any dairy products ...But its still in the experimentation process.




melas said:


> What is this "Kyoto Moss Soup" you speak of? Do tell!


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## Devanny

I have been asked this many times haha, I guess thats the latin way of saying it? Not really sure I would have to ask my ma.





frogparty said:


> Devanny I have a question for you... if the translation of sana sanita culita de rana is "heal heal little frog's tail", why is the litteral translation "let me kiss it and make it better"?


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## Froggi

I love your idea!!! geez i wish i could make somthing that cool


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## froghobbiest

Hmm I know its been a year but what happened to the updates? Did you finish it?


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## Okapi

I was wondering the same thing


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## moore40

Yup, me too. Any updates?


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## melas

Yeah! Where's the photos!!??


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## JPccusa

Ready to share your secret recipe yet Dev? It has been almost two years.


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## careys

So that's how to make a back ground, Iv'e been way over thinking this stuff!!I have to say that it amaes me how it looks before and after....


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## chacmhaal

Your fake rock is very very nice i love it


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