# a supper big journal! Pic Heavy!



## ghettopieninja (Jul 29, 2008)

I've been on dendroboard for years now, but my old username I think I made when I was 13 lol, so new username with a new journal! This isn't a PDF tank, but many will deffinatly follow! My work is going to have a frog exhibit all fall and winter, so that means getting lots of new things and setting up lots of nice vivs. This first one is for a mossy frog I got a few weeks ago. I will probubly just add to this thread when I post work on the other tanks as they come!

After seeing arielelf 's incredible work with cement, I decided to go with his method, 
I practiced on a 12 " x 12" x 18", for this one I just sculpted the cement over the already existing exoterra background, this is a supper easy way to get a fairly natrual looking rock wall without to much fuss of adding extra things. Here are some shots of that tank, it's only about 4 weeks old and just has some cuttings in it right now but should look good when everything grows in/more plants are added, it houses a greater hatchet faced tree frog, Sphaenorhynchus lacteus, dose anyone know of anyone that regularly offers these? Took these pics in a hurry, but I will take better ones in a few days:

















Now on to the current project which is in a 18" x 18" 18" exo terra. 
The first step was to create the skeleton of the rockwork, once again I kept the exo terra background in and hot glued cut packing styrofoam sheets to create the mid and background rockwork. 

















You are going to want to add more styrofoam then you think you would need because the next step is to carve it into something that looks much more like your finished rockwork. I used two different sized serrated kitchen knives for this step. Don't get to carried away with details here that might be lost when you add the cement, but at the same time, the more you flush it out with styrofoam, the lighter it will be and the less cement you will waist, oh and I also created a housing for the pump in the front.
























so that's it for the first post! I am almost done with the cement step as I write this and that will go up in a day or so, check back in soon!


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## Nubster (Jun 16, 2008)

Following with interest. Looks like a great start to what should be an awesome tank.


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## tkromer (Dec 20, 2007)

Looks like a good start, keep us posted.


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## ghettopieninja (Jul 29, 2008)

hey thanks alot! We just got a shipment of 10 RETFs in as well as two clown treefrogs ( _Hyla leucophyllata_) one of the clowns looks a little underweight so were gona keep our fingers crossed, I am going to begin construction on display tanks for them soon, I am also going to redo our leuc, azureus,citronellas and auratus tanks. For the auratus tank, I was thinking of a biotope tank with them and a pair of the RETFs, I don't realy want this thread to turn into a mixing species debate, all I will say is that we have been keeping both together sucessfully for several years now in a large tank, the auratus have bred several times and the we hear calling from the red eyes.


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## ghettopieninja (Jul 29, 2008)

Ok so I'm done with the cement sculpting and on to the painting! Here are some pics of the cementing process:
This is the stuff I used, about twelve bucks at homedepot, the guy there told me that this was the way to go after I described what I was doing because I bonds to itself very well, allowing for easy sculpting.









The first layer was soupier to achieve a good thin covering of the whole thing, getting into all the little nooks and crannies. 









After this I began using thicker and thicker batches to use more as clay to sculpt the final look of the rocks. I used plastic spoons and knives to apply the cement and then used a rubber gloved hand to sculpt it. I did this for a few layers till I got something I liked. After this I took a cerated knife and carved away at some areas to get even more detail and depth. Once all this was done I took the thing outside and hose the whole thing down, using a razor blade to scrape away any access on the glass and other areas.


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## onefstsnake (Jul 31, 2008)

Lookin good! 

foam didnt seem to make too much of a mess.


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## atchleyj (Jun 20, 2008)

Well done, i've been wanting to try this technique for a while. I'm glad to see someone give it a go. C Can't wait to see the finished product.


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## boogsawaste (Jun 28, 2008)

I really like the way this looks! How are you going to put plants on that stuff though?


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## Amphiman (Nov 8, 2007)

I'm guesing he could lay down substrate on top of all the gaps at the floor of the tank?


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## Nubster (Jun 16, 2008)

Looks great so far. Can't wait to see more.


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## froggiefriend (Jan 4, 2008)

that looks awesome!
Kristin


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## jdart16 (Jun 5, 2008)

Wow really nice job on the rockwork! Looks very natural

Justin


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## melas (Oct 24, 2007)

looking good! i think the paint is the most fun step. you get to see these relatively flat looking surfaces come to life! the black wash was really easy but I think it was the most impressive part of the whole thing with mine. keep us updated!


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

looks great so far, love the rock work!


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## ghettopieninja (Jul 29, 2008)

Hey thanks for all the positive feedback guys! You may not be able to see it very well in the pics, but there are a few little pockets were substrate and plants will go, probably a selaginella species, koran rock fern and something with broad leaves to add contrast, probably some kind of philiodendron. Most of the plants will be semi aquatic epiphytes such as java fern, anubias, christmas moss (looks like java moss but grows lower to ground instead of upright like java moss) and riccia. I'm half way done with the painting, which is really bringing it to life! Will post pics of it soon! 
oh and melas, what kind of cement did you use, because the finish in your tank looks alot smoother then mine.


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## melas (Oct 24, 2007)

*Cement Type*



ghettopieninja said:


> ...oh and melas, what kind of cement did you use, because the finish in your tank looks alot smoother then mine.


Okay here's exactly what I used - this is in the Tile aisle at your friendly Lowe's store . . . haha!
*Latticrete Brand Lattipatch - Rapid Concrete Leveler 8lb carton *

It says you can feather the edges to a half inch - so i guess it's pretty "flexible". It cured VERY hard. I was actually able to lift the whole tank by the rock wall (though I wouldn't advise it!).


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## melas (Oct 24, 2007)

Another thing i did was i kept going back and spraying down the cement with water and smoothing it with my fingers. Just give a few minutes to start setting up and you can really start to sculpt it!

Looks great!


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## ghettopieninja (Jul 29, 2008)

hey guys the painting is done, so without further ado...
Before I starting painting I soaked a full gallon of white vinegar into the cement, to help offset the very high ph of cement.

The first layer was really watered down and supper dark, this insures the whole thing gets an even stain, this mix was mostly black and blue

















After that I began mixing in different brighter colors, like a lighter blue and some yellows, the rest of the layers were applied with a 'dry brush' technique.
















I continued adding lighter and lighter layers, mixing up the colors a little bit, with a few layers of light reds, but mostly blues and yellows, after a wile it looked like this!








The last thing I decided to do was add some lichens, here’s the initial dark green layer,








and then I added layers of brighter whites and greens.









After this I gave the whole thing a good rinsing and cleaned up the glass, filled the bottom up with water and turned on the pump. I was initially going to have that stump I showed in some of the pictures in it, but after seeing how and were the water flows over the rocks, I think I'm going to go with a much smaller peace. Regardless I'm really happy with the way it turned out!
the light I used for these pictures is a little funky, but you get the basic idea
























After letting it run for two days the ph is still at about a 9, so drained out that water and am now running the pump with a 50/50 water vinegar mixture.


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## CHuempfner (Apr 27, 2008)

I may have overlooked this throughout the thread, but I was wondering what type of paint you used for the cement and how long it cured before you added frogs.
Thanks,
Crystal


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## ghettopieninja (Jul 29, 2008)

I used normal acrylic paint because it is non-toxic and water resistant, also it dries almost instantly.


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## Devanny (Jul 11, 2008)

Do you remmember what brand of paint it was?


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

how much is hte acrylic paint vs epoxy? tank is looking great.


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## ghettopieninja (Jul 29, 2008)

I did not put any epoxy or other sealant on, I don’t think it is necessary, would probably inhibit moss and other plant growth on the rock surface and leaves everything with an un natural sheen. As for the brand of acrylic, I really don't know, it was just some crappy stuff I found lying around at work (used for art projects for camps), some of the colors I did bring in from my own large collection of acrylics (I do a lot of painting). Acrylic paint can vary in price tremendously depending on the manufacture and the color, you don't need anything fancy for this but I would recommend the 'liquitex basics' because of there size, decent quality and price. 

In other news I have a week to set up a 55gal tank with big fabricated buttress stumps for some dendrobates, set up an NJ natives tank and a seahorse tank, among many other things, all before I go back up to school in a week and a half!


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## ghettopieninja (Jul 29, 2008)

Just thought I would say that I added substrate and a few plants today! I will hopefully take pics tomorrow, right now the ph is about an 8, which is much better to the 10 it was prior to vinigare soaking, This should come down even more soon, especillay if I add crushed oyster shell, which I hope to, because it acts as a ph buffer.


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## meatslim (Jun 6, 2007)

hooooly cow... awesome job


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## weta (Mar 2, 2008)

Wow you have some serious skillz!
great work


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## Nubster (Jun 16, 2008)

How does it seem as far as being water proof? I am having leaking problems with my GS foam and silicon water feature so I was thinking about going this route and replacing the current water fall with a new one made similar to yours. I just need it to be water proof since I have a small pool at the bottom of the waterfall.


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## gordon gecko (Aug 11, 2008)

Ghetto, very fine work indeed. Very artistic and more importantly NATURALISTIC!

May I ask, does the concrete seem to seal to the glass nice and tight? Did you have to seal the edges (where concrete meets glass) with silicone? I am thinking of doing something similar and wondering if the foam is all nice and dry in there or if you are getting any water intrusion behind the hardscaping? 

Thanks for posting this, very informative and helpful!


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## ghettopieninja (Jul 29, 2008)

Hey guys, sorry I still don't have any pics of it with plants in, but I will take one today. Right now I just have in some cuttings from other tanks, mostly xmas moss, java moss, riccia, anubias and sine selaginella uncinata, lots more plants to come on mon I think. Since Nubster and golden gecko's questions are related I will answer them together. This stuff dose seem waterproof on it's own, at least not in the thin layers I used, however it dose seal nicely to the glass, I just spread it across the glass to insure it was flush, then scrapped away the excess with a razor once it was dry. But like I said, it dose not seem to be waterproof, as the level of standing water behind the foam in the back of the tank is the same as it is in the front pool. I am not really bothered by this as this is a very wet tank, and any soil is above the waterline, but I could see this being an issue for others. On the tree buttress piece I am making right now, I plan on coating a very thin layer of epoxy over the finished thing to protect it and help seal it, you could try this, although I believe it will make the rock surface slightly shinny... 
Pics soon to come!


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## Nubster (Jun 16, 2008)

How are things going with the tank? I am about to tackle a new water feature and I think I am going this route this time.


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## ghettopieninja (Jul 29, 2008)

Here's some pictures of the tank with a few cuttings I threw in:
















Since I'm leaving for school today I'll post an update the first time I come back to visit my work were the tank is, It should look much better once the moss starts covering the rockwork. I plan on adding a large java fern as a centerpiece as well as some liverworts in a few months when I get back from school.
Heres two few other random pics:








This is a shot of that first tank I built that houses a hatchet faced glass frog, it has been growing in nicely over the past two months








One of our javan gliding frogs (Rhacophorus reinwardtii) that happened to be awake, they have been calling recently at night, but so far nothing, also the two that we have look very similar in size and could both be males
Sorry I don't have any PDF pictures, all of our frogs are in "breeding" setups, with running water but aren't very pretty. We have been experiencing a lot more breeding success with running recirculating water then we used to with just terrestrial tanks.
So heres the other project I threw together quickly, I'm not as satisfied with this one as I was the other, mostly because I was rushed (really only had a day to make this). 
































I'm not that happy with the colors I ended with, also I did a layer of epoxy, that dried fairly shiny.


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## Nubster (Jun 16, 2008)

If the photo is true to how it actually looks (shiny wise) it is not bad at all. What epoxy did you use? I think that I am going to make a rock feature with a waterfall, stream, and pool area and epoxy only the area that will have water so any shininess should not be seen through the water and if so I can always just add a layer of pebbles from the creek to hide that. I just want to make sure it is water proof this time unlike this stupid GS foam feature I have now.


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## Derek Benson (Feb 19, 2004)

Very cool. Where are you located?

I really like the tree root deal. Do you have have any pictures of your hatchets? I am getting a group next week.


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## Otis (Apr 16, 2006)

Do you want to explain how you did those roots? they look amazing and I really want to do something like that for my mantellas.


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## ghettopieninja (Jul 29, 2008)

hey guys thanks a lot! unfortunately I don't have a pic of the hatchet face, he/she (I think she) is very secretive and sometimes I can't find her even when I look for her. I wish we had more and would love to get some more, who are you getting them from Derek? one thing to keep in mind is that they tend to like to hid in leaf litter all day, instead under leaves or branches as you would think of an 'arboreal' frog. A gorgeous frog though! I used basically the same process to make the treebuttress as I did for the exoterra. Like I said though, I am not happy with how this turned out, I feel like a different paint scheme as well as attaching some vines to it (that I had planned to). I plan to experiment with some different mortars and cements to see how I can improve with both rock and wood fabrication. I am getting two RETFs soon from a group that my friend has, so I will be making a viv for that, I also am thinking of upgrading my pueblan milk snake to something much nicer then the sweater box he is in now. I also think I'm making a large viv for my school. Oh, and I'm from NJ but go to school in ME


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## JBR (May 8, 2006)

are these great tanks at a pet store in jersey or a zoo/aquarium? if so where?


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