Canada Day Weekend Build! : Clay Background Method - Page 6

Greg H. · #51 07-13-2010, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by froggsong

I MUST point out that that is NOT our average member. NOT AT ALL. Have you watched his youtube "videos" that he links to so rudely? Have you paid any attention to his attitude? As far as I can tell, that kid must be like 12 or 13. People like that, that are going to do what they want regardless of what people tell them is safe, are NOT the people to base arguments like this on. Only an idiot is going to read what that kids says and say to himself, "Hey! That guy really knows his stuff! I'm going to do what he did!".

I apologize for the tone of my post, and I assure you that I am not being argumentative, that kid just irks my nerves something awful. It's people like that that give the hobby a bad rep, IMO. It's just that kind of thread that I hate to let stick around on the forum, but unless I have a legitimate reason to delete it, all I can do is try to correct it for future readers.

I agree that he is not an average member ( no I didn't check the video's - I was sure about what I might find ), but I did consider him an example of some of the way I see some people approaching the issue ( although I will grant that he was a little extreme ), and while it is the kind of thread that can be annoying, it does serve a purpose if people are willing to learn from it.

I have PM'ed Grimm about using some of his posts to build a General Substrate & Background Discussion thread, in which we can move some of your questions about the use of various Background materials and hash out some of the debate without cluttering up his build thread.

froggsong · #52 07-13-2010, 02:42 PM

Sounds good to me. If he'll just post a link here in the thread, I'll get the discussion posts moved soon.

Grimm · #53 07-13-2010, 02:56 PM

Bahaha I thought Greg was gonna make it....I dont even know how to move posts around and link another thread with this one. It isnt a huge deal, we can chat about it here. But for future reference it might be easier to find all the good clay substrate/background info in a seperate thread, rather then my experimental build thread.

I know I made that "substrate notes" thread a few weeks ago. It might be the place to add all this good info since I already have links that were posted in this thread again.

froggsong · #54 07-13-2010, 03:03 PM

lol, you can't move posts.

Only me and beck (and Marty, of course). I'll set up a new thread for it later, then move all the posts. I'll link to it here so that people who are coming here for the discussion can go there straight from here.

Greg H. · #55 07-13-2010, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grimm

Bahaha I thought Greg was gonna make it....

Working on it

As a non-admin or mod it just takes a little longer, and is not quite so neat.

beckdg · #56 07-13-2010, 06:00 PM

since we're moving this (or froggy is)... my criteria was basically safe, cheap, works under the conditions i was looking for... that's it. i even balked at sodium bentonite but i'll look into that when the time comes.

i have made it to the end of the dendroboard thread... almost 3 times. there's sooo many conversations that break off in it though and i seem to want to follow all of them or none of them. that's probably my fault for checking it out tired time after time.

the crayola, well... that's not the first time... won't be the last time... we'll probably never hear the end of the story or see pics of the outcome (haven't yet)... i can only assume it's not the greatest idea and most members won't see that and go... "WOAH, that guy disregarded all that advice and things worked out GREAT!"

to touch on the kitty litter again... people have used it/AS/turface/etc. quite a few times without adverse reactions. that's what we're into this for in many cases... we don't want to do everything exactly the same as everyone else. more options are a good thing... so long as they're safe. it's up to the hobbyist to work everything out after that. anybody who's just going to stuff a tank full of clay... well... umm... something about intelligence and common sense (you get the point).

Greg H. · #57 07-14-2010, 01:43 AM

Here is the link to the other thread:

https://www.vivariumforum.com/communi...iscussion.html

Grimm · #58 07-16-2010, 10:11 PM

K quick update...

So apparently no one at the pet store, or 3 of the forums I am a member of mentioned that Grapevine is NOT recommended for vivaria. I’ve had the tank running the entire week, with regular misting and it already has 2 different types of mold blooming all over it. I boiled and baked it before adding it to the viv; it’s just that the wood does terribly when constantly moist.

So this weekend I will be exchanging that piece with a piece of Mopani, then I will be adding more vines, moss, and newly acquired broms into the viv.

I am also doing a wetness durability test using a large clump of clay that I let sit/cure inside my viv over the past 3 days. So far it is holding it's shape to a constant flow, however it has flaked a little bit and the outside has become very soft. Also, it seems that some of the peat is washing off of the clay and exposing some of the clay pellets that did not mix 100%. I'll be keeping it going overnight to see how well the rest holds up. As of right now, I do not suggest using this in constant contact with water.

I'll keep everyone updated as it comes along this weekend.

beckdg · #59 07-16-2010, 10:30 PM

i looked twice at that before but you mentioned something about making it water tight. i guess i assumed you new better, sorry.

Grimm · #60 07-16-2010, 10:39 PM

Haha no big deal. It also has another problem. Its isnt dense enough, and has to many minute cracks in the surface to act as a "stream"

Ive tried patching the inside and bottom of the wood with silicone, however it continues to drip into my substrate. I think the piece of mopani I bought tonight will look quite good as a replacement. It has a lot of crevices I can use to mount some smaller aquatic plants into, aswell as broms in the upper sections that will not be wet. I saw some Anubias Nana Petite at my local aquarium shop and love the way it looks...Too bad it is 17$ each for a tiny plant. I'll be looking around for local enthusiasts that have some for sale. Im pretty optomistic though.

And once again, a positive about using clay....Modifications are easy