Viv question

[ShammySilverwolf]

Thank you!! I'm glad someone has used it to tell me... im very exicted to begin i very literally cant stop thinking about building my first vivarium. I have had many frogs before, but all in with fake plants etc. and i havent been able to have frogs in awhile because where i moved is just getting a pet store now. I was forced to give all my babies away... Awww.....

[beckdg]

i can't really think of a sealer that would be adequate for that without taking away from the texture/looks.

there's famowood... the stuff that's used for bars at restaurants and... bars. it goes on pretty thick though and i'd think it would take away from the textured look.

there's mod podge but if it's wet constantly i wouldn't trust it.

you could try a grout sealer but i'd test to see if it would react.

and honestly i have no idea what sealer you're talking about that's specifically for the product. are you talking about clear coat in a can? if so i would definitely do a test run on a small piece first. i've found that cans of clear coat can be quite unpredictable in their outcome.

clear coat for cars might be an option but you'd have to look into that and test it extensively to make sure. also it's not usually very cheap if i remember correctly.

keep in mind i have used that product, just not in a viv. i used it on an old end table set that already had a stone finish that was chipping off.

[ShammySilverwolf]

yes it was the clear spray that i was talking about, i see your point and concede... i will probably stick to the other methods i saw on the build logs here like that habacrete.

[beckdg]

i'm sorry! by no means was i trying to scare you away from your original intentions. i just wanted you to be aware that new methods need testing and such. if you find something you'd like to test we'd be more than happy to help. i would certainly be happy to see what i could find when it comes to msds, safety in general and whether or not anyone has posted their findings on such a use. as in if anyone else has done the same and found it worked out for them.

testing doesn't have to be difficult either. spray this... let it cure. spray that... let it cure. put it in some water for some time and see how it works out... etc., etc., etc....

[beckdg]

oh, and we really don't like to depend on habacrete around here... it's expensive and not exactly as special as one would be led to believe.

i'll leave you with a link to a couple discussions we've had about concrete backgrounds. be sure to read through the discussions and follow the links i left. if you follow it completely you will go through 3 consecutive threads i lead you through along the way. by the time you're done you should have a pretty good idea on a mortar based structure.

here it is:
Blue/Pink foam board

[froggsong]

I wish that MSDS sheets had info on the cured product as well... It's kindof a pain to try to read through one and figure out which compounds might be an issue once the product is cured. The MSDS on the stone paint that was linked to above indicates that some of the colorants in the paint may be carcinogenic, both to humans and animals, but the test animals (as far as I could tell from the text) weren't exposed to the cured product, but instead were exposed to each colorant, most likely in a powdered form that was easily inhaled (the rats developed lung cancer). The propane, butane, etc, type ingredients that are listed in spray paints and whatnot are the propellants, this is most of the fumes you smell. A better way to determine the safety of a spray paint is to find an MSDS on the same product, but out of a can (I doubt this comes in a can though) that way you know what is in the paint, rather than what makes it come out of the can fast enough to cover your project. Incidentally, if you use a different color, you should look up the MSDS on that color as well, as it will have different colorants.

I believe that a simple test might be in order (if you are unable to perform it, I might be able to with some of the paint that I still have, it will just be a couple of weeks before I can, due to my moving and all that good stuff), like beck said, get three pieces of the same material, spray them with the same amount of paint (or as close as you can get) cure them for the same amount of time (and note how long it took to cure), leave one alone (this is your control), put one in some water that is not moving, and put the other in water so that water is running across it (which is what would happen if it was used for a waterfall). See how they hold up without a sealant. As a way to tell if they leach anything toxic, you could put a feeder guppy in the water.

Anyway, just thought I would chime in on this.

Also, have you seen the thread on the tank made for crabs with different colors of silicone dabbed on to make a faux rock formation? It turned out wonderfully, and if the paint isn't going to work out, that might be perfect for what you want to accomplish.

[ShammySilverwolf]

WOW! that was definately interesting i have whole new ideas now about how to make my waterfall, thank you! ;D

[beckdg]

excellent, glad we could help! anything else of course just ask.

at the least we could always point you in a good direction.