First attempt: DIY rocky caves

It's definately not a total loss and certainly not a failure!

1. Some people actually learn from others mistakes
2. Practice makes perfect
3. One could make a good argument that real men are measured not by their failures, but their "try".
4. (my personal favorite) It's great entertainment watching other peoples failures!

All kidding aside, that was/is a cool project, hope to see the final results of your efforts.

........And again, thanks for everything that I learned at your expense.
 
hatcheridiot said:
All kidding aside, that was/is a cool project, hope to see the final results of your efforts.

........And again, thanks for everything that I learned at your expense.
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Thanks hatcheridiot! :)

A couple of things I can always count on here on AC - Some really great advice from really helpful people and the right amount of humor/wisdom to make light of any predicament! :)

I'll most definitely be posting photo's of the results although it's going to take a few weeks to complete. I've unfortunately wiped out my fishy budget - the minister of finance & home affairs (the wife) says no more spending until next month so we'll be giving the quickcrete plenty of time to cure! lol

So... any tips on sealing the monster? marine varnish?
 
Actually, couldn't you just keep working on the same piece? Maybe drill out the inside from the bottom and attach bags of cheap heavy gravel or something else to the inside. The outside is trickier. Can you try again using different colors or would it not stick to the resin?
 
Quartermain said:
Here's possibily another more affordable option..
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Thanks Quartermain! Looks hellishly expensive though and the shipping costs to South Africa would probably double the price. I'll see if I can find a local supplier based on the product info given! :)

bluedaisy said:
Can you try again using different colors or would it not stick to the resin?
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My daughter was able to resurrect the original piece and the quickcrete we used didn't have a problem sticking to the resin on the outside.

The original Problem was that the resin melted/mixed with the color stain used and it started to run so we lost all definition and detail and ended up with a dark ugly unnatural looking mess.

mszumins said:
also how long will the fiberglass resin have to cure for? I built a diy background using similar technique but afraid to put it in the tank. :)
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The instructions on the packaging say 24 to 48 hours curing time but according to a pond building site I found it should be left to cure for around 2 weeks depending on how much hardener you mixed with it.

I used some of it to repair a leak in my indoor pond and after 7 days in the sun it still hasn't cured properly. It gets a white film over it on contact with water after a day or 2 of standing which can't be too healthy for fish.
 
It still looks great. you might want to offer it to some one with a reptile tank. Im sure they would be happy to have it.
 
I have read several posts on other sites that say the Quickrete as an outer most layer is fine. You just need to cure it in water for a couple of weeks with regular water changes. Of course i would want to do some testing of the water and make sure my PH stayed the same from the last water change unitl the next day or two.
 
Sorry, forgot about the salt......most of the post describe adding aquarium salt to the water.....I guess it acts as a softener and helps cure the concrete......
 
Gunn111 said:
I have read several posts on other sites that say the Quickrete as an outer most layer is fine. You just need to cure it in water for a couple of weeks with regular water changes. Of course i would want to do some testing of the water and make sure my PH stayed the same from the last water change unitl the next day or two.
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Thanks for the input! I used a water based powdered paint mixed in with the quickcrete to give it some color and I'm worried this will leach into the tank water hence the need to seal it good and proper.

I found a great marine varnish product called Woodoc 50 which is manufactured locally and contacted their help desk - was most surprised when the CEO himself contacted me directly to reassure me that they have gone to a lot of trouble to make their product as non-toxic and safe as possible but couldn't guarantee it 100%. He was happy with my suggestion that it sit on the bottom of our swimming pool for a couple of weeks prior to being "crash tested" by a bunch of pond snails and feeder guppies.

Heres the latest photographs taken after applying a second coat of varnish...

gbr_cave_13.jpg


gbr_cave_14.jpg


Heres the 2nd attempt...

gbr_cave_10.jpg

Front...
gbr_cave_11.jpg

Back...
gbr_cave_12.jpg

Close-up...

It will lose some of the gloss after a couple of days drying. Still not 100% happy with the color but hey I think it's much improved and pretty kewl! :headbang2:
 
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