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i just completed a 48w"x30t"x24d" enclosure today it has laminated wood on 5 sides and the floor has a peice of plexy screwed in the window made of lexon is 30x30" and has the other 18inches of the face done as screened dutch doors. its on casters and weighs around 200lbs (not worried about having to move it)and have the enclosure hard wired from the outside (no cords or wire for lighting showing) .now that i've described the enclosure my question is , i want to make realistic looking cliff planters and rock walls on the 2 side walls and back wall, what should i use to do this, what paint to use and what specific sealers to use, my main concerns are toxicity (i'm concerned for my water dragons health and and am weary about using chemicals in their cage) and i need the rocks to be water resistant as i will be keeping it humid and also have plumed it for a perminant misting system and don't want to have the rocks becoming water logged. thanx for any help in advance and sorry for the lengthy description.

If you go to a landscaping store, they will have flat rocks that will be perfect. It is also very inexpensive. The owner just gave me the rocks for my waterfall for free since they would cost about 20 cents.

I use styrofoam, tile grout and grout sealer. The great stuff foam is nice but it requires sanding. I somtimes use the fleck stone paint for touch up. But the cheapest (and IMO) and best looking method for the DIY'er is the grout/styro method. I put some pics and tips on a site awhile back: www.freewebs.com/herptips/
feel free to use it if you want.
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www.hullabalooherps.com

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geodesic scenery

hill4803...

how heavy does that styrofoam become after the grout is added? i am worried about weight.
also, how strong does that sealer make it? i work in a concrete testing lab and i know how brittle/ weak thin layers of concrete and grout can be, especially with soft styrofoam underneath

It isn't heavy, I use 2 - 3 thin to medium coats. The last coat is like butter in it's consistancy. The fake rocks I make are more "light duty". I wouldn't recommend this for animals that are scratchers. I use mine for snakes and leopard geckos and it works great for those species. I would've NEVER used it for my nile monitor! He would've tore it up in 3 seconds! I have scrubbed the fake rock feed dishes with old toothbrushes to clean them out with no problem. I also have a fake rock hide similar to these in my boa cage. The styrofoam was attached to 1/2" plywood and grout over...so far it has stood up to my 7 ' male and 9' female.
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www.hullabalooherps.com