Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am in the planning stages for a free standing, self contained waterfall for a Crested Gecko 90 gal custom made enclosure.

Any suggestions for how to do it cheap, easy to clean and leak proof would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Genevieve
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10.15.7 Crested Geckos
w/ 22 incubating
1.1.3 Gold Dust Day Geckos
w/ 6 incubating
0.1.0 Presa Canario

I havent tested this yet, or worked it out, but I would imagine you could buy a can or 2 of that Great Stuff foam available at your local hardware store, and spray a pile in the general shape you want of the entire waterfall. Let it set up. Then carve the shapes you want out of it, then smear GE Silicone II, black or grey or whatever all over it to waterproof it. Then you can incorporate little cut out areas for the water pump to fit into and for the tubing to be fed thru. Seal the tubing against the "rock face" again with more Silicone II. while it's all wet you could rub coconut husk into it too to provide a place for moss to grow. That'd be REAL neat!
That sounds super cheap to me, and it'll be lightweight too. I havent done this myself though, so I cant tell you for SURE it'll just all go together like Legos.
This is just an idea I've had floating (pardon the pun) around in my head for a while. Lemme know if you try it and how it works out.
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Tom
TCJ Herps
"The more people I meet, the more I like my snakes"

Actually, that was what I had an inkling to do, funny that it should be the first suggestion... great minds and all. I have never worked with the Great Stuff before, but I see people using it all the time on here. Just want to double check that it is nontoxic, right? Also, how long does it take to dry?

I see a Home Depot trip in todays future...

Genevieve
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10.15.7 Crested Geckos
w/ 22 incubating
1.1.3 Gold Dust Day Geckos
w/ 6 incubating
0.1.0 Presa Canario

In a large volume laid at one time, it'll take the center meat longer to try, so I would think about doing it in layers, this will give you more control too since it expands somewhat. Once it dries it's no-toxic, but when it's wet, it's sticky as CRAP so wear gloves if you think you're gonna be man-handling it.
Chondubrid mentioned it's water tight when it dries. I cant really attest to this, but the reason I suggested coating it in something is because its a banana yellow color, and makes for a goofy decoration alone. Coat it in SOMETHING to hide the actual product used. Also, if you're gonna cut into it after the fact, wait until it's completely dry and I found a breadknife works really well. The sharp serrated edges are much better than a flat blade. Once you've cut into it, you'll see the inside resembles bread, very porous, so this is another reason I suggested coating the surface to make it a little smoother for your water flow.
Take some pix and post them if you can!
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Tom
TCJ Herps
"The more people I meet, the more I like my snakes"

taking some of that high density pink foam you can buy at home depot and put together your basic frame. Then put the great stuff over that to make it all look nice and smooth. There is no need to put silicone over the great stuff - it is waterproof as it is. However what I would do next would be to take a satin enamel latex paint and give it a good couple coats, with a primer of course. I also think it would look cool to coat it in grout...
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Chondros and colubrids... my 2 favorite types of snakes!

"Life is hard. Life is harder if you're stupid." - John Wayne