My first vertical conversion attempt

[deranged chipmunk]

Coolio! I know you probably thought of this, but a dry brush layer of black paint in spots first will really add depth. So would some white as the last layer.

[Heatheranne]

That should be fine .

[Sunshine]

Sweet! Thank you Heather. @ Bill-That is actually how the guy did his rock wall! Black paint in between the rocks for depth, then a little bit of white on top for a 'weathered' look. I used 'Nutmeg' colored (not nutmeg flavored by the way) grout just like he did in the video because I like how it shows just a little bit through the paint. It looks awesome!
Here is the Krylon sealer I am planning on using to seal the waterfall. I heard that it is safe but I just want to double check.> I just finished adding a second coat of grout to the rock wall. I cant wait to see how it turns out!

[deranged chipmunk]

yup....that should work. since mine was built "in tank", i can't use a spray. had to use an alternative way to seal the grout. and wouldn't it be cool if they could flavor the grout?? it would be like willy wonka's edible wallpaper, it would be bloody brilliant!!!LOL

[Sunshine]

yup....that should work. since mine was built "in tank", i can't use a spray. had to use an alternative way to seal the grout. and wouldn't it be cool if they could flavor the grout?? it would be like willy wonka's edible wallpaper, it would be bloody brilliant!!!LOL

LMAO!!! The snozberries taste like snozberries! So what did you use to seal your tank?

[deranged chipmunk]

ahhhh.......that would be an ancient chipmunk recipe that has been handed down for hundreds of generations. way back to when my ancestral chipmunks showed robin hood how to water proof his bow in sherwood forest .......LOL seriously though, titebond III wood glue. it's also what i used to hold about 90% of the coco fiber to this tank.

[Sunshine]

LOL! You are too funny! Ahh...I didn't know you could use that to waterproof stuff. Cool Do you like it better than silicone?

[deranged chipmunk]

I'll let you know in a few weeks.....lol i figured that since it dries hard and 100% waterproof, why not give it a shot? I even planned around it drying amber colored. That's why i went with the lighter colored grout.

[deranged chipmunk]

I should mention that i had read of other people using it to attach coco fiber at dendroboard. I just decided to try it out as a sealer.

[Sunshine]

I assumed you could only use silicone for that. I'm still a newb at this. I cant wait to see yours finished! It better not look better than mine though!

[deranged chipmunk]

Oh, i'm sure it won't

[Sunshine]

Here are the rock wall pieces with their 3rd coat of grout. I think just one more coat and it will be time to paint! I am excited!!!
This is probably a stupid question, but should I silicone the pvc in place under the false bottom?

[deranged chipmunk]

looking real good if you mean the supports, then it's up to you. if you're only doing a portion of the tank as a false bottom, i would say yes, as a precautionary measure. you should have enough weight on the land mass that it shouldn't ever move. shouldn't being the key word there....lol is that the position they are going into the viv?

[Sunshine]

Yes I meant the supports. I will silicone them just to be safe I am going to have a pool at the front of the tank that the waterfall is going to drain into. One of the rock wall pieces are going on the back wall and the other is going on the left wall. I am still deciding how I will do the waterfall; whether i will use Great stuff, or the same foam I used for the rock wall.

[deranged chipmunk]

duh....despite the name of this thread, my brain thought it was wider and those pieces were both going on the back wall. i am such a ditz sometimes....LOL and if your background pieces are going to be siliconed directly on top of the edges of the egg crate, then you really won't need to silicone them in. the rock wall will keep it from going anywhere, but better be safe then sorry. i had to silicone mine down in the paludarium because all the land masses were floating!!!!LOL

[Sunshine]

My brain stopped working a long time ago Very frustrating

[Sunshine]

Here is the rock wall in place. Still needs painted but the grout is not fully cured, so I will have to wait until tomorrow to paint. Still can't decide how to do the waterfall...

[Robby Cash]

Looks awesome so far. I was thinking of doing a vertical build but im getting that hex tank lol. I still my do a vertical build with my lil 5 gal tank since i just got 2 new lil green tree frogs, there no bigger than a quarter lol. My girl friend saw them at the pet shop and talked me into buying them lol.

[Sunshine]

Thank you! I have a ways to go still The worst is having to wait for everything to cure. I am definitely not an expert but I will try to help you with your build if you have any questions.

[Robby Cash]

Yea i bet that is the worse part lol. Im very impatient so that would be my down fall lol. I like to start some thing and have it done withing a day lol. and ok awesome ill ask if i need any help with building one.