Calcium water dish

[chumpy100]

it sounds to me like it wouldnt work, but someone else might know more. Anyway, wouldnt calcium build up on the sides since it will be released into water?

[Jace]

That was my thought too, but since I would have to remove it everyday to clean it and put fresh water into it, I could probably keep the buildup down. I mostly just want it for the size, not for the calcium stuff.

[SludgeMunkey]

Sounds like a gimmick to me. I'll research this one and report back.

Just taking a guess, it may be designed with turtles in mind.

Personally, I feel that this sort of item is unneeded for amphibian care if a proper balanced diet is provided.

[Jace]

Sounds like a gimmick to me. I'll research this one and report back.

Just taking a guess, it may be designed with turtles in mind.

Personally, I feel that this sort of item is unneeded for amphibian care if a proper balanced diet is provided.

Thanks Johnny! Appreciate it. I think it's a gimmick too. However, at the rate Kadesh is growing, I'm going to have to stick an ice cream pail in there for him to have enough water to soak! The size of the dish is appealing, but not the function. I think I will try and find/make something else.

[SludgeMunkey]

I am a big advocate of DIY. I find the obscene pricing for things like water dishes to be offensive. For what you spend on one small water dish, you could make three that have five times the volume!


I have been playing around with 4mm Plexiglas and a heat gun lately...you can make some amazing water dishes that way!

I also make them out of white floral foam, covered with a layering of acrylic media concrete (sometimes called tapecrete). You just carve the foam to look however you want, brush on a few coats of the acrylic concrete, and let it cure a week or two in the sun. Paint it as you like, then give it a few coats of clear urethane. Let it dry another week, and then it is ready for critter use!

Turns out these calcium dishes are made with land crabs and tortoises in mind. I would not use them with amphibians, myself.

[into]

I also make them out of white floral foam, covered with a layering of acrylic media concrete (sometimes called tapecrete)

Where can you buy that stuff? craft stores? One of the things I'm having fun with is trying to build new stuff instead of buying. I finished a homemade water fountain and a new modular 20gal terrarium (biuld out of two cheap $12 10 gal tanks) a couple days ago.

[chumpy100]

DIY is fun, paying 20$ for a water bowl is insane, and chris nice cut out of dumper, can you teach me how to do that? ive tried and failed

[SludgeMunkey]

Where can you buy that stuff? craft stores? One of the things I'm having fun with is trying to build new stuff instead of buying. I finished a homemade water fountain and a new modular 20gal terrarium (biuld out of two cheap $12 10 gal tanks) a couple days ago.

Actual Tapecrete brand acrylic concrete is very expensive and hard to get here in the USA, however I did some research on it a few months back and found this alternative.

It is readily available at Home Depot and other DIY stores:

Quikrete Acrylic Fortifier

Use this stuff instead of water when mixing up your batch, then apply it with a paintbrush or sponge.

I mix it with this:

Quikrete Quick-setting Cement

You can also use it with tile grout and plaster of paris. I do not suggest using plaster for wet type set ups.

This stuff is a bit strange to work with at first. You want to mix the concrete with the acrylic using no water. It needs to be the consistency of pancake batter. Then brush it on your form that you carved out of white floral foam. It is better to use many thin layers rather than one or two thick ones. Mix up only what you can use in ten minutes. It dries fast but wait at least 24-48 hours between coats.

Here is a picture from one of my in process projects using this stuff:

[Jace]

I am a big advocate of DIY. I find the obscene pricing for things like water dishes to be offensive. For what you spend on one small water dish, you could make three that have five times the volume!


I have been playing around with 4mm Plexiglas and a heat gun lately...you can make some amazing water dishes that way!

I also make them out of white floral foam, covered with a layering of acrylic media concrete (sometimes called tapecrete). You just carve the foam to look however you want, brush on a few coats of the acrylic concrete, and let it cure a week or two in the sun. Paint it as you like, then give it a few coats of clear urethane. Let it dry another week, and then it is ready for critter use!

Turns out these calcium dishes are made with land crabs and tortoises in mind. I would not use them with amphibians, myself.

I like that idea. I just might have to try that, thanks! I am a medium crafty person, but I think I can make something more cost effective and suitable for my frogs. It may not be pretty, but it's not like the frog will care .