Originally Posted by kriminaal

Also anything that says "marine" on it should put up a caution flag(somethig else I've recently learned) Most of those products have them have fungicides added. I', also working on researching epoxies and how safe they actually are.

Originally Posted by ukrainetz

Hello to all at the HC!
I am currently in the process of building an "in the wall" cage for my WD. I decided that I was going to line the walls with artificial rock to make it as realistic as possible. I have went over lots of already given advice, and lots of projects already completed, however since this is going to be a really large project I would like to make it as durable as I can. Predominately the greatest questions I have are regarding the materials.

- Is liquid nails safe to use? I've seen plenty of guides yet no one is concerned about it. I'd prefer this to silicone because the weight of the finished panels will be substantial.

"liquid nail is safe to use, i personally have used it in my construction jobs and think it works just as well as they claim. One careful step to take is to make sure you give it more than a week to air out. Another good product to use is gorilla glue, only thing is you have to clamp down the product (use screws or clamps) for at least 24 hours, not much fumes so I think its safer, right now its holding a part of my ammies enclosure together."

- Tile grout vs. Cement, has anyone experimented how they compare in strenght and weight?

"Strength wise cement beats grout hands down. The chemicals added to cement allows it to have a stronger molecular bond. If you ever used grout without putting a sealer over it, you will notice after about half a year and some moisture it begins to crack and fall apart. Weight wise, they are almost the same, they both use almost the same materials, but just different chemicals to acheive the bonding strength they want."

- What paints have you mixed into the mixture? (dont just say acrylic, perhaps latex wall paint? hobby model enamels? etc)

"Im not to sure what your trying to paint, if you are trying to mix paint into the cement, i would use the specially made cement paints they sell at Home depot. If you are trying to paint your fake wall, i have used enamels, and I find they work best, latex tends to peel with high humidity, and I personally cant stand the smell of acrylic so I steer clear of those."

- How well do tile and cement sealers hold up? Some say they allow transmission of vapors and moisture, and are rated for food use. Will these work well to seal a water pool? (I'm not a big fan of epoxy... too hard to get and too expensive, in addition it isn't perfect according to many people)

"You can use a special cement called hydraulic cement. It is specially made for use with jobs that deals with water. If used you would not need to use a sealer. Sealers work well, but they are made to help with clean up and scratches, they arent meant to stop water. I personally would not use it for a pool especially since your WD comes in contact with the water."

- Also, I'm lining the enclosure in plastic before affixing the panels (even the ceiling). Is .23mm painters drop cloth sufficient or do I have to invest in the overpriced pond lining? Remember this is for a WD so humidity is the only real thing of concern. (this is question is mainly for the viv users)

"They sell plastic liners that are 4mm. thick for about $15 at the home depot by my house I would use these. They are thick enough to not really worry about scratches and tears."

Let me know your experiences, any testing you have done (most people don't list this because they think its irrelevant). I will be trying some mixtures and ideas next week, since like I said, these panels have to be more or less permanent. Thank you all in advance! Cheers!

Dmitry

p.s: I am about a month away from being ready to put up the rock walls.