Paludarium

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redragon74

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me and a freind at work are building a Paludarium

click me!

and hes herd about the 405th through me and the prop rep. proccess and is kinda wondering if maybe we can do the bground and rocks by fiberglass/bondo method
the question is, is it harmfull to animals or waterproof?

were looking at putting it up as like a display in the near future and were putting a few random little feederfish, and random little other non aggressive fish in there, and were still stuck on weather or not we want to put a lizard or a snake in it...

any input would be sweet
 
Well, one of Fiberglass's most common applications is for marine/aquatic use. People make boat hulls out of it, etc. To get it waterproof though requires using gel coats to seal it. Since Mjolnir Armor doesn't describe waterproofing (chief can't swim too good anyhow), I suggest looking on some boat building sites for some detailed directions :). If sealed properly it should be perfectly fine to put in a tank with critters.

Normal Bondo (the pink stuff) is not waterproof and actually likes to absorb water (hygroscopic). Some of the other companies make 'water resistant' body fillers (again mainly for boaters). From what I've read, if those resistant fillers are used in the below-the-waterline application (as it would be in the tank scenario), it needs to be sealed with a waterproof coating (resin or marine-grade paint). I'm sure a boat building enthusiast could give you some more details about this.

You may find this of some curiosity: Reef Ball Foundation. These are made for coral, fishies, etc. to live in. It may give you some additional ideas for constructing backdrops/habitats. These are made out of concrete (and sometimes use fiberglass struts/molds).

Some of them look like a whiffle ball...
reefball.jpg


Others are in a layered style :)
lobsterballtoptube.jpg


Well hope that helps :)
 
actually yes it did help ^^ thank you

i have herd of the reefball thingys another way there doing it to is a clay pot type deal if you want to be creamated and formed into an artificial reef its pretty niftey


ill check those websites out tommorow with my buddy when hes in at work

thanks a bunch ^^
 
hahaha they build those things out of concrete, and the fish believe its real and live in it almost as soon as it goes on to the reef
 
shadow8136 said:
hahaha they build those things out of concrete, and the fish believe its real and live in it almost as soon as it goes on to the reef
Click to expand...

Hehe indeed. They just move right on in, little suitcases and all :)
 
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