# New viv build with fake rock - 5 long x 3.5 high x 2 deep - PIC HEAVY



## Nigel_wales (Mar 24, 2009)

Hi guys,

Thought I'd share the pics of my new build. Sorry I didnt get any pics of the early stages didn't think of it at the time!!! Tell me what you think?

In the below pic we had cut the wood and put the viv together. We had just finished staining and sealing the inside with Blagdon V8 Pondsealer.










This is the outside of the viv finished, I stained the wood with Mahogany wood dye with a couple of coats of B&Q quick dry clear varnish on top.










The viv in its new home and just finished gluing the glass runners.










The start of the fake rock background which is my second attempt at one, the first did turn out pretty well so I thought I'd give it another go. First attempt can be seen here.... http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/habitat/713520-first-attempt-fake-rock-build.html










First layer of grout going on, which is extremely watery to get into all the nooks and crannies:










3 layers of grout later this is how it looked:










Some finishing touches to try and make the fake rock look as natural as possible, this can be achieved with watered down PVA glue and sand.










Lighting/ electrics and fake plants installed:











Pretty much complete now, 11 inches of substrate which was a nightmare to get in :whistling2:. I still need to get some cork tubes, provide a bit more in the way of hides and a nestbox. 











Any comments welcome :2thumb:


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## Barlow (Sep 23, 2010)

Looks amazing Nigel mate. The floor area to the left looks a bit bare but that rock wall is amazing. You've really found a talent there bud.:notworthy:


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## jambo1984 (Aug 1, 2010)

Grand job there mate I'll give you a tenner for it :2thumb:


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## Nigel_wales (Mar 24, 2009)

Barlow said:


> Looks amazing Nigel mate. The floor area to the left looks a bit bare but that rock wall is amazing. You've really found a talent there bud.:notworthy:


Thanks mate, yea will be adding a nestbox and some cork tubes in there to provide more cover. Still a work in progress. 



jambo1984 said:


> Grand job there mate I'll give you a tenner for it :2thumb:


Done!


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## ch4dg (Jul 24, 2008)

brilliant: victory:


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## Pendragon (Dec 8, 2008)

Nice job : victory:

Jay


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## Nigel_wales (Mar 24, 2009)

ch4dg said:


> brilliant: victory:





Pendragon said:


> Nice job : victory:
> 
> Jay


 
Thanks guys...


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## Chuckwalla (Nov 6, 2008)

Job well done there matey : victory:


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## MP reptiles (Dec 30, 2010)

Really nice looking!


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## Welsh dragon (Oct 27, 2009)

That looks great - we good in Wales for doing fake rock builds :lol2:


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## xDEADFAMOUSx (Jul 15, 2011)

this is impressive - whats in it if you dont mind me asking?


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## Nigel_wales (Mar 24, 2009)

Chuckwalla said:


> Job well done there matey : victory:


Cheers Chuck : victory:



MP reptiles said:


> Really nice looking!


Thanks mate. 



Welsh dragon said:


> That looks great - we good in Wales for doing fake rock builds :lol2:


Thanks mate, ha yea I'm inclined to agree with you there.



xDEADFAMOUSx said:


> this is impressive - whats in it if you dont mind me asking?


Thanks mate, it's for Varanus Glauerti...


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## mic-b (Aug 3, 2011)

brill job dude, im just getting my viv done at the min, can i ask where did you get the pond sealer stuff, was it in a tube or a kinda paint on thing???
also the lighting looks brill i look the chrome/metal bulb surrounds look so much neater than a bare bulb, wicked job mate!


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## The Roach Hut (Mar 29, 2008)

Nigel_wales said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> Thought I'd share the pics of my new build. Sorry I didnt get any pics of the early stages didn't think of it at the time!!! Tell me what you think?
> 
> ...


 great job nigel keep up the good work

tony


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## Nigel_wales (Mar 24, 2009)

mic-b said:


> brill job dude, im just getting my viv done at the min, can i ask where did you get the pond sealer stuff, was it in a tube or a kinda paint on thing???
> also the lighting looks brill i look the chrome/metal bulb surrounds look so much neater than a bare bulb, wicked job mate!


You can get the PondSealer cheap on ebay. It comes in a tin and I just tip out what I need into an ice cream tub or something to paint onto the wood. All you need to search for is Blagdon V8 PondSealer. 
Make sure you tip it out what you need into a seperate container and screw the lid back on. I would also recommend a mask or something because my head was spinning for a hour or so afterwards after painting it and I had no sleep the following night after painting it. It's strong :censor:. The fumes do die down very quickly compared to varnishes.

The ceramic lamp clamps with surround come from surrey pet supplies and are made by Arcadia. They are only 20ish quid each.

Thanks for the good comments. 



FireDragon said:


> great job nigel keep up the good work
> 
> tony


Cheers Tony :no1:


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## Nigel_wales (Mar 24, 2009)

Added some leaf litter to the viv, hopefully I can pick up some more bits and pieces to make more hides etc over the next few days!


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## mic-b (Aug 3, 2011)

very nice, loving the leaf litter are they just from the garden and dried out or did you buy them?


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## Nigel_wales (Mar 24, 2009)

mic-b said:


> very nice, loving the leaf litter are they just from the garden and dried out or did you buy them?


Fresh from the woods full of bugs and thrown in : victory:...


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## GeeUK (May 2, 2011)

That's wicked.

Love how you have created the fake wall by cutting up chunks.


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## MP reptiles (Dec 30, 2010)

looks even better!


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## Nigel_wales (Mar 24, 2009)

GeeUK said:


> That's wicked.
> 
> Love how you have created the fake wall by cutting up chunks.


Thanks, you learn something everytime you do it lol, the next one I make should be so much better! 



MP reptiles said:


> looks even better!


Thanks MP!


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## Jor1 (Aug 10, 2011)

These really look great.gonna make one soon I think. Is it just normal polystyrene you use? And the grout? Does it have to be a special sort? Also if you paint them is it all safe for leos? 
Sorry for a huge amount of questions, wanna get it right  
Thanks


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## mic-b (Aug 3, 2011)

Jor1 said:


> These really look great.gonna make one soon I think. Is it just normal polystyrene you use? And the grout? Does it have to be a special sort? Also if you paint them is it all safe for leos?
> Sorry for a huge amount of questions, wanna get it right
> Thanks


normal poly, space board, anything which went compacted can hold its weight and the weight put on...
if in doubt use cocktail sticks or wooden bbq stick thingys for extra support.

wall or floor grout, however floor grout is designed to take weight and is more durable as you would expect as walla grout is use for hanging things if that makes sense, but both do the same job technically...

paint- most people on here use acrylic paint, try and avoid large retailers as they have excessive prices, try somewhere like b & m bargins or the range or some place like that usually pick up a tube for £1...

any paint you decide to use is fine aslong as you remeber to seal it in...so for this i would recommend yatch varnish avliable in most diy places, usually around £5 for a tin, a couple of coats of this should be fine...
try and get hold of matt finish as has less shine when dry too.

there are other little tricks and tips for specific finishes, like adding sand to the varnish etc etc or painting with tea...

hopefully the fellow members im about to push forward to you wont mind you having a look at thier builds.

good luck and check out the below links...

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/habitat/732279-6x4x3-custom-wooden-viv-big.html

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/habitat/733306-new-viv-build-fake-rock.html

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/habitat/713219-how-make-fake-rock-backgrounds.html


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## Jor1 (Aug 10, 2011)

Awesome thnks for that.
Couple more questions I just thought of. Will it not melt or set fire if using a light in the tank? And where would the heat mat be best placed with all this, in the viv but under the polystyrene? Heat won't ruin it?

Think I have a little weekend project to do


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## mic-b (Aug 3, 2011)

hmmmm a heat mat??? ive had no experience with these at all, maybe someone will be able to help you with that...

and no it wont set on fire, some one has done tests and posted on here about that, but with my experience ive never had that trouble in the slighest i can only suggest the obvious though dont touch the background with the bulb but you will find when complete use the heat to extingush the fumes quicker before you put ur animal back in... this process can sometime be the longest make sure its dry and fumes free : victory:


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## Nigel_wales (Mar 24, 2009)

mic-b said:


> normal poly, space board, anything which went compacted can hold its weight and the weight put on...
> if in doubt use cocktail sticks or wooden bbq stick thingys for extra support.
> 
> wall or floor grout, however floor grout is designed to take weight and is more durable as you would expect as walla grout is use for hanging things if that makes sense, but both do the same job technically...
> ...


Top advice there mate!


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## NightGecko (Jul 17, 2009)

Hey Nigel, looks great : victory:

How does the polystyrene hold up to all the heat, scratching claws etc over time?

I'm thinking about doing this in all my odatria enclosures now.


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## Nigel_wales (Mar 24, 2009)

NightGecko said:


> Hey Nigel, looks great : victory:
> 
> How does the polystyrene hold up to all the heat, scratching claws etc over time?
> 
> I'm thinking about doing this in all my odatria enclosures now.


Thanks Jason! They can't really get at the polystyrene tbh mate. There are 3 - 4 layers of grout on top of that the first layer being very watery but the other 3 are pretty thick which is then painted with watered down PVA glue and sand to strengthen it even more. Another note it only added around 15K of extra weight to the viv as a whole, obviously a smaller build would add less weight.

The other one I did for my 6x2x2 for the Ackies is holding up well even with the big male Ackie I had off Steve scaling it regulary and I used the same method as I did on this one.

It's well worth doing, your Odatria will love it and it increases usable space for them whilst providing enrichment/ exercise. Let me know how you get on : victory:.


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## Nigel_wales (Mar 24, 2009)

The viv is now finished, Kim's will be moving in next week.


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## MoreliaUK (Aug 16, 2010)

Awesome set up. I am surprised though with eleven inches of substrate that it has not caused the floorboards to collapse.


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## samw3011 (Sep 16, 2011)

Amazing!! Wish i could do this...


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## Nigel_wales (Mar 24, 2009)

MoreliaUK said:


> Awesome set up. I am surprised though with eleven inches of substrate that it has not caused the floorboards to collapse.


Cheers mate! Luckily the viv is on the ground floor : victory:



samw3011 said:


> Amazing!! Wish i could do this...


Cheers! Give it a try, it's easier than you think :2thumb:


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## About-Snakes.com (Aug 25, 2011)

very good construction and very pretty


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## Nigel_wales (Mar 24, 2009)

About-Snakes.com said:


> very good construction and very pretty


Thanks! I appreciate the good comment


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## Nigel_wales (Mar 24, 2009)

Litte ones are growing well in their new viv


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## slinky_k (Nov 21, 2010)

did u put a coat of anything on top of the pva and sand as ive heard if the pva gets wet it becomes sticky


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## Nigel_wales (Mar 24, 2009)

slinky_k said:


> did u put a coat of anything on top of the pva and sand as ive heard if the pva gets wet it becomes sticky


No mate, it seems fine when I heavily mist the enclosure as well.


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## emmaalyafai (Jan 4, 2012)

that is so cool, mite av to give it ago.


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## Nigel_wales (Mar 24, 2009)

Do it, its not that hard.


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## Reptor (May 2, 2011)

truely amazing mate, makes my ackie viv look justok now lol. im wondering where you got your basking holder/reflector from as look sweet mines just the screw holder. thanks


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## Nigel_wales (Mar 24, 2009)

Reptor said:


> truely amazing mate, makes my ackie viv look justok now lol. im wondering where you got your basking holder/reflector from as look sweet mines just the screw holder. thanks


Thanks! Here is the link for the light fittings mate:


Arcadia Reflector Dome Clamp Lamp 200mm - Surrey Pet Supplies


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## slinky_k (Nov 21, 2010)

Nigel_wales said:


> Thanks! Here is the link for the light fittings mate:
> 
> 
> Arcadia Reflector Dome Clamp Lamp 200mm - Surrey Pet Supplies


heres also a link of the one ive jus been gettin.glows up when switched the lighting off.very handy these are :lol2:
eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace


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## Nigel_wales (Mar 24, 2009)

slinky_k said:


> heres also a link of the one ive jus been gettin.glows up when switched the lighting off.very handy these are :lol2:
> eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace


 
Those look really cool fair play!!


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## slinky_k (Nov 21, 2010)

Nigel_wales said:


> Those look really cool fair play!!


havent actually used it yet lol.still waiting for me viv gettin built.seen a few videos some where and they look pretty good


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## Reptor (May 2, 2011)

thanks guys for that they both look so much better than mine lol


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## Swain86 (Jan 23, 2011)

thats great nice job


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## Nigel_wales (Mar 24, 2009)

Reptor said:


> thanks guys for that they both look so much better than mine lol


Np



Swain86 said:


> thats great nice job


 
Cheers !


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