building a skull cave out of rock pieces

ok so im not satanic or anything but i got to thinking how cool would a cave like the one from peterpan be now i need a bit of a hand building it, i'm thinking i'm probably going to need a central colum to support it and then "shelves" branching out so that the outside shel has a structure to build against. so like the top would be built with the suggestion of teeth and then a few broken "teeth" sticking out the gravl. think fairytale pirate cave lol. any ideas what stone to use or methods would be appreciated:bigsmile: oh n pics are y inspiration, love the 2nd one, i found this whole site with photos that had been slightly edited to form faces and animal and human forms, i just had another thought what about a old man face in stone!!!!!

 

Wildfire you dont take on simple projects do you?

I think the best way to aproach something like this would be to carve it using polisyrine but then you face a problem of the balls falling off or the piant leeching, I have offten thought about doing something like this (not this) but similar and the I get stuck at the paint. what paint is fish safe?

 

lol nope its a new year and i got space for a new tank and i'm amped lol. besides the first week at least of varsity is always dead boring with nothing much going on sooooo if i'm at the commune theres no dstv and i'm already almost halfway through my new book, i'm going to need something to keep me busy lol i'm not a fan of using polystyrene as the paint also bothers me, it would be difficult to get it looking exactly like natural stone which is what i would like. @Lizid ask azurekoi about what paint he used on his paludrium. i wonder, would that green stuf florist use be an option, it would be easier to carve and once painted would seal and the added bonus is when its wet it gets heavy and sinks..... oh and how does the saying go, Go Big or go Home lol

 

yet but that stuff also rots, as far as I know... as for the natural look of the stone I would have to dissagree it can look really realy, but the paint is my only concern...
Otherwise go natural us slate or some thing but I would try and make it a proper cave

 

http://www.wantitall.co.za/Exotic-E...Medium-9-Inch-by-6-Inch-by-6-Inch__B002LTJH8Y

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http://aquariumslightanditem.com/exotic-environments-skull-mountain-aquarium-ornament-medium/

 

TM that would be the easest way to do itm but thats not cheap hey

 

i was going to do a mountain anyway but though it would be more interesting if it looks kinda like a skull. i wonder if its the actual florists oasis or if its the plant matter from the flowers that starts to rot. i think its also inert? i might use those as inspiration thanks Tank master, also true Lizid. i would like to build it though, when its done you feel such a sense of an accomplishment.

 

That's rather expensive for something you can DIY. Easy way to do it is get some pottery clay they use to make pots out of. Make a nice skull sculpture till your happy with it then throw it in the oven for a couple of hours to dry and bob is your sister twice removed.

 

lol yeah, would that modelling clay from craft shops work? my ma's kiln isn't setup since we moved

 

You can use lava-rock. Break it in smaller pieces and then silicone together. You can build just about anything with it.

 

I think those contain lead and some other nasties, hence they get glazed. The clay they use for terra-cotta pots should do the job once they have been in the kiln for a couple of hours.

 

Hey @windfire... Carve from polystyrene - spray with any non metalic spray paint as base colour - touch up with Dala acrylic craft paint(to create the "rocky" look)... Leave to dry and wash off well...

Thats what I did in my paludarium and no fish health issues - the florist stuff - oasis by name does degenarate after a while...
A friend who saw the tank recently asked me in all amazedment where I got a rock that shape to fit the tank so perfectly....lol,so you can get the right "look" this way...
BTW - most of the ornaments like TM showed is just painted with acrylic craft paint anyway...Get a book on paint tecnique and poly's your rock...

PS:Leave the base as flat polystyrine - you are gonna have to silicone it to the tank bottom..

 

I agree as well. . .

Polystyrene is cheap and easy to work with if you have the right tools for cutting, shaving and sanding. Really an awesome way to cover more area for less $$

 

My son picked up a monkey skull on the farm(karoo) the other day and he put it in his little tank. Actually looks funky. Will post photo later.

 

Just watched a few videos on youtube!!! So easy to make these things from polystyrene!!

Most guys just paint with cement . .yes . .cement

TM

 

Cement slurry is dik easy to work with and you can even sprinkle sand over for an even better look - the only hassle I have with that is that in Freshwater environments the cement will leash calsium compounds into the water that will drasticly increase the hardness and pH levels of your water... To a point where it kills your fish! Have seen this time and again in idiots who dont seal their koi ponds before adding fish

Most people who use the cement trick are reef keepers - because of the high calsium content in their tanks,the leaching process is slowed down drasticly and not an issue...

If you go the cement route - be SURE to seal it off from contact with water by using a clear epoxy...EXPENSIVE though...

 

yeah lol sounds like it. i have a craft knife which i use for everything would that work to carve polystyrene? ok but heres the thing, i'll probably have to dismantle ths tank at the end of the year soooo would the oasis work for a year? @azurekoi wouldnt the paint you use seal the oasis?

 

Craftknife,lighter and a drill with those little wire brushes works a treat to carve poly... Oh and a vacuum cleaner to clean up the bits...lol

As for the oasis - dont know,hey... Youre gonna need to dunk it to get to sink and then the paint wont stick - if it did,imagine it giving out after 6 months or so and releasing all that yucky water into your tank....Eish...Not even sure if oasis is chemically save with fish....

 

hmmmm yeah, i think i'm going try real stone first and marine silicone. i can work piece by piece and see how it goes. sigh i'm liking the idea of an old mans face more and more

 

ok so found that oasis is made from phenolic foam, still looking to see if its poisonous.

apparently its non-toxic. so now i think of a way to seal it, and weigh it down. i suppose fishing sinkers are out of the question?