pdf vivs

[soundstounite]

Hi all at reptile forums,we are setting up a frog room for pdf"s softly softly, hope to have frogs next summer.I am building my own vivs to ent"s design.I am working from a back issue of reptillia where peter nowark owner of ent creats a background out of polystyrene and expanding foam.He then coats this in a product called rockoflex[for strenth] which i can buy from dartfrog what are the alternatives[NB i dont want to use black silicon].After which he waterproofs with a product called elastopur a 2pack epoxy resin, again what other products can be used.Before anything else is done he covers the inside of the viv with a glass grounding compound anyone know of a sutable product in the uk. We have also sourced some beautiful weathered oak, should we also waterproof this with the resin or if we dont how long before it rots [hopefully not quick "cause of the tannin]. So there"s your strater for 10 lets see whose got some knowledge thanks all Regards Stu and Shaz

[fatlad69]

Oak wood is great for PDF vivs, it is a hard wood so won't rot. If you get the environment right it will get moss growing over it.

[soundstounite]

sorry about the delay in reply,yeah your right dude, this oak is as hard as hell,help guys i need more info. cheers all stu.

[soundstounite]

Ithink as a newguy to the forums i go bump? come on people if you keep all these beautiful animals u must want the best for all keepers, show me some knowledge guys i really want to do the best for our frogs when we get some,but if i am to keep a stunning frog from some amazing rainforrest in a small[well they look small to me,but i"m abit bigger than a thumbnail]glass tank, then i really owe it to them to be as thorough as possible and sift though as many opinions as i can.THANKS already must go to Mark and Cris cheers both.So guys there you go. Bring it on regards stu and mydarling shaz OH YEAH DUDES I FORGOT WE NEED WORLD PEACE

[Morgan Freeman]

You can also try a polystyrene and cement background.

Eco earth on explanding foam background.

Get some twisted lliana in there and plenty of broms.

Check out my viv in my album if ya like.

[Morgan Freeman]

Come join us in the amphibians section or for some real inspiration check out some of the vivs at www.dendroboard.com

[soundstounite]

so how do i move a thread to the right place. took a look at the light cheers mate dont think i can use it, i think i will need some kind of lighting system that runs off a small no. of plugs and links between each viv but before this i need to speak to more people about the uvb and vit B3 link up.more detail needed on viv construction dude check out ranavivs on rana site nl look at the photo gallery on the low left hand side anyone do this other than dartfrog in uk? cheers stu

[chrism]

Silicone is the common- not what I use, but am currently working with a new product which i'll hopefully be able to sell in the future...

You can use elastopur straight onto the the expanding foam. Not used it myself, but a freind did and it gave a nice finish.

You can also do a pva mix. Pretty much mix the eco earth with 50:50 pva and water, then slap it on. Takes weeks to dry though.

When adding the substrate / soil mix, I also add some orchid bark chips etc to give it a more natural / less pristine finish.

I also build background for people if interested, rainforest, or desert.

Chris