Hairy_Trev
Mostly New Member
Hi People!! It's been ages since I was here but have come back to see if I can benefit from other aquarists'experiences...
For my first aquarium, I created my own DIY rock background using polystyrene sheets, layered up and painted with cement. I was very happy with the results but on a new tank set up, I am hoping for a different look.
I have made a 'surround' or liner from polystyrene as before, to go around the inside walls of the tank and will next add various random sheets of poly to create depth... but now for the dilemma...
I have bought a 5kg block of Oven bake clay, used for modelling. Although it says on the packet that this should be fired in a kiln, that isn't an option for me.
The intention is to cut the block into 'sheets', about 5mm thick, lay it over the poly wall and then smooth it by hand to hide the gaps. The overall look should be of a flatish, but undulating rock face.
As mentioned before, firing in a kiln is not an option so I figured to just leave it in the open air for several days for the moisture to evaporate, leaving a hard and solid surface. But researching about clay in fish tanks, I have heard that when it has dried out, if then exposed to water, the clay will absorb the moisture again and soften, therefore possibly being ingested by fish.
Has anyone else tried using dried out clay in their tanks? How did they get on? What problems did you encounter or was it a successful project?
I look forward to hearing your experiences very soon...
Trev
For my first aquarium, I created my own DIY rock background using polystyrene sheets, layered up and painted with cement. I was very happy with the results but on a new tank set up, I am hoping for a different look.
I have made a 'surround' or liner from polystyrene as before, to go around the inside walls of the tank and will next add various random sheets of poly to create depth... but now for the dilemma...
I have bought a 5kg block of Oven bake clay, used for modelling. Although it says on the packet that this should be fired in a kiln, that isn't an option for me.
The intention is to cut the block into 'sheets', about 5mm thick, lay it over the poly wall and then smooth it by hand to hide the gaps. The overall look should be of a flatish, but undulating rock face.
As mentioned before, firing in a kiln is not an option so I figured to just leave it in the open air for several days for the moisture to evaporate, leaving a hard and solid surface. But researching about clay in fish tanks, I have heard that when it has dried out, if then exposed to water, the clay will absorb the moisture again and soften, therefore possibly being ingested by fish.
Has anyone else tried using dried out clay in their tanks? How did they get on? What problems did you encounter or was it a successful project?
I look forward to hearing your experiences very soon...
Trev