My DIY fake rock made for Peter!

[tedrickrumohr]

Bryana and I worked on this for about 2 days, just putting layer after layer of thin concrete mix and then painting it, and now viola! Peter's new fack rock in his 40 gallon

 

[mybeardieslovefood]

nice

 

[Smeagol358]

How do you make them??

 

[tedrickrumohr]

How do you make them??

If you go onto http://www.lizard-landscapes.com they teach you how

 

[dEEjHaY]

Bryana and I worked on this for about 2 days, just putting layer after layer of thin concrete mix and then painting it, and now viola! Peter's new fack rock in his 40 gallon

How high are those stairs? Are they sturdy even with the weight of your dragon? The stairs I'm going to need to build will go up about 18" and I'm worried that it won't be strong enough to support a adult.

 

[Smeagol358]

Cool thanks but I showed my dad it and he said no!

 

[tedrickrumohr]

The stairs are high, but after I finished making them, I put my lizard on it over my bed to make sure it could hold. So make sure all your glue is working, and it can support your dragon, etc...

I'm sorry about your dad saying no I did this cause it was cheaper.

 

[Twobeardieguy]

Nice.

 

[Grimleo]

Awesome I totally need to make things like this lol

 

[tedrickrumohr]

Awesome I totally need to make things like this lol

All the layers take so long to dry haha

 

[RULDS2]

What did you use to seal it? I am a bit worried that modge podge stuff wont take well to water. My beardie tends to get water on different things, especially if he is chasing a stray cricket!

 

[tedrickrumohr]

What did you use to seal it? I am a bit worried that modge podge stuff wont take well to water. My beardie tends to get water on different things, especially if he is chasing a stray cricket!

I sealed it with acrylic paint because my brother who used to work at Kelly Moore's Paint said that acrylic is a sealant because it's water-based.

 

[Luthor]

Bryana and I worked on this for about 2 days, just putting layer after layer of thin concrete mix and then painting it, and now viola! Peter's new fack rock in his 40 gallon

How high are those stairs? Are they sturdy even with the weight of your dragon? The stairs I'm going to need to build will go up about 18" and I'm worried that it won't be strong enough to support a adult.

I'm sure they are probably quite strong once everything is set, but you could maybe introduce some wire to the underside for added strength if you wanted to be safe. (Be a pain if it collapsed once finished!!)
My thoughts would be a close-knit fine mesh (like fine 13mm galv chicken wire or something if you can get a small enough piece rather than a whole roll).
Or even some garden wire or a couple of wire coat-hangers would do it, pushed into the polystyrene and supported each end (you could even use these as your initial framework and bend them to form "columns". They would dissapear once grouted/finished.

Sorry, I work in shopfitting..we tend to build weird stuff like this but for people.

The steps look excellent by the way. I think I may have a go myself for Dewi's next tank.

 

[BryanaE]

Yes, the steps were really strong once they dried. We first used liquid nails to secure them together then we used concrete in all the little crevices (and of course on top of the foam) to make it one big solid piece. That is a really good idea with the chicken wire though! I will for sure remember that when we do our next ones.

Here is a smaller basking spot we made for Lyn. On this one instead of doing pillars, Tedrick stacked up pieces to make more of a wall (even though you can't tell in the picture) which would be good if you're worried about sturdiness or strength. Also we didn't add a bottom piece to the smaller one. But we haven't noticed any difference in stability to be honest.

We had a blast making these. Only cost around 30 bucks for the materials and we still have a TON of stuff left to make more.

 

[Smeagol358]

Yes, the steps were really strong once they dried. We first used liquid nails to secure them together then we used concrete in all the little crevices (and of course on top of the foam) to make it one big solid piece. That is a really good idea with the chicken wire though! I will for sure remember that when we do our next ones.

Here is a smaller basking spot we made for Lyn. On this one instead of doing pillars, Tedrick stacked up pieces to make more of a wall (even though you can't tell in the picture) which would be good if you're worried about sturdiness or strength. Also we didn't add a bottom piece to the smaller one. But we haven't noticed any difference in stability to be honest.

We had a blast making these. Only cost around 30 bucks for the materials and we still have a TON of stuff left to make more.

That is really cool! I can't wait till I like make one on my own. Because I'm going to build my first bearded dragon tank (in a couple months) I just want to keep it simple so I wont mess anything up!!