xathine

I really really want to make my own decor in my tank.

I would love to create a few caves and cliffs the way I want them and not have to try and make the ones from the LFS fit how I want.

I was looking at how to make plastic and came across this:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2106616_make-plastic.html

I don't think that would be very safe to put in a fish tank, has anyone ever done this before?

If that wont work, where / what could I buy to mold my own plastic decor with?

enthusiast

with 1 of my tanks the plastic decor i've used is a milk jug! beleive it or not...

it could be a full gallon jug, or justa half gallon jug (i used a half gallon, as this is big enough for my spare 75 gal). u can cut holes in the jug to make entrances/exits where you want them (like a hollowed out mold from the store).

to hide the identity of the jug i have placed christmas moss around it and used a hair net and rubberbands to hold it in place. you could also burry the partially, or place larger stones all around the outside walls of it to cover the view of the jug.

i'm sure u could too just cut a milk jug apart or cut the flat parts off it them and do with them what you wanted, and silicone pieces together maybe? i've thought about doing that before...

xathine

Good info.

But just cutting a jug wont work for what I'm trying to do.

I need to be able to mold or cast something into the exact shape I want.

jclee

There are detailed directions for creating your own rocks from casts/polystyrene on www.dendroboard.com. Unfortunately, since they're using them in dart frog terrariums, some of the designs might not be 100% aquarium safe, so use caution. Some, however, are intended for inclusion in very large dart enclosures w/ large water portions, so you can always ask the creators how safe they've found their constructions to be when sumberged. You could also try to guage by looking at the "finished" picture to see whether the rock wound up submersed or on land. There are also some companies out there that can make them for you, if you want to be completely safe, but that would take the fun out of it, wouldn't it? (I don't actually have dart frogs, but the DIY projects on dendroboard.com are to die for, so I spend a lot of time poking around their site. Dart frog enthusiasts are often into aesthetic, hardcore.)

Nate McFin

Styrofoam,concrete, and cork are ways to make your own rocks and caves.
Here is a link to "Darb" on the forum who built a "fish city" out of concrete. (Careful with curing and pH if you do this. It is safe but needs to be done properly!
pics of my fish city

harpua2002

Why is it necessary to use plastic? If you want to create caves and ledges and what not, try using aquarium safe rocks (if you're not sure, ask!) with aquarium safe silicone to hold them together. You could make some really neat things that way.