Making Custom Decorations

[Bradley Moles]

still in progress. Cut up and hot glued two juice jugs together then coated it with patchcrete(similar to concrete). Still needs a bunch of layers of patchcrete.

 

[midna]

nice!

 

[Bryangar]

Is that aquarium safe?

 

[Bradley Moles]

Is that aquarium safe?

I was going to do some research and ask about that. I’m thinking it’s probably not but I could probably find aquarium safe paint and coat it thoroughly

 

[Bryangar]

I was going to do some research and ask about that. I’m thinking it’s probably not but I could probably find aquarium safe paint and coat it thoroughly

Yeah I think the hot glue is toxic if fully submerged. It can leach chemicals into your water. Unless you used a 100% silicone glue. The patchcrete is probably not safe either.

 

[NLindsey921]

You could get aquarium safe epoxy and coat it like king of diy did to his 2000 gal concrete aquarium.

 

[Bradley Moles]

Yeah I think the hot glue is toxic if fully submerged. It can leach chemicals into your water. Unless you used a 100% silicone glue. The patchcrete is probably not safe either.

Good call, I did make a mistake with the hot glue, not sure what to do at this point, maybe coat it? Or just start over. I planned on coating the patchcrete(I moved to post hole cement for my top layer) somehow. Heard apoxy can get expensive, thought about a krylon fusion clear coat. I planned on submerging it and doing water changes every couple days before putting it in the tank though

 

[Bradley Moles]

Yeah I think the hot glue is toxic if fully submerged. It can leach chemicals into your water. Unless you used a 100% silicone glue. The patchcrete is probably not safe either.

Did more research and I think hot glue is aquarium safe, it was even suggested by the king of diy

 

[Lacey D]

Did more research and I think hot glue is aquarium safe, it was even suggested by the king of diy

There are a billion different brands of hot glue out there, but most videos I watched of DIY backdrops mentioned using hot glue at points in preference to silicone because of how quickly it dried, and I think most of the time it will be safe. Most of the issues seem to come in that it can be water-soluable, so if it is ALL that is holding things together, then you might be in trouble.
I'm using some to attach sections of foam together before I cut and shape them. I think if it's covered by the patchcrete, you should be fine. I am doing a triple layer of Krylon paints, ending with a coat of semi-gloss, because I'm trying to replicate quartz-veins stone If hot glue leaks through that, I have bigger concerns