# Foam rock background in caiman tank



## Caiman (Feb 9, 2015)

I am setting up a 240 gallon acrylic tank for my dwarf caiman and have created sculpted foam dividers to separate the water and land. i have coated the divider with cement to make it stronger as it will be at the mercy of a small crocodile. I have read that plain cement can leach toxins in the water that may be harmful to the caiman as well as the fish that will be swimming with him. I plan to use drylok to seal the divider but can only find the white latex drylok. I heard to use acrylic paints to color but want to make sure i keep anything from leaching toxins into the water. What would be the best way to color the drylok without risk of leaching chemicals. Any help would be appreciated.


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## tonyjd34 (Feb 5, 2015)

there are a number of concrete coloring mixes that you can typically find next to the quickcrete at most hardware stores.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Plain cement just needs to be fully cured first and soaked in fresh water until the pH has been reduced. This process can take a few weeks to accomplish but after that it should be perfectly safe for fish use.


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## tomas2010 (Aug 31, 2013)

I have used pond sealant on my background, it made the whole thing very strong and solid.
I don't think it will be good idea to leave just cement as it is easy to scratch and take of in my opinion. Also pond sealant will help you with toxins issues.
You can see my background in links to diy backgrounds post.


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