Dude i just got everything but the drylock pigments for my tokays new waterfall enclosure and you are a lifesaver... literally. Ive got a small green house tent full of plants in quarantine for my enclosures im re doing and you just saved me so much time and money.
I'd probably change the title (maybe "Is DryLok killing your plants, or is it something else?") - but very interesting information on the Quickrete being the culprit. I've been having this issue in one of my enclosures and could never figure it out until now.
Weird, the MSDS for the quickrete concrete colors just lists it as black (or red) iron oxide and water. Maybe there's some kind of surfactant in there that doesnt have to be listed for people but might be bad for plants. Would logically be water soluble (since its being used for iron oxide suspended in water) so that may be why rinsing it off works, and why the powdered kind (that's just the oxide powder) doesnt do it.
I make concrete plant pots. There is something in it that kills plants if I don't condition the pots properly. I found that soaking the pots (after they have set) in water for several days seems to leach out whatever kills the plants.
Really interesting discussion. I’ve had some good success with casting spray polyurethane foam. Quite interesting what you found about the pigments and Drylok. personally, I found this product to hide details quite a bit, so I opted for a finer mortar base that I tinted myself. I quickly ran out of the basic concrete colors, so I defaulted to acrylic colors. In the end, it worked great, and was definitely less expensive.
Well, i just used a full bottle of dye to one gallon of mix. Im going to do a couple more coats over everything with acrylic as my shaders for the laters covsring over it. Wish me luck
If you can do a really thorough rinse once everything is dry you'll probably be okay. If not, you will eventually be fine, you may just see die off initially.
It's not reptile safe. Only the original. It also says on the site of Drylok that it's not approved for fish ponds. Yes, people have used it successfully. Will that make it safe..? I don't think so. The thing with toxins is, it can build up over time and slowly poison your animal. Of even yourself, if you sleep in the same room and are immune compromised or something. It can be anything from allergies to rashes, difficulty breathing etc. So why risk it if there is an alternative :) to each their own though. Some people think because it's so slow to have an effect, it's worth the risk. Whatever you do: make sure to be okay with taking the risk :)
Interesting, haven't seen this with the Quikrete, but I been using it as a base colour and always use acrylic on top, with very little of the base colour actually visible anymore -- I'm indecisive and that ends up in fairly thick layer of acrylic. I'll skip the Quikrete now. Thinking of which enclosures I used drylok + Quikrete on, none of them have had frogs in them thankfully.
@@AnimalsatHomePodcast thanks for the reply. Yeah I noticed it’s hard to find and very expensive. Would you recommend any alternative for Drylok ? I’m using XPS insulation as a background and plan on painting it with acrylic
Yeah, that’s the issue with being in Canada, everything is expensive in the hardware store. But unfortunately, I don’t know of any substitute. However, I think if you find any “masonry sealant” that should work.
Is there a certain brand of acrylic paint that is safest for our reptiles? I’ve heard different opinions about acrylic being safe or not and which brands are safe or not etc. etc. I just want to know the truth so I can do it right.
Hey there. Thank you so much for this. Subbed! About to start my first viv build, and it's encouraging to see the Drylok isn't the issue. However, because there are five hundred different opinions on everything: Does it make more sense to add the tint to the drylok first instead of just applying drylok and then adding acrylic paints? I was thinking of making a spray mixture instead. I'm also struggling to find a solid epoxy sealant to put over it as well to keep it longlasting that doesn't cost > $100.
@@AnimalsatHomePodcast I appreciate the reply. How would you suggest creating a blend with the colors then? Don't want everything to be the same shade, if that makes sense? Also, it looks like you're in Canada, but I added an edit to the comment. What would you suggest for a finishing base? The reason this might seem a little rushed is because I adopted a tokay gecko about two months ago. We've been in the process of taming, and she's an amazing specimen. However, the vivarium she came in is way too small for her, so I have a 2x2x4 coming in this weekend. I'm excited to do the build, but again, as you know, so many different approaches to a single topic. So while I'm less concerned about the design, I'm trying to make sure I'm not bringing in any harmful substances, doing my due diligence.
@@thehollowdavid oh, sorry, I missed the sealant part! However, I won’t be much help there. I haven’t actually used any epoxy or sealant over drylok. Anytime I have sealed wood, I have used a water-based polyurethane, that seems to work fairly well, and is totally safe once cured. SerpaDesign can probably help you out with that one, I’m sure he’s discussed sealants. For different colors, I would just mix up separate batches. That’s pretty much the only way to do it. Typically I mix up three or four different small containers with slightly different shades.
@@AnimalsatHomePodcast No need to apologize whatsoever! The fact you're willing to reply, really appreciate it. From what I can see, I wouldn't ASSUME I need to coat the Drylok with anything else, but that's why I wanted to get a different perspective from someone who clearly knows what they're talking about. I just figure after 3-4 coats, should be fine.
@@thehollowdavid oh, yeah, 3 to 4 coats and you’ll be golden. You can also change the colour of each coat to get more dimension. Natural Herp Keeper, Brads Bioactive Builds and Troy Goldberg are all channels worth checking out if you haven’t found them already!
Crayola washable is definitely kid friendly. But I would just go to Walmart or target and go to the kids art supply section. I think any water-based acrylic paint is totally fine even if it’s not directly marketed towards kids.
Don’t worry too much. You may see some plant die off, but after a few months things will rebound. If there isn’t an animal in it yet, you can try rinsing it off really well with water.
@@AnimalsatHomePodcast- Yes. I put a full stop in work since watching this video. Going to start rinsing today. It's a big 4 x 4 unit, so I'm not quite sure how I'm going to do it. lol How many rinses are enough, i wonder? And, how toxic is this stuff? Going to be an arid enclosure, so, dry and hot.
I think if you can manage 2 to 3 rinses, that should be totally fine. I have never rinsed (because I didn’t know about this until after as well) and I find after 2 to 3 months things look OK. So I imagine if you do a couple thorough rinses beforehand you should be totally fine. I don’t think it’s extremely toxic to the animals (I have noticed any issues, but the fact that the plants die is slightly concerning obviously)
@ardentea perhaps but I seriously doubt it. Most people who use drylok are well aware that “it” harms plants, hence the common recommendation to thoroughly rinse before planting the viv. This video is just clarifies who the true culprit is.
Go check out Greg's IG account here: instagram.com/beneaththecanopyexotics/
Dude i just got everything but the drylock pigments for my tokays new waterfall enclosure and you are a lifesaver... literally. Ive got a small green house tent full of plants in quarantine for my enclosures im re doing and you just saved me so much time and money.
Amazing!! 🙏🏻🙏🏻 good luck with the build!
I'd probably change the title (maybe "Is DryLok killing your plants, or is it something else?") - but very interesting information on the Quickrete being the culprit. I've been having this issue in one of my enclosures and could never figure it out until now.
Thanks for the tip. I was just about to order the concrete tint. Now I’ll use acrylics.
No problem!
I had this same great conversation with Greg! Thanks Greg for testing this!
Yeah, I’m happy he tested this as well! Great seeing you last weekend 👌🏼
Weird, the MSDS for the quickrete concrete colors just lists it as black (or red) iron oxide and water. Maybe there's some kind of surfactant in there that doesnt have to be listed for people but might be bad for plants. Would logically be water soluble (since its being used for iron oxide suspended in water) so that may be why rinsing it off works, and why the powdered kind (that's just the oxide powder) doesnt do it.
That sounds like a pretty dang good theory to me!
I make concrete plant pots. There is something in it that kills plants if I don't condition the pots properly. I found that soaking the pots (after they have set) in water for several days seems to leach out whatever kills the plants.
Very interesting! Thanks for adding this tip to the comments
That’s some really valuable information to have, thank you for sharing!
Thanks for watching the video!
That's awesome! Never even thought of using cnc on foam.
Yeah it’s so cool!
You don’t use foam under your wood sheets?
Thank you for covering this material - great stuff, as always
Glad you enjoyed it!
Really interesting discussion. I’ve had some good success with casting spray polyurethane foam. Quite interesting what you found about the pigments and Drylok. personally, I found this product to hide details quite a bit, so I opted for a finer mortar base that I tinted myself. I quickly ran out of the basic concrete colors, so I defaulted to acrylic colors. In the end, it worked great, and was definitely less expensive.
Awesome, very interesting!
I'm going to make a background for one of my leopard geckos soon and this is a good tip to have. Thanks!
Awesome, thanks for watching!
Well, i just used a full bottle of dye to one gallon of mix. Im going to do a couple more coats over everything with acrylic as my shaders for the laters covsring over it. Wish me luck
If you can do a really thorough rinse once everything is dry you'll probably be okay. If not, you will eventually be fine, you may just see die off initially.
Sorry if i missed it in the video - do you need to seal the non-toxic acrylic paint with anything? Does it matter on the type?
Nope, no need to seal! You can use any acrylic paint you find
So good to know, thanks so much!
What is your guy's opinion on using drylock extreme? I see argument against it, but I also see people saying they've used it. What's the truth?
It's not reptile safe. Only the original. It also says on the site of Drylok that it's not approved for fish ponds.
Yes, people have used it successfully. Will that make it safe..? I don't think so. The thing with toxins is, it can build up over time and slowly poison your animal. Of even yourself, if you sleep in the same room and are immune compromised or something. It can be anything from allergies to rashes, difficulty breathing etc. So why risk it if there is an alternative :) to each their own though. Some people think because it's so slow to have an effect, it's worth the risk. Whatever you do: make sure to be okay with taking the risk :)
Is quikcrete safe to use to build water features/backgrounds in a vivarium?
It’s totally fine to use, just do a really thorough rinse before using it with animals
Interesting, haven't seen this with the Quikrete, but I been using it as a base colour and always use acrylic on top, with very little of the base colour actually visible anymore -- I'm indecisive and that ends up in fairly thick layer of acrylic. I'll skip the Quikrete now.
Thinking of which enclosures I used drylok + Quikrete on, none of them have had frogs in them thankfully.
Being that your from Canada have you been able to find Drylok here ? Or have you used any alternatives ? Thanks !
I’m in Manitoba, and the only place I’ve found it is at home hardware. And for whatever reason home hardware only seems to be in small towns.
@@AnimalsatHomePodcast thanks for the reply. Yeah I noticed it’s hard to find and very expensive. Would you recommend any alternative for Drylok ? I’m using XPS insulation as a background and plan on painting it with acrylic
Yeah, that’s the issue with being in Canada, everything is expensive in the hardware store. But unfortunately, I don’t know of any substitute. However, I think if you find any “masonry sealant” that should work.
So you can mix acrylic paints in with the drylok to give it color?
Yep!
Would the acrylic last in comparison to the quikcrete tho?
Yes, it won’t have any issue lasting!
Is there a certain brand of acrylic paint that is safest for our reptiles? I’ve heard different opinions about acrylic being safe or not and which brands are safe or not etc. etc. I just want to know the truth so I can do it right.
I always just use acrylic paint that is specifically for children
FolkArt is a great and cheap one!! .68 at walmart!!
Okay, let me get this straight. It's not the drylok that's killing the plants, So the regular white drylok is safe for plants?
Yes!
Hey there. Thank you so much for this. Subbed! About to start my first viv build, and it's encouraging to see the Drylok isn't the issue. However, because there are five hundred different opinions on everything:
Does it make more sense to add the tint to the drylok first instead of just applying drylok and then adding acrylic paints? I was thinking of making a spray mixture instead.
I'm also struggling to find a solid epoxy sealant to put over it as well to keep it longlasting that doesn't cost > $100.
Thanks for the sub! Yes, absolutely add the acrylic paint to the drylok first. That’s what I always do!
@@AnimalsatHomePodcast I appreciate the reply. How would you suggest creating a blend with the colors then? Don't want everything to be the same shade, if that makes sense?
Also, it looks like you're in Canada, but I added an edit to the comment. What would you suggest for a finishing base?
The reason this might seem a little rushed is because I adopted a tokay gecko about two months ago. We've been in the process of taming, and she's an amazing specimen. However, the vivarium she came in is way too small for her, so I have a 2x2x4 coming in this weekend. I'm excited to do the build, but again, as you know, so many different approaches to a single topic. So while I'm less concerned about the design, I'm trying to make sure I'm not bringing in any harmful substances, doing my due diligence.
@@thehollowdavid oh, sorry, I missed the sealant part! However, I won’t be much help there. I haven’t actually used any epoxy or sealant over drylok. Anytime I have sealed wood, I have used a water-based polyurethane, that seems to work fairly well, and is totally safe once cured. SerpaDesign can probably help you out with that one, I’m sure he’s discussed sealants.
For different colors, I would just mix up separate batches. That’s pretty much the only way to do it. Typically I mix up three or four different small containers with slightly different shades.
@@AnimalsatHomePodcast No need to apologize whatsoever! The fact you're willing to reply, really appreciate it. From what I can see, I wouldn't ASSUME I need to coat the Drylok with anything else, but that's why I wanted to get a different perspective from someone who clearly knows what they're talking about. I just figure after 3-4 coats, should be fine.
@@thehollowdavid oh, yeah, 3 to 4 coats and you’ll be golden. You can also change the colour of each coat to get more dimension. Natural Herp Keeper, Brads Bioactive Builds and Troy Goldberg are all channels worth checking out if you haven’t found them already!
I have used Drylok for several enclosures with no harm to my animals
Same here, it’s the plants that usually don’t fair well
What machine did he use to make textures on the foam?
Never mind I found it!
@@monsterkajiu1912Care to share friend?
@@nicholasstear4761 I don't have one, I just found out what it was.
i think that's he was asking...what it was, not if you had one...@@monsterkajiu1912
@@CryptidGrimmthat I don't know.
Drylok, Kids Acrylic, polyurethane in that order.
How do you know if its kids acrylic paint? All I could find is like crayola washables.
Crayola washable is definitely kid friendly. But I would just go to Walmart or target and go to the kids art supply section. I think any water-based acrylic paint is totally fine even if it’s not directly marketed towards kids.
@AnimalsatHomePodcast Ok, that helps! Thanks for the quick reply!!
Of course i just used so much quikcrete
What if it's too late?
Don’t worry too much. You may see some plant die off, but after a few months things will rebound. If there isn’t an animal in it yet, you can try rinsing it off really well with water.
@@AnimalsatHomePodcast- Yes. I put a full stop in work since watching this video. Going to start rinsing today. It's a big 4 x 4 unit, so I'm not quite sure how I'm going to do it. lol How many rinses are enough, i wonder? And, how toxic is this stuff? Going to be an arid enclosure, so, dry and hot.
I think if you can manage 2 to 3 rinses, that should be totally fine. I have never rinsed (because I didn’t know about this until after as well) and I find after 2 to 3 months things look OK. So I imagine if you do a couple thorough rinses beforehand you should be totally fine. I don’t think it’s extremely toxic to the animals (I have noticed any issues, but the fact that the plants die is slightly concerning obviously)
@AnimalsatHomePodcast - Thank you very much!
Interesting 🧐
I know right?! Who knew!
What pigments are you talking about? I'm not native English speaker and this is a bit off my vocabulary.
www.homedepot.ca/product/quikrete-liquid-cement-color-charcoal-296ml/1000149547
This is the product that most people use to dye the drylo different shades of color
so just add non toxic kids acrylic paint?
Yep!
My plants seam to be good
And thanks to the clickbait title, everyone will freak out about using Drylok.
if they can't watch an 8 minute video to get the full picture, they probably shouldn't be trusted with it (or reptiles) to begin with
@ardentea perhaps but I seriously doubt it. Most people who use drylok are well aware that “it” harms plants, hence the common recommendation to thoroughly rinse before planting the viv. This video is just clarifies who the true culprit is.