Sealing wood in a vivarium

bwoodfield · #1 06-24-2011, 11:29 AM

I'm designing a ~24g upright viv that is going to be made out of oak. In my design I am putting plastic on the bottom and top which will help with any possible moisture issues and allow for moist substrate, but on the sides I am looking at having the glass inset into the oak. I am looking at sealing the wood with silicone but I'm wondering what type of silicone would be best for this? When building my leopard gecko viv I used clear 100% silicone (not the GE silicone II that contains other stuff) but it stated that it can't be used anywhere that will be underwater. Should I be looking at a silicone that specifically states that it's safe for aquariums or would any 100% silicone be ok?

Sporonicle · #2 06-24-2011, 12:05 PM

Well, you can use regular silicone, just as long as you make sure it really dries out. Another option i found out about is truck bed liner like the rhino skin stuff. Once it dries out it will be harmless to your gecko as it is meant to take abuse and not come off the surface it is on and also it is water proof.

bwoodfield · #3 06-24-2011, 12:48 PM

What format does it come in; roll/paint on or spray on? Paint on would be great because the wood areas will be thinner and I don't want to be spraying onto the glass.

Sporonicle · #4 06-24-2011, 01:28 PM

Im pretty sure it comes mostly in roll on but if you were to get it read the label to see if it is roll on.

bwoodfield · #5 06-24-2011, 02:41 PM

I'll check out Princess Auto and Canadian Tire this weekend and see if they have any there.

**Riverside Reptiles** · #6 06-24-2011, 02:45 PM

It depends on the brand of truck bed liner. Some can be sprayed, others can be rolled, some can be both sprayed or rolled. If you want to spray, you can just tape off the glass just like you would do if you were painting a car or spraying inside a house with windows.

gsuherp · #7 08-01-2011, 06:52 AM

Another similar option to the truck bed liner is epoxy garage flooring. It acts the same as the bed liner, cheaper, and is painted on. I have used this in a wood cage I made to house Weber sailfin dragons, and it has worked now for a few years no problem. There are some other epoxy pond sealants that I have seen dart frog people use as well.