What silicone/paint would be safe for frogs?

[rosaphile]

As part of our terrarium setup I want to include a small PVC pipe extending up through the substrate, for siphoning off water from the false bottom. I want to color it in some way so that it will be unobtrusive, but I want to be sure I use a material to color it that will be safe for the frogs. Is it safe to use a spray paint such as Krylon Fusion, or should I coat it with a dark-colored silicone instead?

[MikeM670]

You can use a acrylic paint or silicone for covering the pipe. If you silicone it just cover the wet silicone with peat or coco fiber to really help it blend in.

[rosaphile]

Ahhh! Excellent idea, I will do the silicone/coco fiber thing. I've seen folks do that for their backgrounds and such but I didn't make the connection here. Thanks!

[DonLisk]

Make sure you have something to cover the top of the PVC so your crickets don't find themselves down in the drainage layer :-)
I uses a small piece of aquarium siphon hose with an adapter to connect another hose to for draining. I just cover it with a stone when not in use.

[Badger]

The paint question is a question for sludgemonkey, That's his strong suit. I use GE Silicone II, GE Silicone I is also usable, it's rumored to be safer. There is a huge controversy over which one to use or which is safer. Silcone II came in more colors, so I used that.

[rosaphile]

Tee hee! That would be so gross. Crickets drowning underneath the egg crate... blech. I was just thinking of getting a PVC cap. My thought was to use 1/2" PVC pipe, then on top of that a 3/4" PVC cap so that it fits just loosely enough to give me access when needed. If it's too loose I could always put a thin film of silicone on the inside of the cap to reduce the size just a hair.

Good to know about the types of silicone, Dalton. I thought I had read something to that effect but I couldn't find it again. Maybe I will try starting with the GE Silicone I and see if the eco earth gives good enough coverage so that the color of the silicone doesn't matter, on such a small area. PVC pipe is so cheap, I'm sure I can experiment a bit to see what I like best.

Can you all tell I am totally geeking out about making a frog habitat?? I'm trying really hard not to start planning another one already before I even do the first one...