vivarium construction supplies

[deranged chipmunk]

since i get lots of questions about building vivs, and it's mostly about materials, i though i would start a thread dedicated to just the materials we all use for building our creations. this is an open thread, so if i miss something, please feel free to add. also, if you have any questions about the materials themselves, please feel free to ask. remember, this is for materials only. please do not post any questions about construction techniques, soils/substrates, or equipment. thanks

ok, let's start from the bottom up. there are many ways to build the ground floor of the enclosure, the two most common are a false bottom and a hydroton layered substrate base, or as i like to call it, the basic dart from set up. now, for a false bottom, you will need "egg crate". this is commonly sold by Lowe's and Home Depot (H.D.) as light diffusing grid or something to that effect. it is just a sheet of plastic that is cut out in a square grid form. they also have chrome plated, but that's just a waste of money. the square holes are about 3/4", so that way you don't confuse it with other stuff they have. you'll also need to support the egg crate. you can either use more egg crate, positioned vertically, or pvc pipe. if you use pvc pipe, i recommend going with a much larger diameter pipe than you think you will need. i see so many vivs done with 1/2" pipe, because it is cheap, when 2" or 3" pipe should have been used. everything going on top of the egg crate is surprisingly heavy, and without a very sturdy base, your false bottom will sag, creating a bog, which promotes the growth of nasty bacteria. you can use an adhesive to attach the egg crate to the pvc or you can use zip ties, your choice.

the other common method of building a base is the hydroton layer. for that you would need hydroton, or clay balls. these are small little baked clay balls that are used as a drainage layer. petsmart sells the zoomed version called hydroballs. you can also find them at any hydroponics store under the name hydroton. Note: this is not to be confused with the growing material hygrolon. alternatively, you can use gravel, larger pebbles, such as pond pebbles, lava rock, you name it.

both of these need to be covered with something so that the water can get through, but your substrate cannot. for this job, you can use landscaping fabric, fiberglass window screening (no metal screen), mosquito netting, and a few others i can't think of off the top of my head. some items work for some people, and some don't. you will need to do trial and error on your setup.

on to background materials. choices, choices, choices. there is great stuff expanding foam. don't over think this one. i know there are many brands and different versions of this stuff, but do yourself a favor, save the headache and just use the regular stuff. there are pond foams out there, and they are perfectly safe to use, but cost about 5x the price. they are handy however, if you do not want to cover the foam, since it is black. and just an fyi, i get my great stuff at walmart for $3/12 oz can. it's worth mentioning that great stuff is a polyurethane based expanding foam, and once it cures completely (could take up to 4 days) it is 100% safe for animals.

clay: i have never used this type of background in an enclosure before, but i have experimented with it. it is loosely based off of kitty litter. yes, i did say kitty litter. that is good, old fashioned, no dyes, no perfumes, no baking soda, nothing. walmart sells it for about $3 for a 25 lb bag. a clay background can be a pain because it need to be constantly moist. all of it, not just sections, all of it. careful planning needs to be done prior to building to assure it can be done. and btw, did you know that the same kitty litter makes an awesome substrate for your fish tank ?

styrofoam: versatile stuff, that styrofoam. you can use any of the styrofoams, the pink insulation material from home depot, the old fashioned compressed white ball kind, even that crazy crunchy kind. just remember that styro reacts differently to different chemicals and adhesives. so test on small pieces first.

tree fern panels: yup, those rectangles you see in the reptile section made by exoterra. there are also other companies that sell it online. you can just use silicone to adhere them directly to the glass, crush them up and sprinkle though out, whatever. epiphytes love growing on the stuff, especially when used in conjunction with a drip wall.

hygrolon and ecoweb: these are porous materials that plant roots are able to permeate and grow on. i have 0 experience with this, so maybe someone can chime in here.

cork bark: these look like a piece of tree bark that was ripped off the tree because, well, that's what they are.

adhesives (glues and such): one of the most commonly asked question is about what silicone is safe? simple answer: any silicone that is 100% silicone with absolutely 0 mold and mildew inhibitors. GE Silicone II and II are both safe, dap makes a version and so do a few others, but it needs to be 100% silicone. i will say that again 100% silicone. you can also use the following safely: 2 part epoxies, marine epoxy, aquarium sealant and that coral putty. also, you can use titebond III wood glue. yes, it is safe, and 100% waterproof. but only version 3 is. it has the green label. this is handy for covering backgrounds as well as sealing stuff. a quick note, when it comes to adhesives, try to keep in mind that clear silicone dries with a dull haze and titebond dries yellow. this bit can hinder or help you. some epoxies dry clear and some dry yellow as well. also a word about silicone. silicone is an amazing thing, it will adhere to darned near anything EXCEPT previously cured silicone, please keep this in mind if you are using it to cover your background. once it dries, a second coat CANNOT be applied.

materials to cover your background or "color" it: coco fiber is the gold standard here. you can also use peat moss, tree fern fiber, and a couple others. stand alone coverings that can be used are non-sanded grout, concrete, mortar, and drylok waterproofing paint.

driftwood: you can use manzanita, mopani, oak, cork bark tubes, basically, any dense hardwoods. no "green" woods. they will just start to rot from the humidity and cause major problems. so no running out to the pin oak in the yard and cutting a branch off. it needs to be 100% dry and needs to be "sterilized" before using.

rocks: you can use basically any rock you find, but be cautious of limestones. they can make your water very hard and alkaline. this leads to dishwasher spots on your glass and since a lot of plants prefer an acidic soil, bad for plants as well.

if i missed anything, i'm sure another member will add to this list. in fact i think i can guarantee it. obviously i don't know everything, but as a collective group here, we have most of the bases covered

any questions feel free to ask.

[flybyferns]

Could you please repeat that? Sorry, I could not resist that !

Bill - this is a tremendous amount of information! Super !
Lynn

[deranged chipmunk]

thanks Lynn. now you have a quickie link to use for this stuff....LOL

[coastal20]

Great post Bill, I am using the ecoweb for my orchids and the roots have just started to penetrate the back side. With ecoweb you really need a misting system and high humidity to keep the water droplets on the mesh. They are doing great and both of them have new leafs growing. Hygrolon I just purchased yesterday and will have it in my hands by Friday, I will post my initial thoughts and post a more in depth review after a month or so, I have two new orchids arriving soon that I plan on using the hygrolon with.

[deranged chipmunk]

Chase, thank you and please keep us up to date on the use of both, especially the hygrolon. i have some ideas for that stuff, depending on how it works out.

[UncleChester]

Great idea Bill. You've been pretty thorough but I'll add a few things

"Hydroton" is a brand name and if the store doesn't know what you're talking about try asking for LECA (lightweight expanded clay aggregate), or 'little clay balls', or 'balls of clay'. If you still get funny looks, leave the store and try someplace else.

A couple other Backgrounds:

Cement: Quikrete "Quick Set Cement" mixed with Acrylic Fortifier and tinted with concrete pigments over carved styrofoam makes an indestructible background. Non-toxic acrylic craft paint also works to tint the cement as you're mixing it, but isn't supposed to be as colour fast (3 years and running with no problems in one of my vivariums though). This needs time to cure, especially if it's involved in a water feature as cement will raise the pH. Materials at any hardware store come in relatively large quantities making this very economical in the long run. Tile grout is another related option that I've never tried.

Bare Glass with Exterior Paint: 'Reverse paint' on the outside of the vivarium using Craft Paint made for painting glass. Makes for an extremely easy to clean interior.


Excellent article about suitable choices for wood and how to prepare it for the vivarium Caudata Culture Articles - Wood in Vivaria
.
Shelf Mushrooms: Great to silicone to the glass for ledges. Best to collect ones that turn hard and woody. Can be boiled and baked like the wood above.

Safe and Cheap Silicone for the Canucks: Home Hardware - 3 Pack 300mL Multi-purpose Clear Silicone II Sealant

Plastic Zip Ties: Smaller versions of the kinds the riot police use for impromptu handcuffs. Any hardware store has them. Mentioned by Bill with regards to building a false bottom but since they are immediately frog safe (unlike glue/silicone) they're also great for instant impromptu repairs inside an already running vivarium, or adding branches, tying back plants, or handcuffing a misbehaving frog.

[lucidremedy]

Is there something I can seal a great foam background aside from silicone? I hate messing with silicone it's such a pain lol. Also, I plan on doing a half land half water enclosure, and want to make sure I 100% seal it so the great foam that will be under water won't grow mold/absorb the water.

[deranged chipmunk]

it's in post #1 titebond iii wood glue. great stuff doesn't need to be sealed. it is polyurethane foam. the same stuff they make modern life jackets out of. also, mold will not grow under water.

[lucidremedy]

Ah, ok must've missed it. Someone told me that fungus/mold/ect would grow on great stuff if it wasn't sealed with silicone.

[deranged chipmunk]

molds will normally only grow on porous surfaces that stay moist, if given the proper conditions. it WILL grow on wood in a new setup, but it is a white fungus that goes away on it's own in several weeks. polyurethane may have air pockets in it which show after it is carved, but it is still water proof. if that person is growing mold in their tank other than the cute, white, fluffy stuff, then they have other issues in the enclosure that should be dealt with. submerged "mold" would be a form of algae. some can't be helped, some can.

[lucidremedy]

Okay cool that's great to hear! Should've come here and asked first! Thank you (:. I'm new to vivariums, I made a small 29 gallon viv without a background or anything. Just kind of basic but I want to try this. Thank you!

[lucidremedy]

Sorry for all the amateur questions. But, if I decide to use titebond III wood glue, do you think mixing in non-toxic acrylic paint would work so it will cure an alternative color? Like brown or black? And I read somewhere that someone mixes cocofiber together with the titebond and paints it onto the background instead of doing the standard way as you would with silicone. Do you have an opinion on what would work better?

[deranged chipmunk]

i'm sure you could tint it with acrylic paint. i mix my titebond with cocofiber and then sprinkle more on the last coat while it is still wet. just to give it that "fluffy" look.

[The Fluffy Injun]

Sorry for all the amateur questions. But, if I decide to use titebond III wood glue, do you think mixing in non-toxic acrylic paint would work so it will cure an alternative color? Like brown or black? And I read somewhere that someone mixes cocofiber together with the titebond and paints it onto the background instead of doing the standard way as you would with silicone. Do you have an opinion on what would work better?

I used acrylic paint and titebond to make a waterfall, so it looks like rocks. I've no problem except for a bit of fading from my lights but it still works excellent. I do have both and it takes time and patience because you will have to keep applying the titebond/paint mixture until you get the color right (I did 3 or 4 coats, can't really remember). Happy building!

[Heatheranne]

[deranged chipmunk]

They will crumble as you try to cut them. I have never had anything spontaneously grow from my tree fern panels.

[DiggenEm]

I cut tree fern panels with a rotary tool and it worked pretty well.

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