vivarium construction supplies

[BadKat]

Hey guys. Is there anything specific to look for when buying the grout? I bought some Keracolor U unsanded grout with polymer. My concern is that it has "BioBlock" antimicrobial protection.
Thanks

[coastal20]

Hey guys. Is there anything specific to look for when buying the grout? I bought some Keracolor U unsanded grout with polymer. My concern is that it has "BioBlock" antimicrobial protection.
Thanks

Keracolor U / Grouts / Setting Materials / Ceramic

5th bullet down it shows that it contains the bioblock.

[BadKat]

Keracolor U / Grouts / Setting Materials / Ceramic

5th bullet down it shows that it contains the bioblock.

I guess I should have been more specific. I know that it contains bioblock, but will that cause problems in the viv?
I know that antibacterial materials would cause problems, I just don't know about antimicrobial.

[deranged chipmunk]

i wouldn't use it. it would be the same as using tile and bath silicone. even though we use the term "antibacterial" kind of generically, antimicrobial is more like it. mold, and fungii aren't bacteria, but they kind of got lumped into the "antibacterial" labeling trend that is popular today

[BadKat]

I was afraid of that.
I'm about sick of antibacterial bull honky. Too many good bacteria get killed with the bad.
Do you happen to know of a brand of grout that I should be looking for? (Lazy Kat's are lazy)

[deranged chipmunk]

i'm just posting this for the brand, not the color. unless, of course, you WANT snow white grout.....LOL
Snow White 10 lb. Non-Sanded Grout-PBG1110 at The Home Depot

[BadKat]

Why thank you sir!
I'll go look for the color I need, but if I ever design a tank for seven dwarf frogs the Snow White grout will be perfect.

[deranged chipmunk]

thought i would give this a bumpity bump

[elery]

CANNA CLAY PEBBLES HYDROTON
are what i,m going to use, i found it so so hard to find any here,. even online it was hard because they charge so much for shipping.

id love to know what people are using for their plants on top i have the coco pelt which i put my plants in after i washed them and all their soil off, but im not sure they can grow in just this?? what ar mothers doing.

also people who have a dam in a naturalistic one, how do they go with the water off the top plants seeping to the hydration layer and the dam. does it make the dam bad?

[deranged chipmunk]

CANNA CLAY PEBBLES HYDROTON
are what i,m going to use, i found it so so hard to find any here,. even online it was hard because they charge so much for shipping.

id love to know what people are using for their plants on top i have the coco pelt which i put my plants in after i washed them and all their soil off, but im not sure they can grow in just this?? what ar mothers doing.

also people who have a dam in a naturalistic one, how do they go with the water off the top plants seeping to the hydration layer and the dam. does it make the dam bad?

that will work fine if you are doing a hydroton drainage layer. plants need a bit more nutrition than coco fiber can offer, which is none. you can mix some peat moss in with the coco fiber for a bit more nutritional value. personally, i use a soiless mix that is used for hydroponics growing. i can't make any product recommendations though, because i have no idea what products are available to you in your country.

and to answer your last question, i am not sure i understand it correctly. could you rephrase it maybe?

[J Teezy]

the recycled glass product being talked about is growstones. I use them in the bottom of my tank.

Also using the epiweb branches from folius with moss mix growing on it. It's starting to look nice

[Mentat]

...also people who have a dam in a naturalistic one, how do they go with the water off the top plants seeping to the hydration layer and the dam. does it make the dam bad?

I'm going and try to guess what's been asked here, so forgive me if wrong. Water from misting, etc. might be absorbed by plants and/or evaporated, so it does not raise the water table (level) above your dead space (some water in there is OK).

In the case it does; that's when a "drain" tube accessing the bottom from above or a pre-drilled bottom access hole with associated bulkhead and plumbing becomes useful to drain the excess water out of vivarium. At no time should water level go over the dead space and reach the soil. Good luck !

[Andrew exotics]

Hey with the tree fern panels will they actually grow out mosses and such?Also can you cut them down to size or will they kinda just crumble?Ive been debating on a foam backround or this?