# I wish i could trust wooden vivs



## Big McCann (Sep 19, 2012)

So i really like wooden vivariums and how they sit and stack upon each other. Though my thoughts look to the life span of a wooden vivarium. 

Even with aquarium sealant around the edges inside, yacht varnish the wood all over etc. This would only give the vivarium a couple of extra years? Am i wrong?

Anyone successfully kept a humid enviroment for reptiles in a wooden viv without the viv rotting? 

Just a topic i thought id try to get opinions. If there is any similar threads or exactly the same ones il just delete this one.

Many thanks


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## sharpstrain (May 24, 2008)

it depends on the wood - I make my own vivs and use plywood or osb - if you make them well and seal the edges you shouldnt have a problem. I have also use melamine to make vivs - this I have coated with sticky back plastic before I put it together - this was for a gtp - still going strong after 5 years.


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## Big McCann (Sep 19, 2012)

Wow five years dude. So if per say i coated a vivexotic with yacht varnish and sealed it all up well, would you compare that to the same standard as your own home build you have?


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## Marwolaeth (Oct 29, 2012)

"So if per say i coated a vivexotic with yacht varnish and sealed it all up well"

That would work but instead of yacht varnish (which is toxic) use either pond paint or liquid rubber. If you wanted overkill you could put on a layer of grout between coats


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

I wouldn't really coat a melamine with with anything as you need to prepare MFC before painting as there's nothing to bond it to. If you paint a piece of MFC without preparing it, you can scratch it all off when it's dried.

If you're going to do a humid viv then use plywood or even OSB3 which is marine grade. You can build fishtanks out of plywood as long as you 'paint' it with the right stuff.
Liquid rubber does the trick - but best to do when there's decent weather as you'll need to leave the smelly bastard outside for a while... 
Expoy resin / pond paint and I fancy trying this at some point Liquid Damp Proof Membrane 2.5L - Damp Proof Liquids - Water & Damp Proofing -Building Materials - Wickes as it's an external proofer, cheap, solvent free and odourless. You can also use yacht varnish - it's only toxic in liquid form but not when cured but it stinks for weeks.


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

Alternatively, line it with glass. This is what I do for my humid wooden vivs, and it works a treat  I don't have to worry about scratching the sealant, movement causing cracks or fractures in joints, effects of UV on sealant, etc. May be more expensive in the short term, but in the long term, I have vivs that will outlive me 

Dave


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## vukic (Apr 9, 2010)

my_shed said:


> Alternatively, line it with glass. This is what I do for my humid wooden vivs, and it works a treat  I don't have to worry about scratching the sealant, movement causing cracks or fractures in joints, effects of UV on sealant, etc. May be more expensive in the short term, but in the long term, I have vivs that will outlive me
> 
> Dave


I've been tempted to do this myself but how do you deal with the vents?? 

Tiger

Sent from my LT18i using Tapatalk 2


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

vukic said:


> I've been tempted to do this myself but how do you deal with the vents??
> 
> Tiger
> 
> Sent from my LT18i using Tapatalk 2


Planning :2thumb:

Lol nah, because I build my own vivs there are a number of options open to me, drill holes for 70mm soffit vents, use a large number of smaller drilled vents, leave a rectangle area without glass and put the vents in there, then put small pieces of glass in between. It all depends how confident you are with working with glass, or how understanding your local glazier is. 

Dave


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## Crownan (Jan 6, 2007)

The first thought would be what are you keeping in them. My melamine vivs which are very humid (BRBs, ATBs, Blood) are now between 5 and 6 years old and yes they are blown and not in perfect condition. They'll need replacing relatively soon. I believe the majority of damage is done when the sealent begins to deteriorate and then the moisture starts to wick into the wood. However I have started lining the bottoms of the vivs with cheap decorators plastic sheeting, which can just be binned and renewed when cleaning out. Protects the vivs and makes cleaning out a breeze! 

If you're just going to keep corns or royals or something relatively dry then you're looking at easily 10 years. I've got a 10 year old viv with a Royal thats been in it its entire life.


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## Big McCann (Sep 19, 2012)

Id love to get into royals but as ive said since ive joined the forums living with my mum and dad.... They tell me no. They are all basicslly afraid of snakes like plus they say they dont like the mice in the freezer you see too and yes ive told them they will not harm the food but they never listen.

Anyways, i keep humid geckos and in the future branch intk crestys and leachies alot more. So wooden vivs were a choice due to their stackability and look. But theres not alot of protection as said from humidity. Although lining them with glas is a pretty good idea, venting as mentioned would be a pain. As with the likes of the vivexotics and their vents.

If i did look into getting someone to cut me some glass is or would it be possible to show them the piece of wood with the vents and then ask them to cut glass to fit around that? Id say they would look at it and think hell no


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

use square vents. Then instead of getting one big piece of glass, get a couple so they jigsaw around the vents


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## acromyrmexbob (Oct 3, 2010)

> Meko;
> You can build fishtanks out of plywood as long as you 'paint' it with the right stuff.


I think they use glass so they can see the fish in the tank. I don't think this will catch on. :no1:


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## Meefloaf (Mar 24, 2013)

acromyrmexbob said:


> I think they use glass so they can see the fish in the tank. I don't think this will catch on. :no1:


is this your new exhibit for seaworld ?


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

Big McCann said:


> Id love to get into royals but as ive said since ive joined the forums living with my mum and dad.... They tell me no. They are all basicslly afraid of snakes like plus they say they dont like the mice in the freezer you see too and yes ive told them they will not harm the food but they never listen.
> 
> Anyways, i keep humid geckos and in the future branch intk crestys and leachies alot more. So wooden vivs were a choice due to their stackability and look. But theres not alot of protection as said from humidity. Although lining them with glas is a pretty good idea, venting as mentioned would be a pain. As with the likes of the vivexotics and their vents.
> 
> If i did look into getting someone to cut me some glass is or would it be possible to show them the piece of wood with the vents and then ask them to cut glass to fit around that? Id say they would look at it and think hell no


Some glaziers are more understanding than others, my supplier will give just about anything a try  

but this



Meko said:


> use square vents. Then instead of getting one big piece of glass, get a couple so they jigsaw around the vents



is the easier option. You can just take the plastic vent inserts out of your viv, "jigsaw" glass rectangles around them, then silicone some louvre vents on the inside of the glass. Job done.

Dave


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## acromyrmexbob (Oct 3, 2010)

Meefloaf said:


> is this your new exhibit for seaworld ?
> 
> image


Yes, it works well until you open the door to feed them.......:gasp:


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## Meefloaf (Mar 24, 2013)

"COME QUICK !!! we've got a problem, shamu's got a splinter!"


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

acromyrmexbob said:


> I think they use glass so they can see the fish in the tank. I don't think this will catch on. :no1:


:bash: glass!! that's where I went wrong. i wondered how they kept the water from falling out.


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## bob brown (Mar 15, 2010)

I have been looking into lining a wooden viv with polycarbonate, i know i can cut that quite simply, drill it etc, its cheep - ish! and light.......what am i missing here...........

you can even get it cut to order on line and posted out to you, i thought if it was fixted to the wood and covered with a back ground to hide it it would look fine, any one know if gorilla glu works on this stuff?.


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## mitsi (Feb 1, 2012)

always used osb, oldest viv is 9 yrs old and going strong with no problems at all.


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

bob brown said:


> I have been looking into lining a wooden viv with polycarbonate, i know i can cut that quite simply, drill it etc, its cheep - ish! and light.......what am i missing here...........
> 
> you can even get it cut to order on line and posted out to you, i thought if it was fixted to the wood and covered with a back ground to hide it it would look fine, any one know if gorilla glu works on this stuff?.


People use polycarbonate, I'm unsure as to what adhesive to use to join it though, I don't know how well silicone bonds to it. My other concern with using polycarbonate (especially the regular industrial stuff you can buy, as opposed to food safe polycarbonate) is that it has been shown to release chemicals that, over time, can affect some animals, in particular amphibians.

Dave


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## acromyrmexbob (Oct 3, 2010)

I know silicone does not stick to it. Best use a proprietary glue. 
I use polypropylene which, I think, does not release chemicals. I've been chewing it for years and, apart from a twitch and some bald patches, I'm completely compl....etly etly y y y fffine. :eek4:


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## bob brown (Mar 15, 2010)

my_shed said:


> People use polycarbonate, I'm unsure as to what adhesive to use to join it though, I don't know how well silicone bonds to it. My other concern with using polycarbonate (especially the regular industrial stuff you can buy, as opposed to food safe polycarbonate) is that it has been shown to release chemicals that, over time, can affect some animals, in particular amphibians.
> 
> Dave


Thanks Dave i didnt know that, i will give it a miss just in case, thought it was too good to be true.


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

acromyrmexbob said:


> I know silicone does not stick to it. Best use a proprietary glue.
> I use polypropylene which, I think, does not release chemicals. I've been chewing it for years and, apart from a twitch and some bald patches, I'm completely compl....etly etly y y y fffine. :eek4:


Fine huh? Tried breeding with any amphibians recently?? :lol2:


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## Meefloaf (Mar 24, 2013)

I eat a ton of it at work, look up and a chunk of fluff comes down, BAM! Straight in the mouth, damn carpets


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