# Silicone and reptiles



## madhandstylez (Mar 28, 2010)

Hi guys im planing on making a background for my corn snakes viv. Was going to coat it with brown silicone and Eco earth. Is any type of general purpose silicone okay to use or will it have to be aquarium grade (bearing in mind that the enclosure will not be subject to a high humidity level)? I'm more concerned about the safety of the snake!

Cheers again!


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## brysaa2 (Oct 11, 2009)

no expert on the matter but pretty sure its gonna have to be aquarium safe, or as long as you are sure its not the mould proof one. I was told that the silicone that's vinegar based is the one you want, acetic I believe. dartfrog.co.uk sells on on there which doesn't state aquarium safe but is acetic based and i used that a year ago in frog viv and had no problems.

hope that helps


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## madhandstylez (Mar 28, 2010)

Nice one - cheers for the shout. What's up with the mould proof one mate? I have some mould proof stuff here already - is it a no go? Cheers.


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## brysaa2 (Oct 11, 2009)

yeah the extra additive in it is a chemical to prevent mould - no go with reps/phibs fraid mate.


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## volly (Mar 6, 2009)

it doesn't have to be aquarium silicone - just make sure it's NOT an anti-fungal silicone.

For the past 2 + 1/2 years, i have used trade strength low-modulous silicone on my own vivs and every viv i have made for my customers.

it's fine so long as you give it enough time to dry/set properly and there are no fumes from it ( i recommend 72 hours but it's usually ok after 48 )

in my opinion, aquarium sealant is a complete rip off - £8.00 for a tiny tube compared to £1.00 that i pay for a large, trade size tube.

good luck either way but don't forget - just because a product has a picture of a fish, lizard or snake on it, doesn't make it anymore suitable for the intended purpouse than anything else.
all my heat lamp bulbs / spot lamps come from Asda for £1.00 per pack of 4 - they are the same reflector bulbs that pet shops charge £6.99 for just because the box has a picture of an animal on it.

best regards,
volly


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## brysaa2 (Oct 11, 2009)

any of those should be fine 

low modulus silicone | eBay


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## G.Moore (Oct 17, 2009)

ermm... I just stumbled upon this thread, a few days after sealing my new 5x5 viv with heat and mould proof bathroom sealant >.<

Based on what you said Im guessing this isnt going to be safe so what can I do... could i paint over the silicone with yacht varnish or something or will i need to cut it all out?

taa


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## nunny (Jun 12, 2011)

am no expert but dont think it will stick to it(yacht varnish),i know paint dosnt budy..their might be something you could coat it in out their,what about trying to re seal with non mould over the 1st stuff,try get a thin line over top.


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## sambridge15 (Nov 22, 2009)

silicone isnt that pricy i use aquariumgrade 6£ish from dartfrog.co.uk but then phibs are alot lot more delicate than lizards and snakes.

id also rather have the peace of mind than a few extra pennies :lol2:


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## G.Moore (Oct 17, 2009)

I agree, especially with such an expensive animal as will be going in my viv. Ive ordered some safe silicone and am off to the shops to buy a craft knife!


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## G.Moore (Oct 17, 2009)

ok so im struggling to type this as my fingers are in pieces after removing as much of the silicone as I could!

Of course there is some residue, but Ive done all I can. The moldus stuff suggested arrived just now in the mail as well. So Ill seal all the edges again with it.

thanks for the advice all


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