Reptile & Amphibian Forums

On my new CWD cage I used 1/2" Hardi Backer for the walls & floor. This is a ceramic tile backer that has a smooth side and is very resistant to humidity. It comes in 3' x 5' sheets. Painted with a nontoxic paint it looks good. So far no problems. If any issues come up I will post here but it looks easier to clean and more durable than plywood.

While its a superbly tough material i would be cautious in using it and make that it is completely seald all over . The ingriedients of conrete has lime and other caustic compounds in it , if you have ever messed with concrete you would know it can irratate the skin so i would make sure its very well sealed if wet it could leak these caustic compounds into the cage which coul harm the cage inhabitant just something to beware of . might even be worth looking on hardibacker site for a MSDS sheet onit
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Wet concrete is very irritating. This enclosure was painted and sealed with silicone. Green concrete raises the pH of water standing on it, which is why you treat a concrete fish pond with acid to prepare it for fish. The main hazard of any cement based board is inhalation of the dust. Sealed this should not be a problem. I will test the pH rise as a measure how irritating the board might be unsealed.

I made a concrete background for a fish tank with quikrete mason mix and acrylic fortifier. thats it. After curing outside really well, put it in the tank and let it cycle with LOTS of salt in the water for about 2 weeks. When i first put the water in the tank the PH jumped to almost 9.0. After the two weeks of cycling the water was down to 7.6
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Nick and Drayko