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waterproofing wood??

manakawari Jun 23, 2005 02:57 PM

today i found an old glass dislay case of some sort that was on the side of the road with a free sign next to it.of course i took it and it really looks great.may work for what i need.its of nice size and is tall,exactly what i was looking for in my vivarium.the only problem is,it has a wooden floor.it has 4 glass walls and a glass top,but the floor is wooden.is there any way that you guys think i could waterproof the floor and silicon the edges so it can hold water?i dont need it to hold a lot of water,i just want a small shallow pond in the corner.another concern is that the ceiling is also glass.i would need full spectrum lighting in order to grow the plants.could tube lighting be placed on the outside of the glass,or would the glass filter out all the uv?if so what do you reccomend i do with the glass?remove it and replace it with screen? i dont want to use screen because ill loose a lot of humidity.

Replies (4)

chris_harper2 Jun 23, 2005 03:55 PM

Hi, if you could include spaces between some of your sentences, especially after questions, it would be a lot easier to respond to your posts.

Not picking on you, just pointing out the same thing that was pointed out to me many years ago.

Thanks.

>>is there any way that you guys think i could waterproof the floor and silicon the edges so it can hold water?

You could laminate a piece of plastic onto the cage floor, or paint it with epoxy. I would go with the plastic. Take care and it will likely hold water.

>>could tube lighting be placed on the outside of the glass,or would the glass filter out all the uv?

The glass would filter out the UV for the most part. Put the light fixture inside of the terrarium.

You only need to add a small amount of ventilation. I'd have to see a picture of the case to say how to do that.

Chris

-----
Current snakes:

1.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

2.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

4.3 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

manakawari Jun 23, 2005 04:11 PM

ha..one more thing right!..im sure im gonna be bothering you guys for the next month till this moster is done.anyway,ok sounds like a good idea with the plasic,im gonna use plexiglass cause i already have a bunch of that laying around.my next question is, lets say i do get this thing to hold water, id like to add a light/lights under the pond.you know how pools are lit at night?. i imagine a nice display where at night,when the lights are dim,i can have the water lit from underwater.think it may look great.maybe not very natural but id still like to do it. any idea where i can get water proof lighting? i wouldnt need a big bulb,id only be lighting maybe a half gallon of water. oh and your concern about ventilation,well i was going to rig up a small computer fan or two.i figure that would do the job. you say i should install the florecent tubes on the inside of the glass? couldnt the humidity/water cause a problem? i was going to install an auto mist and fogger to simulate rain. could these bulbs/fixtures get wet?

chris_harper2 Jun 23, 2005 04:18 PM

I'm not really sure how to go about that. I think it's time for a thorough google search.

For lights on the ceiling of the cage (to stimulate plant growth) they may rust a bit, just like with fish tanks, but should be fine for several years.

With lighting the water like you mentioned, I'm just not sure.

Look forward to seeing this. Keep us posted.
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Current snakes:

1.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

2.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

4.3 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

Sliver Jun 24, 2005 01:22 PM

They make underwater lights suitable for aquariums. Most major pet stores (PetCo, PetSmart, etc.) carry them, or you can look through their online sites.

They even come in different colors or as "lasers"

http://www.petco.com/Productlisting.asp?tab=3&c1=1038&ct1=Décor&c2=1043&ct2=Laser Systems&Dept_ID=1043
http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCTprd_id=845524441779062&FOLDERfolder_id=2534374302031301&ASSORTMENTast_id=2534374302023693&bmUID=1119637255238

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