Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,

I created a background using plastic egg crate and expandable foam for my 29 gallon tiger salamander aquarium. I used brown and grey spray paint and put several coats of polyurethane over the entire project. It looks awesome and took a lot of time...but in my research did not spend enough time thinking about paint (even after it dries) and toxicity and got caught up in the project itself. Is there a clear coat that I could use to make it safe...or should I scratch the project and start over?

I would search fish forums on this subject.. fish are very sensitive.

Your best bet is always water-based paints, then a clear coating that dries or cures non-toxic. Much more peace-of-mind.

Alot of folks paint the foam with a thin mixture of grout and water, a few coats to seal the foam. Then they paint with water-based paints to give the desired look. Then they seal it all with a Mod-Podge-type sealer, which dries non-toxic. However, these are for backgrounds that are not continuously exposed to moisture, like for snake and leopard gecko cages.

The Mod-Podge stuff is great. There are a few varieties, one of which is an outdoor-rated coating. I have used it to cover some wood furniture in a snake cage. Completely non-toxic, handles occasional cleaning, but not for constant moisture contact.

Youtube has examples of backgrounds and materials used.

Amazon sells a background that is thin, strong and seems to work great even in aquariums. It can be cut as well.