Great Stuff? GE Silicone? Alternatives???

[mhbird]

Just starting my new terrarium (for a Crested Gecko) in a 45x45x60cm Exo Terra. I haven't began construction but have been gathering all the stuff I need to begin. So far I have...

Large cork curl
Large sand-blasted Grape vine
Egg crate for false bottom
Filter Mesh
Coco fibre
Sphagnum Moss
Water pump
Heat mat

All I need now ..i think.. is silicone and foam. The thing is here (UK) I cant seem to find 'GE 100%' silicone or 'Great Stuff' expanding foam anywhere. What can I use instead?

I have black and brown silicone for windows and doors. It doesnt have any mould repelant in it... With this do? I have 3 weeks to let it air out. As for the foam, since I'll be sealing it totally with silicone, surely any foam will do?

Thanks for your time
Mark

[froggsong]

I'm not sure about the silicone, although since many many people actually use type II with no problem, even one with a mold inhibitor should be fine (though I could be wrong). I have read that you should not use DAP brand at all though they person did not elaborate as to why it should not be used. I think as long as it isn't letting out fumes and the crestie isn't trying to lick/eat it, it should be fine (again, I could be wrong). You are using the silicone to glue stuff down right? If it is covered it should probably be fine...

lol, I just read over this, and I am unsure whether I should even post it since I am saying yes it is fine (but I could be wrong) ever sentence... I hope I was helpful, although I'm sure I wasn't...

[mhbird]

Thanks for the reply, seems like nobodies entirely sure on this matter. I signed up and asked in a new thread because I've read just about every thread on the subject I can find and I'm none the wiser! Haha.

I bought 2 regular 'windows and doors' silicone tubes yesterday for like £4 each ($8+) then caved in and shelled out £10 ($20+) for a tube of aquarium building silicone.

I'm not sure which I'll use... I could take back either and get my money back, I think I'll use the aquarium stuff UNLESS I'll need more than one tube?

I'm going to use it to coat the rear wall and part of the side walls (18x24inch) then foam over it, then coat the foam. Will one tube be enough?

[Waterkeeper]

the silicone is a little debated. I read posts on many forums from many people who have used the type II without problems. I have used the type II but i haven't put any animals into it yet.
Any silicone that says it's good for "food prep" will work as well.

[froggsong]

You put up the measure of your tank in cm, right? In that case, (since I'm too lazt atm to find out, lol) I'm not sure exactly how big it is. If you have seen my build log, I personally have already gone through 5? maybe 6? tubes of silicone. Now keep in mind (if you have read or are going to) that I also coated the entire inside surface of the tank with silicone to waterproof the wood, but I think I actually used less doing that than I did coating the background to press the peat moss into it. I also used GS to make "frog landings" which I also had to coat with silicone. I also had to install plexi, but most of it that I have used has been on the background. Most people say that when using clear silicone (I assume the aquarium silicone is clear), as it cures it will turn cloudy and show through if you miss any spots. The reason they use black is so that you can tell better where you are spreading it and if the peat/coco fiber/whatever falls off or you miss a spot, it doesn't show up as bad. Also, the black would look much better between the foam and the glass from the outside. Another thing, and you can weigh this with what else you have read, IMO the foam sticks better to glass than to the silicone. Some of the places that I used it in the wooden part of my tank actually peeled right off, with little effort. I think I have read people saying that it sticks better to silicone than to glass, but I can put alot of force on the landings I have in the glass part and they don't budge at all. This is just in my experience. This is the only time I have used it, so maybe I did something wrong. I think the regular silicone you bought will probably do just fine. I also think if you start out using the more expensive stuff you are either going to end up using the other stuff anyway or having to buy some more of the aquarium one. If you do use the regular stuff, just give it PLENTY of time to cure. I feel like I should add a disclaimer at the bottom of my post though... eep!

[Waterkeeper]

expanding foam (of some brand) should be available to you over there. just tell someone at a hardware store that you need spray foam insulation for the pipes in your house. they will locate it for you, and any brand is probably still manufactured by Dow or 3m(they make everything) so they are all probably safe.

[janelc]

I have found that I am using much more foam and silicone that I originally thought! I have found that using a nice thick layer of silicone allows the substrate to stick much better.

[mhbird]

Thanks for the replies!

The aquarium silicone I bought is actually black! I've decided I'm going to use the regular black silicone to coat the glass (where the foam will go) and then use the black aquarium silicone to stick the coco fibre to the background as it will guarantee no harm will come to my crested gecko. Also I'm going to coat the false bottom layer with the aquarium stuff as it will have contact with the water system.

Heres to hoping 2 tubes of regular stuff and one aquarium tube will do!

As for the foam, I've found a few brands but wasnt sure which would be best. I'll work it out .

Anyone in the UK know where I can pick up egg crate? Do many aquarium centres sell it? B&Q didn't have any!

[janelc]

Greetings! Here in the US, the egg crate is used for fluorescent light panels. I got mine at a local hardware store. It came in a "silver" finish or white. I have actually spent very little time in pet stores for my 55 gallon hex tank rehab project, and most of my time (and money) in hardware stores!!!

[mhbird]

I gave up on the eggcrate, I tried all the home improvement stores, builders yards, pet stores, aquarium specialists, even lighting specialists. The only place that had it was the aquarium people and they had to order it in for over £40/sq'm!

I ended up using a peice of plastic which i cut and drilled holes in... much cheaper!