Is yacht varnish any good in a paludarium?

jme2049 · #1 01-13-2010, 05:29 AM

Im thinking of coating a waterfall inside a paludarium im making with yacht varnish to waterproof the foam and grout underneath. When it is fully dry will it be harmful to my FBT's???

Thanks.

Epiphile · #2 01-13-2010, 06:49 AM

Is there a particular brand you're looking at? Someone may be able to help if you can get your hands on the MSDS sheet for that particular one.

I understand people typically use epoxy rather than varnish- if it's just a small surface area you can probably get a small tube of marine epoxy from a hardware store. I've seen them here and we don't have an ocean for about 1400km from us.

jme2049 · #3 01-13-2010, 07:09 AM

thanks epiphile,
its made by a company called '151 products ltd'. I'm only asking because i've seen a couple of people mention it on here and it seems like a decent enough idea for waterproofing. I'm hoping once its applied and fully dried it wont affect the water.

I found the companys website and have emailed them. now the waiting game!

Epiphile · #4 01-13-2010, 08:52 AM

I think it's doubtful that the company will condone using this product for this purpose, as it could be considered a bit of a liability for them, and certainly wasn't designed with this use in mind. The only company I know of who claims their products can be used in this way is West Systems, who make marine epoxies and have stated that their products are safe for aquarium construction.

See what they say, though- they might surprise you. Also, a lot of people here, myself included, use products for other than their intended purpose to no ill effect.

beckdg · #5 01-13-2010, 10:15 AM

there's famowood also...