New Paludarium Question

[herp35]

I am in the process of building a paludarium and I have my egg crate built and the spray foam on. When the spray foam cures, I am going to do the Tightbond III and coco fiber method for the top part of the background. But I have a large section that will be completely submerged. What is the best method to cover the foam underwater?

Also, does the coco fiber have to be completely dry when you mix it with the Tightbond glue?

[Grimm]

Yes make sure the co-co is bone dry or it wont stick at all. Try baking it at around 250 on a large sheet of tin foil or baking sheets if you have them.

However, in my limited experience I dont think I would ever do the co-co fiber/silicone method again on a BG. My tank hasnt even been running for a year yet and there a pieces falling off, especially on the waterfall section. It may just still be the loose pieces that were clinging by a thread but time will tell.

My newest viv/palu I tried the suggested Titebond/co-co/peat moss slurry. Ive had it running for the past 48 hours since it has been dry and I havent had any particles fall off yet. Plus it is completely waterproof. It cost a little more (about 30$ worth of glue for a 18x18x24 Exo-Terra) But I think it will be worth it in the long run.

[herp35]

So do you have the tightbond/coco slurry completely submerged? The bottle says completely waterproof but the label on the back says not for use underwater...of course, even aquarium silicone says that.

Also, I will have a false bottom that sits above an underwater cave. Is there a plant that I could put on the false bottom and have its roots grow down into the cave?

[Grimm]

Yeah I will have 5-6" of water submerging the background. If it is waterproof I dont see any harm with it being under water. Its definately a way better and more permanent solution then just using silicone. It is still rock hard to the touch so I dont see it being an issue just yet.

Some other suggestions would probably include using concrete binder. However it was mentioned that it is not waterproof. Also perhaps using paint, then finished with a safe sealant.

As for the roots, every one of my pothos vines throws roots down EVERYWHERE! They have managed to crawl their way down my 18" waterfall in 6 months so they are a possibility. Also, my unbrella plant has roots growing directly through the substrate into the drainage rock layer and they continue to spread rapidly. I'm assuming all terrestrial plant will drop roots through the FB so long as they crave moisture so there are countless options for you.

[boabab95]

Is there a plant that I could put on the false bottom and have its roots grow down into the cave?

Papyrus [this grows 5 feet tall so i lot of clipping would be done] and as grimm said, most terrestrialplants would probably work.

[herp35]

Thanks, I think I will try the umbrella plant, Schefflera, right? And I will also try the tightbond/coco underwater also. Will the tightbond adhere to the spray foam skin or do i need to trim all of the skin off?

[beckdg]

scuffing the surface is always recommended, imo.