# Particle Board for custom viv?



## andyrawrs (Aug 16, 2008)

Hey all,

I've never posted here before, but I've read alot of threads here, and this place seems like an awesome and communicative community. Anyways, I was planning on making a custom viv. I was wondering if anyone had any experiences, thoughts, or ideas about using particle board or any other kind of wood like MDF or hard wood as the back and bottom of the viv? Does particle board (or any other wood for that matter) warp alot when introduced to humidity? I was planning on covering the wood with a waterproofing agent, covering it with fiberglass/epoxy, or coating it with linoleum. Would this work, or would the humidity go around the coating? 
Also, I was wondering about using 1/4 or possibly 3/8" plexiglas, or if I can afford it, lexan. If this was fitted securely around the wood background/base anchored, and maybe bracketed, to the wood, would the acrylic warp? 

Thanks

Andy


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## froggysan (Sep 14, 2008)

Particle board will definitely fall apart if exposed to moisture long term. Depending on the thickness, MDF will warp or rot. Neither of them can be in direct contact long term with moisture.

If you're trying to save on acrylic/plexiglass and/or add extra stability to a large tank or something you could use particle board as the back and bottom outside and then use thinner plexiglass on the inside -- but you will have to seal it with silicone.


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## parkanz2 (Sep 25, 2008)

I've also read that MDF is made with a formaldehyde agent which can leach into the environment and is surely bad for frogs.

I've been playing with making a viv from scratch for a while and I'm torn between all glass (kind of expensive) plywood sealed with epoxy, or pure fiberglass.


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## hexentanz (Sep 18, 2008)

Hi Andy,

Over here in europe wood vivariums/terrariums are very popular. Mainly we use OSB Oriented strand board - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and seal it with marine expoy for a water tight seal. The vivariums last very long and are pretty solid. They are mainly a fave to snakers because you can build as large a tank that you need. 

I am using OSB + Marine Expoxy to construct my milk tree frogs tank.


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## andyrawrs (Aug 16, 2008)

Thanks everyone for the replies! 

But I still don't understand why the wood would warp...it wouldn't be in direct contact with the water or humidity... It would be sealed in linoleum, fiberglass/epoxy, or some other method.
I've never heard of or seen OSB before...seems like good stuff. But the wikipedia page provides a link to plywood which is stated to be nearly as good. If I were to epoxy the plywood, would this work? 

I am still uncertain about the use of acrylics though...does anyone have any experience that would help me in my decision between glass and acrylic? 

Thanks in advance

Andy


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## Jerm (May 20, 2008)

andyrawrs said:


> I've never heard of or seen OSB before...seems like good stuff.


I think that you can buy siding for houses here that is OSB.


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## Quaz (Nov 13, 2005)

How do you coat the inside of the viv/wood box with the epoxy? And then how would you add a lid and door?


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## Sarkany (Mar 11, 2008)

hexentanz said:


> Hi Andy,
> 
> Over here in europe wood vivariums/terrariums are very popular. Mainly we use OSB Oriented strand board - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and seal it with marine expoy for a water tight seal. The vivariums last very long and are pretty solid. They are mainly a fave to snakers because you can build as large a tank that you need.
> 
> I am using OSB + Marine Expoxy to construct my milk tree frogs tank.


Well, I don't know - I've read a lot on the Internet that no matter how nicely you seal the wood with epoxy (or something else), sooner or later the wood will warp or mold will appear if constantly kept under so high a humidity as is required with poison dart frogs... I haven't tried wood before, but with as many people saying that this is what they have had happen I'm not sure I'll risk it in the future either... 

Me, I'm currently trying styrofoam (+ cement) ... apparently that's a pretty durable solution even with a lot of moisture. Plus, it's cheap like nothing else and doesn't look bad (not that OSB terrariums do...).


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## hexentanz (Sep 18, 2008)

Sarkany said:


> Well, I don't know - I've read a lot on the Internet that no matter how nicely you seal the wood with epoxy (or something else), sooner or later the wood will warp or mold will appear if constantly kept under so high a humidity as is required with poison dart frogs... I haven't tried wood before, but with as many people saying that this is what they have had happen I'm not sure I'll risk it in the future either...
> 
> Me, I'm currently trying styrofoam (+ cement) ... apparently that's a pretty durable solution even with a lot of moisture. Plus, it's cheap like nothing else and doesn't look bad (not that OSB terrariums do...).


Pretty much all wood will warp overtime.  

But dunno, the threads I found problems with mold came only for those who admitted not to use any sealant inside the vivarium or very little.

Every technique for wood vivariums is different, some will use pond liner inside, plus epoxy with a then land wall area of styrofoam coated in cement or what have you and some will use just the wood coated in epoxy, etc etc.


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