Safe Materials for Building and Landscaping Vivaria and Enclosures

[Lugubris]

After perusing the build related threads of this site, I have noticed that quite a few people besides myself are building their own custom enclosures. I have also noticed that many people (including myself) have made mistakes that put their animals at risk, or made it so they had to redo something rather labor intensive. My hope is that this thread will become a sticky to help people quickly identify the materials they can use for creating and landscaping all sorts of enclosures.

Disclaimer: The following suggestions are compiled from this site and others and are, to the best of my knowledge, safe. I am not an expert, and can provide no guarantee that they will not harm your creatures. I will accept no responsibility for any harm that befalls them because you were too lazy to do your own research. Always use caution and common sense.

Safe wood (taken from Caudata Culture):
Note: always sterilize your wood by boiling it for >6 hours. Do not boil in pots or pans lined with teflon or other plastics. Do not use ANY woods that are not listed. Do not use driftwood from salt water or live wood. Do not use any wood that is inhabited, or destroy habitats on purpose (Illegal in some states and frowned upon amongst the community).

Safe in dry and wet setups:

• Ash, wood and bark
• Aspen, wood and bark
• Bamboo
• Cork Bark, soaked thoroughly
• Coconut, husk and shell
• Driftwood, sterilized
• Madrona, wood and bark
• Mopani, aquarium version only
• Resin composites made for aquarium use

Safe only in dry setups:

• Bald cypress, bark
• Cactus skeleton
• Date Palm
• Fir, bark only
• Grape wood
• Maple, wood and bark

Safe Adhesives:

100% Silicone Adhesive that is Food and/or Aquarium safe (Will state on product).
Food-Safe Epoxy Resin

Anything that explicitly says on the package that it is food or aquarium safe is probably fine.

NEVER USE SILICONE WITH MOLD, MILDEW OR ANY OTHER TYPE OF SPECIAL RESISTANCE!!! ALWAYS ALLOW PLENTY OF TIME FOR THE PRODUCT TO CURE (>24hrs, 48 is better)!!! IF IT STILL SMELLS LIKE VINEGAR OR CHEMICALS IT HAS NOT FINISHED CURING!!! ALWAYS WASH ADHESIVE AND SURROUNDING SURFACE AFTER IT HAS CURED!!! USE OTHER ADHESIVES AT YOUR OWN (OR RATHER YOUR PET'S) RISK!!!

--Even food/aquarium safe adhesives leach small amounts of chemicals (albeit FDA approved), so imagine how bad non food/aquarium safe products are with no FDA regulation. Equipment sharing could also leave trace amounts of unintended chemicals. It is worth spending a few extra dollars to ensure the safety and longevity of your animal. Even if they look okay you can't tell if they are suffering from long term chemical exposure that can shorten lifespan and compromise their immune system.

Safe Rocks:
Note: Boil rocks in a manner similar to wood if they are taken from outside (Careful handling them afterwards as they will stay hot for a long time). Never use rocks with sharp edges. Never use rocks small enough to be swallowed. Also, I accept no responsibility for scratches caused by rocks, nor injury caused by them.

Granite ONLY if it does not have pyrite (fool's gold), an iron ore.
Jadeite
Jasper ONLY if it is the solid red type
Obsidian
Onyx
Quartz
Slate

Rocks to avoid:
Crystals or Geodes if not otherwise listed (Many leach harmful minerals)
Dead coral (Environmentally unfriendly and impossible to remove salt)
Gypsum (Causes high pH issues)
Limestone (Causes high pH issues)
Marble (Causes high pH issues)
Pumice (Because it cant be boiled and it has sharp edges)
Sandstone (Because you can't really tell what is in it and it is very porous meaning it can trap chemicals and other pollutants)

--DO NOT USE ANY ROCKS WITH A METALLIC APPEARANCE AS THEY PROBABLY HAVE A HIGH MINERAL CONTENT!!!
--DO NOT USE ANY BRIGHT RED ROCKS AS THEY PROBABLY HAVE A HIGH IRON OR MERCURY CONTENT!!!

--Test for rocks: put vinegar on rock, if it fizzes do not use it! (Limestone is an example)

Safe Plastics:

Acrylic (If your tank is not glass it is probably this)
PLA (Decomposes eventually, a naturally derived plastic)
ABS (Used in Legos and most filters)
PVC (Reports on the safety of PVC are conflicting, since so many people use it it is possibly safe but I would not recommend it.)
Most plastics used in food containers are probably safe but reports/info about their use for this purpose is scarce.

Plastics to avoid:
Fiberglass
Anything that has gotten very hot, melted (including chemical melting), or been exposed to harsh chemicals.

Other Things to avoid:
--Caulking, chemicals, grease, varnishes ect...
--Clay (unless you have sealed it thoroughly)
--Metal of any type (in tank)
--Tape (in tank)
--Foam (unless you have sealed it thoroughly, most types are toxic and if not it can still chip, break, or decompose into harmful pieces)
--Dead moss sold in stores, it is often treated with copper salts which are poisonous.
--Bark sold in stores, it is often treated with pesticides.
--Sphagnum moss (Some causes low pH and all can cause a nasty disease called Sporotrichosis)
--Lichen, I have tested many types and they all seem to lower pH.
--Moss that you have not pH tested. (Crush it and make a tea from it to test, should be ~7 +/- 1 at most)
--Don't use wood from a hardware store for landscaping without sealing it, as it is frequently treated with chemicals and is of an unknown origin. Better to avoid completely in tank.
--Working extra late to finish early. Leads to mistakes that will slow you down in the end.
--Building around pets with flea medicine, as hair and dander with the pesticide can get into the project. (If it cant be avoided just make sure you rinse/wash really well when done)

Feel free to contribute any build experience/tips, materials (if you are SURE it is safe, I'm talking research or at least multiple testimonials, not personal experience/preference), or anything else you think will help those starting a build project.

 

[Martin21114]

Nice list. One thing to note on clay, polymer clay (primo/sculpey being the ones I have direct experience with) are also safe. They basically turn into plastic after they are baked. I have had several decorations in with my axolotls and turtles (not the same tank, don't worry!) for over a year with no problems.

 

[Bill B]

What about ceramic tile? I want to use some... to separate the area under the false floor from a "pond". The whole setup would actually be used by Spring Peepers (Pseudacris crucifer).

And, oak is not good? I put some in with my dart frog many months ago; took it out and now in a vivarium for a Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum). Is it not safe?

 

[Bill B]

At a local pet store (a pretty good one... Willlis knows it too) I believe the rocks I bought were limestone. I returned them because I thought I did not need them, not because I saw what is written above. I did not know that.

 

[JoshBA]

Oak for the most part is completely fine in terrestrial and aquatic setups. The only thing about oak is the high tannin content, which in some circumstances will lower the ph of the water (mostly just in soft water) and soil (fine as long as its not in saturated/soggy soil). The tannin content can be reduced by boiling (very effective) or soaking in a bucket (really too long to bother). Keep in mind that although boiling drastically reduces the tannin content of oak, some tannins will probably remain (enough to stain your water brown, but completely harmless). I think oak is very commonly used in dart vivaria.
Ceramic tiles a fine, although slate tiles are the better option. They're guaranteed not to alter water chemistry and commonly available. The only issue is actually getting "slate" tiles. Some will be sandstone something else. Just make sure the tile is smooth, as anything else will have a rough texture.

 

[Lugubris]

What about ceramic tile? I want to use some... to separate the area under the false floor from a "pond". The whole setup would actually be used by Spring Peepers (Pseudacris crucifer).

And, oak is not good? I put some in with my dart frog many months ago; took it out and now in a vivarium for a Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum). Is it not safe?

Yes ceramic tile should be fine, but don't use grout. It usually has anti-fungal chemicals and can cause pH issues.

Oak can be safe, but it is better to not use it. If you sterilized it by boiling then the amount of tannic acid in it will probably be too low to matter but it depends on the species (most Plethodontids, for example, are very sensitive to things like tannic acid).

It is possible to use limestone safely, but only if you are using it in small amounts to cancel out the effect of low pH issues, but the effect is localized. If you are worried about the oak lowering your pH you could put a small piece of the limestone near the oak.

Signs of pH stress include restlessness, activity at times when the animal is usually resting or hiding, decreased appetite, excessive mucus (shiny/slimy appearance), and in the final stages before death: lethargy. If you notice any of this you should remove any pH altering items and move your critters to a recovery tank until the pH is back to normal. I've also read, and tried (see below), that you can wash them with distilled water if they look sick from pH issues.

I actually faced pH issues recently due to bad tap water, an admin recommended that I use limestone in small amounts. This only works if the pH is not extremely poor (aka, if there are still large amounts of tannic acid in the oak). I also washed a very slimy looking salamander with distilled water and he recovered quickly.

 

[newtkidontheblock]

My Question is can i use grape wood or grape vine( or whateer i saw at this one petstore ) in a vivrarium im going to extend it over water but it will be touching land and then im going to but frog moss from petsmart or sumtin and drap it over that and the land area. and are there any store bought mosses i an get or all of them ba like you said??

 

[JoshBA]

The only problem with grapewood is that it tends to rot and mold over in moist environments. I've heard of people using it in aquariums, but it decomposes pretty quickly.
Most mosses sold at pet stores are dead/dried, and dead moss tends to have low ph issues, which aren't good for caudates.

 

[sde]

When he says "foam" does that include Styrofoam? I think that is what my worms came in, and I want to do a planted float, and I was thinking of using them. Would it be safe? Thanks. -Seth

 

[nklungle]

For the background in my axolotl tank, I purchased slate that has been epoxied together in a brick-like pattern. I planned to seal it to a piece of plexiglass, then rest it and the plexiglass against the back wall of the tank. I believe that at least some of the epoxy holding the stones together will be exposed to water.

I'm sure the epoxy will hold up to this—I'm guessing the slate was meant to be used in a bathroom—but will the epoxy contaminate the water for axolotls? I don't know anything about that kind of material, and I can imagine that, once cured, it doesn't leach chemicals. On the other hand, I don't know that for sure. Anyone have an idea?

 

[emmyk]

For the background in my axolotl tank, I purchased slate that has been epoxied together in a brick-like pattern. I planned to seal it to a piece of plexiglass, then rest it and the plexiglass against the back wall of the tank. I believe that at least some of the epoxy holding the stones together will be exposed to water.

I'm sure the epoxy will hold up to this—I'm guessing the slate was meant to be used in a bathroom—but will the epoxy contaminate the water for axolotls? I don't know anything about that kind of material, and I can imagine that, once cured, it doesn't leach chemicals. On the other hand, I don't know that for sure. Anyone have an idea?

Personally I would use silicone. Anything that is 100 silicone is safe.
If you could find silicone that is meant for building aquariums that might be stronger.

Also you can look up the MSDS for your epoxy.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

 

[EA]

This article on safe woods is wrong in many points. I have myself used apple, cherry, beech, birch, oak, plum, willow e. g. trees that occur even in areas with amphibians. Personally I have only used few conifers but I've seen some other people using pine and spruce without any side effects. (terrestrial setups).
For aquatic setups I only used birch and oak without side effects (but water coloration).
Oak is in itself antiseptic and shouldn't be bolied. Note also that this is true for european species only.

Clay is commonly used i Europe.

 

[Bez]

I was thinking about using some polycarbonate sheets to build the framework for a vivarium. Looking into it I found out that polycarbonate leeches BPA, which is bad.

From the wikipedia entry on BPA:

"BPA affects growth, reproduction, and development in aquatic organisms. Among freshwater organisms, fish appear to be the most sensitive species. Evidence of endocrine-related effects in fish, aquatic invertebrates, amphibians, and reptiles has been reported at environmentally relevant exposure levels lower than those required for acute toxicity. There is a widespread variation in reported values for endocrine-related effects, but many fall in the range of 1μg/L to 1 mg/L.[10] A large 2010 study of two rivers in Canada had found that areas contaminated with bisphenol A and other hormone-like chemicals showed females made up 85 percent of the population of a certain fish, while in uncontaminated areas only 55 percent of fish were female.[219]"

The same would apply to PVC, it is also manufactured with BPA.

So I looked in to removing it from water and apparently activated carbon works to some degree. Also there are plants that can remove it as well, duckweed is one that does a pretty good job.