My Bioactive Enclosure Build (Panther chameleon)

What would you lovely people consider the "best" way to affix coco fibre/peat moss and sticks to a foam background?

I keep seeing "silicone" as the answer, but there's such a broad range of different brands and formulas! Have y'all had good/bad experiences with a particular type? My grip strength isn't very good (carpal tunnel), and I'm somewhat concerned about fatigue if the formula is especially thick and difficult to get out.

Also, can the silicone itself be used to affix air plants? I had read that superglue can be used, and I do have a lot of that!

(Apologies if my thoughts are a little disjointed! I'm half asleep from my night shift and winding down)

~Amanda

Edit: I think I may try liquid FlexSeal; that seems like a good solution for me with my arm/hand the way it is, and I like the accuracy of a paintbrush.
 
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Silicone works, but it must be certain blends. Look for aquarium silicone, or use GE brand silicone 1. The others contain anti-fungal/mold chemicals that are considered NOT fish safe. If you can’t use it under water, I wouldn’t use it above either. I haven’t heard about flexseal, and as far as your hands go, there are battery powered tools that will easily push the silicone out. I just used about 3/4 tube, and my hands and forearms were feeling it. I go to the gym daily and my grip strength is for sure well above average. Silicone is a little more stiff than regular caulk, thus it is more difficult to squeeze out using a caulking gun.
 
jamest0o0 said:
I have 2 of those jungle dawns over my 4ft enclosure and then a quad t5 with the uvb and plant bulbs(just because I had it on hand), it comes down like a beam of sunlight. It's the only thing that has kept ground cover growing for me.
Click to expand...

What is the width and length of that 4 feet enclosure?
 
GoodKarma19 said:
What would you lovely people consider the "best" way to affix coco fibre/peat moss and sticks to a foam background?
Click to expand...

You can use the "great stuff" pond and stone. When it's still tacky cover it heavily with moss, cocoa, or peat, and gently press into the surface. It will hold sticks, pots, etc as well. Just plan it out, and do a trial first. It will not stick to parchment paper...
 
Substrate wise, from the bottom up my proposed plan is:
  • 2 - 2 1/2 inches Hydroballs
  • Weed barrier (possibly screen, undecided)
  • Sunshine Mix #4 (~5", I'm not sure how much clearance I have, as I don't have the ExoTerra yet)
  • 1/4 - 1/2 inch spagnum moss
  • 1/4 - 1/2 inch leaf litter
I plan on starting the soil off with Plant-Tone (assuming I can find some) and then mixing in some osmocote 2 months later/as needed there on. Thoughts? I haven't decided yet if I'm going to add a bulk head or if I'm going to suction excess.

I also spoke a bit with Todd, and I've settled on the quad fixture with 1 6% Arcadia, 2 daylight, and 1 plant pro bulb. Due to the height of the enclosure (36"), Todd says that the Jungle Dawn spotlight is overkill. I'll definitely keep it in mind when I have the room for an upgrade, though!

~Amanda
 
GoodKarma19 said:
Substrate wise, from the bottom up my proposed plan is:
  • 2 - 2 1/2 inches Hydroballs
  • Weed barrier (possibly screen, undecided)
  • Sunshine Mix #4 (~5", I'm not sure how much clearance I have, as I don't have the ExoTerra yet)
  • 1/4 - 1/2 inch spagnum moss
  • 1/4 - 1/2 inch leaf litter
I plan on starting the soil off with Plant-Tone (assuming I can find some) and then mixing in some osmocote 2 months later/as needed there on. Thoughts? I haven't decided yet if I'm going to add a bulk head or if I'm going to suction excess.

I also spoke a bit with Todd, and I've settled on the quad fixture with 1 6% Arcadia, 2 daylight, and 1 plant pro bulb. Due to the height of the enclosure (36"), Todd says that the Jungle Dawn spotlight is overkill. I'll definitely keep it in mind when I have the room for an upgrade, though!

~Amanda
Click to expand...

I have a very similar set up to what you are planning. Mine is the 18x24x24. With two inches of the hydro balls there is enough room for about 4-5" of soil and 1 inch or so of leaf litter/moss before you start blocking the vent on the front of the cage. You can taper the substrate from back to front to get a little more soil depth in the back Mine has been going for about three months, and I have yet to have to suck out any excess water. Although I do have the PVC pipe in there just in case. Bulkhead not necessary IMO.
 

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KRGEE21 said:
I have a very similar set up to what you are planning. Mine is the 18x24x24. With two inches of the hydro balls there is enough room for about 4-5" of soil and 1 inch or so of leaf litter/moss before you start blocking the vent on the front of the cage. You can taper the substrate from back to front to get a little more soil depth in the back Mine has been going for about three months, and I have yet to have to suck out any excess water. Although I do have the PVC pipe in there just in case. Bulkhead not necessary IMO.
Click to expand...

I appreciate the input! Yes, I plan on doing some tapering for sure. I'm also of the mind that it just plain looks better, especially if you have some nice ground cover. I'll probably be going the PVC pipe route, especially since it's unlikely that I'll have that much of a build up with all of the plants I have planned!

Silly question: how do you go about draining from the PVC pipe, and is it siliconed to the bottom of the terrarium or just free standing?
 
It is just free standing on the bottom with holes drilled in the sides to the height of the hydro balls. It's under the green thing in the front right corner of the cage. I can take a picture and upload when I get home later today.
 
OP. You can add a mini fountain pump to the drainage layer with a hidden tube going out of the cage. Just turn it on when you want to drain. I like the drainage layer to have some water in it, allows the roots to grow down and absorb the nutrient soup as JCS says.
 
jamest0o0 said:
It's the Dstrand atrium, so not exactly 4ft. It's like 45" wide and 44" tall or something like that.
Click to expand...

I see. No wonder you have two jungle dawn. I have a 2x2x4 feet high custom screen/glass enclosure someone built for me. I have been using the Exo Terra natural light and the plants at the bottom are all dying except my Fittonia. Every time I replace with another plant at the bottom, it just wilts. But I just ordered a jungle dawn 40W bulb yesterday. Hopefully it will solve my problems.
 
Question regarding substrate: can I substitute Sunshine Mix #4 with Pro Mix HP (high porosity)? It seems that everywhere I've checked so far around here only carries the huge bales of Sunshine Mix, though I'm sure I'd eventually find a use for all of it. The nursery attendant seemed pretty certain that Sunshine Mix #4 and Pro Mix HP were essentially the same thing, or at least served the same niche.

Thoughts? :unsure:
 
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