What small tree would be good 4 ft

Leviwebb7

Member
Fake or, real ?
If real what kind ? 9CD4D9B4-3A31-4BE3-BAF0-4A743FF30BEE.png F9B07F62-5253-4DB1-B6E7-489186D63447.png I’m
 
I have not sealed the wood what would u recommend?
Also do what kind of light for the plant. Like what would be an appropriate socket light?

You can use a water based poly urethane... Apply 2-3 coats of it and let it totally gas off. You would want to take this outside or in a garage to do. The fumes are pretty bad. Or you can use flex seal. They have a paint on one in white and clear. This will ensure that there are no leaks 2 coats and again it has to gas off for like a week as well outside in a garage.

you will want to cut out the top of the enclosure and use aluminum window screen for your lighting to rest on. I use 6500k T5HO daylight bulbs for my enclosure... Others use Led as well that are for reptile use.

I use these ones. THey come with the daylight bulbs and daisy chain together. https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/t5-uvb-light-fixture.html
 
You can use a water based poly urethane... Apply 2-3 coats of it and let it totally gas off. You would want to take this outside or in a garage to do. The fumes are pretty bad. Or you can use flex seal. They have a paint on one in white and clear. This will ensure that there are no leaks 2 coats and again it has to gas off for like a week as well outside in a garage.

you will want to cut out the top of the enclosure and use aluminum window screen for your lighting to rest on. I use 6500k T5HO daylight bulbs for my enclosure... Others use Led as well that are for reptile use.

I use these ones. THey come with the daylight bulbs and daisy chain together. https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/t5-uvb-light-fixture.html

This is what’s coming in! 84E8A132-FDAB-406F-A2D5-DCE087B54720.png
 
This is what’s coming in! View attachment 283313
Would that be enough for a plant as well ?
Or should I put my uvb/led in with it as well
View attachment 283318
So that will be for your UVB only. With that fixture you will have your basking branch no closer then 9 inches below the uvb. It will not be enough for plants. I do not like the reptisun LED fixtures personally... And that still will not put out enough light for the enclosure your doing.
I run 2 additional T5HO fixtures with 6500 daylight bulbs. I have considered running a 3rd... But if you look in my pics of my enclosures this pushes the light pretty far down. Although I have white walls so it helps reflect the light farther.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/media/albums/my-enclosures.6672/
 
Real plants only.
Better to think of plants in tiers: https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/
Centerpiece, trailing (or secondary), and accent (or tertiary).
If that cabinet is 36" or wider, you may even be able to fit 2 centerpiece plants.

Think about the height carefully. If you go all the way to the top, there won't be room to grow, and you'll need some space for the chameleon to bask. Somewhere between 3-3½ ft. is good for a 48" tall enclosure. If you have more than 48" of vertical space, then 4' is probably OK, but see below for light penetration.

Some trailing plants can also be used as climbers. I have a lattice up the back wall of my enclosure with pothos and Tradescantia zebrina climbing upward.

In addition to those mentioned (for centerpiece plants), I like mass cane.
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For plant lights, depending on the plants you choose (consider light requirements when planning) you will need either something with better penetration (to reach lower plants from 48" up) or place supplemental plant lighting partway down.

I prefer the former. I have a double wide (48") enclosure, so I use 2 of these. For supplemental, I'd choose from the single lamps on this page. LEDs last 5X as long as T5HO fluorescents, so they're more cost effective in the long run, and they don't contain lead.

For UVB however, T5HO linear fluorescent is the only choice. LEDs are on the way, but not practical yet. A single bulb & fixture will do, but you want it full width of your cabinet (whatever that is).

For sealing, I would use an oil-based polyurethane rather than water-based (better water resistance).
If you're planning on going bioactive, something like flex seal or silicone (GE #1) is appropriate at/below the soil line.

Another option is lining that back wall with a sheet of PVC. This can provide both water/moisture protection and reflectivity. I would seal the edges with GE #1 silicone.
 
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So that will be for your UVB only. With that fixture you will have your basking branch no closer then 9 inches below the uvb. It will not be enough for plants. I do not like the reptisun LED fixtures personally... And that still will not put out enough light for the enclosure your doing.
I run 2 additional T5HO fixtures with 6500 daylight bulbs. I have considered running a 3rd... But if you look in my pics of my enclosures this pushes the light pretty far down. Although I have white walls so it helps reflect the light farther.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/media/albums/my-enclosures.6672/
so maybe should used a water resistant white paint?
 
so maybe should used a water resistant white paint?
Possibly. Water-resistant ≠ waterproof, so it depends partly on the degree of resistance.
With any of these products, if moisture gets behind them (e.g. between the paint and the surface the paint is on) the paint will likely blister and/or peel, and there goes your water-resistance. Same if there's moisture trapped in the wood or material you're painting. Proper surface prep and application can reduce this, but nothing's perfect. This is a main reason why PVC enclosures are becoming so popular—the PVC is waterproof.

There are some paints specially formulated for bathrooms & kitchens where moisture is likely to be higher. I've used those products and had mixed results. IME, they're better at blocking water vapor than condensation or actual moisture or water.

There's also foundation paint, but I have no experience with it on wood or above ground.

I've heard good things about flex seal. I've also heard that it's messy, difficult to apply evenly (look professional) and can take considerably longer to cure than to dry. IDK if the spray version would be any better or not. It's also quite expensive ($30/qt.). I would read the negative/1 star reviews to get a feel for potential problems.
 
You can use a water based poly urethane... Apply 2-3 coats of it and let it totally gas off. You would want to take this outside or in a garage to do. The fumes are pretty bad. Or you can use flex seal. They have a paint on one in white and clear. This will ensure that there are no leaks 2 coats and again it has to gas off for like a week as well outside in a garage.

you will want to cut out the top of the enclosure and use aluminum window screen for your lighting to rest on. I use 6500k T5HO daylight bulbs for my enclosure... Others use Led as well that are for reptile use.

I use these ones. THey come with the daylight bulbs and daisy chain together. https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/t5-uvb-light-fixture.html
I used white liquid flex seal with mine. Its non toxic. And labeled pet safe. Goes on really thick with the paint on.
One coat fully covered my enclosure. There were less fumes than with latex paint.
I still let mine rest for a week before finishing though. Its easy to wipe down with a wet cloth as well. So clean up is a breeze.
 
I used white liquid flex seal with mine. Its non toxic. And labeled pet safe. Goes on really thick with the paint on.
One coat fully covered my enclosure. There were less fumes than with latex paint.
I still let mine rest for a week before finishing though. Its easy to wipe down with a wet cloth as well. So clean up is a breeze.
Yep from what I have heard this one is quite effective but still important to let it cure fully and gas off.
 
Possibly. Water-resistant ≠ waterproof, so it depends partly on the degree of resistance.
With any of these products, if moisture gets behind them (e.g. between the paint and the surface the paint is on) the paint will likely blister and/or peel, and there goes your water-resistance. Same if there's moisture trapped in the wood or material you're painting. Proper surface prep and application can reduce this, but nothing's perfect. This is a main reason why PVC enclosures are becoming so popular—the PVC is waterproof.

There are some paints specially formulated for bathrooms & kitchens where moisture is likely to be higher. I've used those products and had mixed results. IME, they're better at blocking water vapor than condensation or actual moisture or water.

There's also foundation paint, but I have no experience with it on wood or above ground.

I've heard good things about flex seal. I've also heard that it's messy, difficult to apply evenly (look professional) and can take considerably longer to cure than to dry. IDK if the spray version would be any better or not. It's also quite expensive ($30/qt.). I would read the negative/1 star reviews to get a feel for potential problems.
The paint on white flex seal. Goes on thicker than paint a little hard to get even and will run some. But not hard to apply. It was a little messy and takes a few days to get it out of you're hair. So be careful with that.
Would recommend for anyone who is sensitive to fumes. As there were practically none. Took 24 hours to fully cure but can take longer depending on humidity and how thick its applied.
The can cost about $20 at canadian tire.
 
I used white liquid flex seal with mine. Its non toxic. And labeled pet safe. Goes on really thick with the paint on.
One coat fully covered my enclosure. There were less fumes than with latex paint.
I still let mine rest for a week before finishing though. Its easy to wipe down with a wet cloth as well. So clean up is a breeze.
Got flex seal! Now just four days of cutting, and rolling. So I can have multiple layers. I just siliconed the all the cracks and edges and plan on flex sealing the inside tomorrow
 
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