So, I'm looking at these arboreal options for Jose, my anole. He's back in his 12x12x18 from his 10g, he just wasn't liking not having enough height. But it's proving to be a PITA to have much of anything high in that tank without the criss-cross, block-out issue that sticks can have in this size terrarium, as well as the issue with the heat bulb burning plants if they grow too high. I was looking at a build for a drop-in insert using Mopani wood, here is a link to such idea: http://www.chameleonforums.com/drop-manzanita-features-88634/ Only issue I have is the cost efficacy when I can't really even mount many larger vines to it, such as a small philodendron. I can definitely cover it a bit with Spanish moss, but given that each piece can cost about 5 to 15 bucks and the wood laying around here is probably tainted by motor traffic smog, I kinda don't want to spend 50 bucks on a single finished piece to build it myself. Plus, you have the issue with the plastic base melting (I'd rather screw the wood to the plastic through the screen in one corner, positioned so it extends all over the place from that corner - those pieces tend to cost more just because they're more convenient). So, I started looking at those magnetic planters and feeders, and here are some examples of what I am looking at, as I suck at explaining things half the time: http://www.amazon.com/Magnaturals-S...=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1373603484&sr=1-629 http://www.amazon.com/Magnaturals-S...=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1373603256&sr=1-581 http://www.michaels.com/green-styro...tml?start=22&cgid=products-floral-accessories http://www.amazon.com/BYKES-Neodymium-Magnets-inch-Earth/dp/B0084UASJQ/ref=pd_sim_indust_3 Hopefully that procession of links has explained my thought process. And yes, I am well aware of how to handle magnets, especially neodymiums. Anyway, I figure why not pull the old arts scalpel out and carve a few blocks into both hidey holes and planters, would also make for some nice ledgework as well as waterfall work. My only question is, what in the world would I use to seal the foam with? I know that polyurethane works wonders on wood when you let it do it's, what some people have called, gas-off period, but what of this stuff? Would simply using siliocone caulk and roughing the outside with cocofiber do it, while just sealing the insides with smooth wipes of silicone? I heard some things can interact with styrofoam maliciously, and I don't want to try a chemical on it until I know what it's going to do. So far silicone sounds safest, but just want to be positive. Also, I figure silicone will provide as an armor to help provide the foam with more structural integrity with how soft the foam is...? And one more question to top it off, what paint would I use to paint the styrofoam? My roommate has an incredible artistic ability with paints, and I figure I can just make her paint it and make this look like rock ledges and whatnot for the hassle I've dealt with working on her turtle setup
Hmm, if you wanted to go with your initial idea, you could use bird perches. They come in a variety of woods and sizes so you may be able to find something more affordable. If not, http://www.save-on-crafts.com/branches2.html has decently sized aquarium/terrarium safe manzanita branches for as low as $6 (the redwood ones) which are still plenty long enough for your tall tank. The only downside is that shipping is ridiculous (shipping cost more than the wood to my area, at least). However, with branches that size you would likely only need 1, maybe 2 at the most, so even with $10 shipping you could get what you need for $16-28 depending on which style and how many you went with. For your other idea, it's actually a common method in the aquarium hobby to make styrafoam custom backgrounds, paint over them with quikrete, paint them with epoxy concrete paint if desired, and seal it with silicone. I can't for the life of me explain it myself, but if you google "DIY aquarium background" you will get tons of results showing you different methods of how to do it. I've never done it myself, but it's something I want to try at some point. So, yes, you can safely use silicone to seal it.
