Hiya, I plan on constructing an 8x4x4 ft plywood paludarium for my basilisk. It will have a luxurious water area that's approximately 220 gallons (which I may or may not put fish/plants in). Now, I've run into some dilemmas when it came to the sealing part of my task. I first considered the traditional epoxy coating, which is fine other than the fact that it's a smooth surface. My lizard wouldn't be able to grab onto it for a climbing area, and if it did its claws would punch holes in the sealant (not to mention it's super expensive).
Then I came to pond liner, which seemed inexpensive but also it had its flaws. My lizard would and could utilize it for climbing, which would definitely rip the liner to ribbons. Not to mention it seemed to be a little testy about adhereing to things, which could also mean that with a little weight from my lizard in the wrong spot could simply pull it off. I'm not sure if any of those are realistic situations, but by the claims I've seen online I seem to be in the right ballpark.
Then I considered something I haven't heard of anyone using: concrete. It would definitely be water-proof, moderately priced, and not to mention the perfect climbing surface for my lizard that would also wear his nails down. The only backlash I see with this option is that concrete is probably unimaginably heavy, and would be a pain to move around even without water. I might apply it to each separate board before screwing it all together, and then going around the seams with some sort of sealant. I'm not sure. Thoughts, anyone?
Then I came to pond liner, which seemed inexpensive but also it had its flaws. My lizard would and could utilize it for climbing, which would definitely rip the liner to ribbons. Not to mention it seemed to be a little testy about adhereing to things, which could also mean that with a little weight from my lizard in the wrong spot could simply pull it off. I'm not sure if any of those are realistic situations, but by the claims I've seen online I seem to be in the right ballpark.
Then I considered something I haven't heard of anyone using: concrete. It would definitely be water-proof, moderately priced, and not to mention the perfect climbing surface for my lizard that would also wear his nails down. The only backlash I see with this option is that concrete is probably unimaginably heavy, and would be a pain to move around even without water. I might apply it to each separate board before screwing it all together, and then going around the seams with some sort of sealant. I'm not sure. Thoughts, anyone?