Cork as background - food for thought

[Will B]

hi,
I've been considering my options in terms of background base-material for my paludarium, and noticed that most of you have opted for styrofoam and other synthetic materials. These, however, usually raise concerns about toxicity, material compatibility and even eco-friendlyness from production to biodegradability (hope the word even exists).
I'm strongly inclined to choose a rough single piece of cork.
It seems to me that its the right choice, provided that you have product availability at an accessible price (in Portugal we have no issues there).
Here are some of the positive sides of this choice, as I see it:
1) Great rugged look even without any processing
2) Available in very big rough/unprocessed pieces/tiles
3) very light yet very resistant
4) Great insulating properties
5) Non toxic
6) Washable in boiling water
7) Biodegradable and its production allows to maintain ancient habitats intact
8) If its natural look doesn't fit the intended design, it could - I suppose - be used as the base/structural materials of synthetic nature usually refered.

Any down sides that I haven't thought of?

Take care
W

 

[Greatwtehunter]

Only down side I have seen or heard of is if it comes loose or isn't sealed properly to the back of the aquarium. Animals have been known to get stuck behind them and perish.

 

[Will B]

ok, that's something to consider indeed. thanks for the input.
I will have to choose a solid chunk (or several properly bonded) and leave no space between it and the background surface (therefore most lightly to go back to synthetic materials for bonding purposes).
Is there such a thing as a natural glue that would/could do the trick in this case, gluing cork to glass?

W

 

[ahritchie]

ok, that's something to consider indeed. thanks for the input.
I will have to choose a solid chunk (or several properly bonded) and leave no space between it and the background surface (therefore most lightly to go back to synthetic materials for bonding purposes).
Is there such a thing as a natural glue that would/could do the trick in this case, gluing cork to glass?

W

Yes, you just use regular aquarium silicone sealant being sure to apply it very liberally and put some weights on top of the cork keep it in place firmly while it dries for 24 hours before you add any animals. I added a cork bark background to a dart frog setup with this method and it works beautifully.

 

[SkinksGalore77]

After you attach the cork bark to the cage its a good idea to fill in the space between the glass and the cork bark with coco fiber or dirt or something of that nature so there is no chance of your animal getting back there and dying. But I think cork bark is a very good background, I just finished a vivarium and used it as the background. Good luck

 

[Niels D]

Crickets can chew themselves into the cork. Another down side, but filling the cracks with dirt may prevent this. I've used it in the past, but I enjoy making back grounds myself too much.