Styrofoam Backgrounds

[moinkable]

Hi!

This is my first post and I'm a complete newbie to salamandars. I have two firebellies and am in the process of putting together a spectacular 10 g setup for them (live plants, 3d background, the works!) Originally I had wanted to make my own background out of styrofoam, but found that once I purchased all the materials I needed it would be cheaper just to buy one, plus my artistic skills are somewhat lacking. So, I bought an exo-terra styrofoam background...the foam is non-toxic but I have no clue about the paint, so I want to seal it up good before I put it in the tank.

My question for you is: what should I use to coat and seal the background?? Marine Epoxy? Aquariam Grade Silicon? Some kind of varnish?? I don't know and I just want to protect the little guys from any toxins in the background, and protect the background from degrading in the water.

Thanks!

 

[Viv]

I don't put anything on the exo terra backgrounds and it seems to work fine with my newts.

 

[SludgeMunkey]

Use a water based, No VOC clear acrylic spray sealer. Allow at least a month for it to cure properly.

 

[Azhael]

10gallon is the bare minimum recommended for a pair of these newts. I would not use anything that takes away much volume, or you will be left left with too small a volume of water. If you wish to have lots of decorations, i would get a larger tank....

 

[moinkable]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! Just to clarify...what does VOC free mean? and by curing do you mean letting it sit in the tank with the water for a month or letting it air-dry?

Thank you!

 

[SludgeMunkey]

VOC is Volatile Organic Compounds, a fancy way of saying "Toxic Solvent Fumes" on labels of chemicals and paints.
And yes, curing is allowing time to air dry after applying paint. I recommend doing this out side in the sun, or even better, indoors in a warm, low humidity area.