Equipment Review and Discussion :: Homemade Basking platform

[thinice16]

I want to make a basking platform for my res.I want to use 2 by 4s but i heard that 2 by 4s have chemicals on them so i was thinking about letting them soak for a few days is this a wise choice or a bad choice.I dont want it to make my turtle to get sick so what should i do?


-thanks

[meltedspork]

From what I've read on this forum, wood is a bad choice for a basking platform because it can rot easily. I know lots of people have made really neat platforms with plexiglass, eggcrate, and other such materials.

[TheComputerGremlin]

I don't think all of the chemicals would leech out of them in just a few days of soaking. You can probably look into a food-grade wood, like the wood used to smoke foods with. But I would definitely use some plastic for the base and any parts touching the water, just in case.

[Spookster]

Building the basking platform out of wood is just fine. The basking ramp however should be something other than wood.

[mat012]

You could always coat the wood with epoxy resin. THis would seal the chemicals in and keep the water out. West brand is often used for marine applications. Its expensive tho. I found a two part epoxy resin at Lowes marketed for table tops for $12. It worked well on my basking dock. Just let it dry and cure well.

Epoxy resin is not the same as epoxy adhesive. You need the two parts to both adhere and harden. So make sure you get the right product.

[SpotsMama]

Cork bark! Makes a great basking platform and it's like what turtles use in the wild so they like it. Here's an example:

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewt ... 535#140535

this one is wedged in between the walls of the tank. I've also seen rubber suckers attached to the cork bark that can be used to hold it in place.

You can get cork bark on-line. Here's a place that sells it:

http://www.bigappleherp.com/Zoo-Med-Natural-Cork-Bark

In the past I've bought cork bark from this place though the link doesn't seem to work today:

http://www.blackjungle.com/Merchant2/me ... ry_Code=C3