Got a good deal on a large Exo-terra terrarium. It's a big one, 36x36x18". Turning it into a new enclosure for my tree frogs, but at the moment I haven't decided if my Whites or Red Eyes are going into it yet.
Found an awesome piece of Cypress driftwood with lots of branches at an aquarium supply store. I put the 12pk box next to it for size reference. Too large and heavy to go into the terrarium whole, but with a couple of cuts I was able to get 3 really good looking pieces while still leaving lots of branches for the frogs to climb on.
I really like the look of the great stuff foam backgrounds, so that's what I have decided to do with this tank. I've heard other people say that they have had the foam separate from the glass. The foam sticks really well to silicone though, so I laid down a coating of it on the glass before hand. It will also help with the look of the outside of the tank, as people will not see yellow foam when looking at it from the side, just black.
Next I laid out the pieces of wood and my planters where I wanted them. Took a while to decide how to lay them out, but finally came to this decision.
Next it's time for the foam. Greatstuff Window and Door expanding foam. Locked the branches into place first.
Next the rest of the background and the planters. I let it dry overnight.
Next was more silicone. For anyone wondering I used the GE Black Silicone II for windows. Using a pair of gloves I spread the silicone over the foam. I decided that due to the large size of the tank, I was going to have to cover the foam in sections.
Next came the Eco-earth. I debated on using the Eco-earth or peat moss. I've heard mixed reviews on using peat moss so I went with the Eco-earth. Piled it onto the still sticky silicone, pressing it down and letting the silicone dry.
Little by little I covered the rest of the enclosure.
After it was all covered, I brushed off the excess Eco-earth and looked for places that needed touching up.
*Things I had to learn the hard way so you hopefully won't have to*
Be generous the silicone. Touching up is a giant pain. If you can see the foam, you don't have enough on. I had lots of little spots to cover up. If you're asking yourself "Do I have enough on here?" then you don't. Add some more silicone.
After the first touch up. I still have more to do but I have to let it dry first.
While I let the touch ups dry, I went ahead and cleaned up the glass on the side with a razor blade.
So far I'm pretty satisfied with the progress I've made. More pics to come when I make more progress.
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