The foam background I sprayed on a piece of aluminum foil looks fantastic especially since I carved out plant holes of the lumps. Problem is, it is not tall enough for the tank. It was just practice anyway. My friend Ken explained about about fiberglass and Bondo (sp?) but it sounds complicated and for a speedy-working professional at vivarium building. This tall tank is a work in progress and I'm not in a hurry. I've got the plastic grid cut for the bottom and some black screening in place. I need some PVC pipe and more rocks, plus a bigger background. I think I'll go the carved craft foam and press coco fiber into it.
In the meantime, I'm spraying water on the tropical plants I couldn't resist buying on sale. My little tiger-legged seems to be doing fine in the first tank and I used the tip: putting a piece of netting in the water bowl so the crickets can climb out. Thanks.