Terra/Vivarium Background materials questionsZoo Med Excavator Clay Burrowing Substrate

[Vertrose]

I have been able to find very little information about this here or on other sites, perhaps no one has tried it before or maybe Im just not looking hard enough.

In any case I have been trying to get a background set up for my frogs( fire bellies) for quite sometime. I have tried the kitty litter clay background with no success of getting the litter to moisten up into clay form. Ive been looking into just buying the clay from Laguna or some other clay dstributor, but I have just come across Zoo Med Excavator Clay Burrowing Substrate. Has anyone used that before to make a background with it? I would be mixing it with Sphagnum, peat and some cocofiber for texture and hopefully get some plants and mosses to grow in it in turn.

If it would work for the fire bellies, Id like to try my luck with using it for some future Whites I have in mind on getting. I have many sizes of tanks, from a 5 gallon, a couple of 20's, 4 40 gal and a 72-75 bow front. I would to get the bowfront up and running, but little tests first to be sure it work out well, rather than wasting a boatload of money on a failure.

Anyway, thoughts?

I dont want to harm my lovelies with an ill chosen idea before asking those more knowledgeable than I.


PS this was the idea I was trying to follow

[Mentat]

Hello and welcome to FF! Seen the excavator clay been used in dry desert type set-ups; not in humid frog vivariums. Is there a reason why you are not going with the standard carved insulation foam or canned spray expanding foam (black water proof version)? They can be shaped and covered with different substrates you mentioned, by using aquarium silicone or Titebond 3. There is lots of information on how to do those in forum vivarium section, here is one of most detailed one: http://www.frogforum.net/vivarium-te...aludarium.html .

[Vertrose]

Well, I wanted to be able to have plants growing in the background. and I while I would be misting the tank every day, I live on teh third floor of an apartment building, so it gets very hot up here, I was hoping to add a bit of extra humidity to the tank.

And I have actually tried the spray foam background method...I hated working with it. I would prefer a rather more hands on approach to being able to sculpt and mold a background.

For the big tank I was thinking of using the styrofoam board and sculpting that into a waterfall, painting it, and the covering it in clear silicone and adding the clay onto it as well as plants.

[DartfrogDan]

im no expert nor have i made my own background,but i think as you were spraying the clay it may go runny but im not sure,however im sure some one a lot more knowledgable than me will pitch in.

[Mentat]

According to Zoo Meds own video, getting Excavator Clay wet will return it to its original form. So only way to use it would be to seal it with a waterproof paint or material once you are done sculpting and it's dry. If any leaks happen, your decor will crumble .

[Vertrose]

Actually the intent is for it stay moist and pliable, that way any plants that are growing in it, the roots will help keep it in place. Id like to try to get some moss to grow on it if possible. I think in theory it would work out fine, but Im worried about any toxicity it might have for the frogs. Thats the main thing Im concerned about. I could order the two Bentonite clays that were recommended from my own research from Laguna, but If I could get some premixed clay material it would easier..not sure if cheaper, but it might be less hassle to work with.

[deranged chipmunk]

kitty litter is the easiest to make a clay background from. the key is letting it soak for a day or two to soften it up. a clay background will not add moisture to a tank, but wll actually suck it out. clay dries very quickly and as it does, absorbs humidity. unless you are keeping the fbt tank at extremely high humidity levels (95-100%) it WILL dry out, no matter how many times you mist. that is why it is used in dart frog tanks primarily. Jason Grimm (whose tank you linked to) wrote some interesting articles on the clay background on dendroboard.

personally, i have built a few clay backgrounds and found they weren't worth it in a lower humidity enclosure. they dry out and crumble. with regular misting you can grow plants and moss on any surface. i have yet to find a background i couldn't grow plants and moss on, including concrete/grout

[Vertrose]

Ive worked with clay before, had a job in a tile making factory a while back. You do make a valid point I hadnt thought of and shouldve remembered about it drying out quickly, though. I had been thinking of running some cotton roping I had through the clay to wick up moisture from beneath the false bottom should it get too dry, but had forgotten just how much it dries. I had wanted to test it out, but as said below, I hadnt had the opportunity.

As for letting the kitty litter soak for a day or two, the type i used(special kitty, as shown in the vid) I let it soak for a week straight and only a small amount had softened up. Maybe it was just that particular batch, Im not sure. Got really frustrated with it to say the least.


Hmmm. Well, should I get around to it, perhaps Ill try it out in the 5 gallon with no frogs instead, would be good experience even if it doesnt work, at the very least. Humidity and plant knowledge to be gained is always a good thing.

Ill have to think about this more. Maybe ill give the expanding foam another shot, I do know that I liked being able to sculpt the foam boards though.

Well, thank you much for imparting your knowledge and arguments towards my idea, Dan and Carlos. Youve been very helpful and I greatly appreciate your input. Ill be sure to come to you guys if I have any more questions or updates on my planned tank.


Thanks again, Take Care.

[Pop Alexandra]

The video isn't available anymore.
Is it uploaded somewhere else?
___________________________
Alexandra
RBI Heavy Equipment