Backgrounds

[Teh Frog Whisperer]

What is the most suitable material for a dart frog background? And is there any specific kind of adhesive I would need to attach the background and driftwood and stuff?

[Paul Rust]

You can use any ready made background panel from a pet store and secure it to the tank with silicone. You can simply hang moss on suction cup hooks. You are limited only by your imagination. Here is a build that John shared with us. This is really cool and I am looking for a new tank now to make one similar to this. I hope you don't mind the referral John.
http://www.frogforum.net/terrariums-...struction.html

[John]

The easiest is probably to use a tree fern panel and use several dabs of aquarium silicone to stick it into the terrarium.

[SludgeMunkey]

The easiest is probably to use a tree fern panel and use several dabs of aquarium silicone to stick it into the terrarium.

I disagree.

The easiest is to paint, glue, or tape a picture on the outside of the glass. I am a fan of matte black spray paint for just this purpose.


As for background choices, I could probably write you a three hundred page PDF on all sorts of really cool ways to make your own backgrounds and I still would not be able to cover every method. I have done everything from gluing tree bark to the tank , to sculpting rocks, painting pictures, and even at one point, printing out one of John's photos from over at Caudata.org and taping it in place.

Lately I have been using concrete and styrofoam, cork bark and silicone, and have been experimenting with various mixtures of acrylic resin and sand.

[Paul Rust]

Lately I have been using concrete and styrofoam, cork bark and silicone, and have been experimenting with various mixtures of acrylic resin and sand.

I've been messing with soft set concrete and various tinting to make rock wall backgrounds. A little more practice with carving Styrofoam and it looks promising.

[SludgeMunkey]

In my experiments, Quickcrete Acrylic fortifier used in place of water with Quickcrete FastSet Repair Mortar to be the ideal combination. I have used a few other Quickcrete cement products over the last year or so, but this one truly meets all the needs of the amphibian hobbyist.

The secret to carving foam is the right tools!

One of these:

Wonder Cutter PLUS! Styrofoam Cutter

and one of these:

The Wonder Cutter Styrofaom Cutter

and you can make ANYTHING out of polystyrene foams.

I also use a Dremel tool, a Sawzall, and all sorts of home made cutting blades. Then again as John can tell you, I tend to "nuke" just about everything I do. My methods get results, but they may not always be the most efficient. LOL