My First PDF Build Log

[deranged chipmunk]

the silicone you used is safe. but your thought on it is a bit skewed. when it comes to being animal (in this case frog) safe, it has zero to do with whether or not the animal comes in contact with it, but whether or not it will leech chemicals into the tank that are potentially toxic to the animal. most people think "it's just holding my background on" but guess what? water vapor WILL get behind the background. water will get everywhere. and if water, even in vapor form, comes in contact with such a material, will cause chemicals to leech out, poisoning the tank. fortunately, in this instance, you chose the correct silicone.

looks good so far. i am though kind of intrigued as to how you are going to add planters to that background and still make it look seamless.

[buggerdtp]

Ok, well I'm glad I chose the right silicone then. And I don't quite understand what you mean by "make it look seamless". I was just planning on using GS to attach the planters to the background in a few different spots. Actually just picked up 4 2" pots from the hydroponics store around the corner. I had forgot about them. Can't wait to make some more progress!

[deranged chipmunk]

making it look seemless, um....like it belongs. natural looking. a 2" pot is going to root bind any plant you put in there extremely quickly. i rarely use anything smaller than a 3" or 4" pot. plants need room to grow, especially the roots. just a friendly hint on those.

[buggerdtp]

My hope for the 2" pots was that it would restrict the growth of some plants so they don't get too big. I've only got a 20 gallon tank and don't want plants, especially those on the background to get too large. 3-4" pots might start taking up a lot of space on the background, too. I'm going to give these a shot. I'm going to secure them along the edge of the "ledge", so maybe that will make it look natural.

[deranged chipmunk]

okey dokey

[buggerdtp]

On second thought, maybe I'll just put some epiphytic plants and moss along the ledge and forgo planters. That might look nicer. Also, thanks for the advice. I have a hard time visioning what this will look like in the end. I learn better by doing haha.

[buggerdtp]

Progress has been very slow. Grad school and a lack of $$ doesn't help, but I've mostly been working on covering the background with TBIII and coco fiber. It took a while for things to dry, then I covered thin/missed parts again. I also extended one of the ledges to be bigger. Tonight, I got around to adding black aquarium gravel to the edges of the FB to hide it. It turned out pretty well, I think. Next, I'll be ordering some ABG soil, sphagnum moss, and leaf litter from Josh's frogs. I'll also get a cork bark log to add to the terrarium as well. This way, I can plant the cork bark log and the background with epiphytes.

Not the greatest of iPhone pictures, but this gives you an idea of where I am.

Dave