Terrarium and Table

[ColleenT]

i got an Exo Terra on sale at Petco. this is the 18 x 18 x 24h. it was $99. my hubby made me a custom table for it. He built it slightly taller than most tables so it's at a good height to view. it will go over a standing AC unit in the living room, but won't be affected by the ac. the room will be kept at a decent temp. Hamburg Pa tomorrow for some decorations and water bowl. ( and who knows)

[awelcome]

that is my conundrum right now.... a table that is sturdy enough, big enough, but will also look good in my room and not cost a fortune. Wish my husband was as handy as yours!

[Mentat]

Congrats on enclosure and the table, it looks very nice . I like those themed ET backgrounds. If only could figure out a way to remove material from back to make skinnier without it crumbling into pieces .

[DigitalPunk]

Very nice table!

Carlos, us a Hotwire to cut the foam backgrounds

[deranged chipmunk]

Sweet setup!!


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

[awelcome]

I made mine thinner by just taking a serrated knife to the back and going over it slowly. You can also rub an old candle on the knife to help it slip in the styrofoam better. It's a hassle, but it's better afterward if you didn't need those cord slots.

[ColleenT]

Congrats on enclosure and the table, it looks very nice . I like those themed ET backgrounds. If only could figure out a way to remove material from back to make skinnier without it crumbling into pieces .

i am not in love with that background. i may or may not keep it in there. my frogs are young and very small and will still be on the small side when they go in there. i hate to think of them getting trapped back there. i might wait until they are full grown to add it.

[awelcome]

I think they attach pretty snugly, but I guess for mine I did go a size too big and trim down for as snug as possible.

[ColleenT]

this is what i have so far- and no, i won't look this way when i finish, just collecting things i will need, or like in the setup. i won't have substrate until the frogs are mid-sized, and i know they are both eating ok. i stuck a pothos in there bc i had an extra. i am getting a zoo med forest background, which looks like tree bark. i figure that it will be better for gray tree frogs to have a bark-looking background. still need a water dish, and some fake plants that suction on, and maybe a fake vine.

[awelcome]

I know you're set on a different background, but I had one more thought that might make this one work for you if you didn't want to buy another..... when I was trimming mine I got a little sloppy on the sides at one point, so there was just a very small gap. I wasn't worried about my frog getting back there, but my goal was to make it FF proof. I took some of the moss and just plugged that crack up and it completely fixed the issue and kind of looks nice too. I really think that's a cool background you have, but I think a tree look would be good too of course. Just offering up suggestions to make that work for you, or anyone else who might read this and have that issue.

[ColleenT]

thank you. i already ordered my forest background, but i will keep this one in storage and maybe someday i'll get bored and put this one back in. i don't hate it, but i don't love it, either. i do worry about crickets hiding behind this one, bc it has the channels for wiring. not sure about the new background, but i may or may not have to tweak it for cricket prevention.

[awelcome]

yeah, if you don't want the spot for wires on the back you can just trim it to be flat on the back. That's what I did, because I wanted to make it fly proof, but also wanted it as thin as possible in my small tank.

[DigitalPunk]

ColleenT,

If you are getting the thing I think you ordered it is actually real cork bark that has been glues to a manufactured cork backing. I used the same think in my Mantella and Red Eye tanks. Just a heads up. All of the ones we got had a sort of natural arch to them so they didn't sit flat. I took some silicone and smeared it all over the glass and then laid the panel on the glass and weighted it down so it layer flat. I let it sit like that for for 24 hours. This not only flattened it out, but ensures Flies, Crickets, or frogs can not get in behind it.

Can't wait to see how this turns out!

[ColleenT]

ColleenT,

If you are getting the thing I think you ordered it is actually real cork bark that has been glues to a manufactured cork backing. I used the same think in my Mantella and Red Eye tanks. Just a heads up. All of the ones we got had a sort of natural arch to them so they didn't sit flat. I took some silicone and smeared it all over the glass and then laid the panel on the glass and weighted it down so it layer flat. I let it sit like that for for 24 hours. This not only flattened it out, but ensures Flies, Crickets, or frogs can not get in behind it.

Can't wait to see how this turns out!

which silicone did you use, and how much?? how would you have to get it off in the future? scrape it off with a paint scraper?

[LilyPad]

Razor blade cleans silicone right off. My grey tree frog tank has a background siliconed in. I went around all the edges carefully and made sure there were no holes or crevices that crickets could get into. I do not intend on taking out the background anytime in the near future though, so I'm not overly concerned about needing to scrap out silicone.

[DigitalPunk]

Just use a razor blade to scrap away the silicone. Clean the area with an alcohol base cleaner and let it air dry for an hour or so. Then use aquarium safe silicone (or 100% silicone from the hardware store). Just make sure the silicone doesn't have any anti mold properties and it will be frog safe.

Apply a generous bead back to the area you scraped and with a gloved hand (latex, rubber.... anything you don't mind ruining) press your finger into the corner and smooth out the silicone (but don't remove all of the silicone). Let the silicone cure for 24 hours minimum. Add water back in and let the tank sit for a couple days. Look for leaks. If no leaks than you are good If you see a leak you have to repeat the whole process until the leak is fixed.

[ColleenT]

just got my background. i have to say i am totally impressed. it looks and feels like tree bark. it is very thick, almost an inch thick, but i don't think i could make it thinner without destroying it, so i'm fine with it. CLeaned the back wall, siliconed it and placed the background. no tweaking needed. fit like a glove. i have some big rocks on it now holding it flat for the next 24 hours.

the white you see on the far right is just reflection on the plastic wrap i had not removed yet.


you can see how thick it is.

[DigitalPunk]

Colleen those are great backgrounds. I have used them on 2 of my tanks so far. They look and feel like bark because they are that is the bark from a cork tree laid flat and glued to manufactured cork panels. You are doing it right by siliconing them on and putting something on them to press them down.

You will want to let the silicone cure for 24 hours before you remove the rocks

[ColleenT]

thanks. i am trying to be patient. my husband is tolerating me and all my froggy stuff taking over the dining room and living room. Once i get this set up a bit better, i'll be moving at least one frog in there. the other one is still not eating great, so i want to get him eating like a piggy before he joins his friend. of course my 2 speck-sized baby frogs in the 24 tall might get lost on me..waiting for 2 deliveries of stuff from LLL. light bulbs, a cricket container, and some more fake plants.

[ColleenT]

so far-