Glue? And my first viv "build".

[Kisa]

Hey guys, I had a quick question regarding adhesives and a few pointers if anyone has any for me.

I was going to use these ideas on my White's viv but I guess I chickened out...>> I have another opportunity though and I think it's time to take it. I won't be building my own background like all you amazing people out there who have the patience and knowledge to do so, but I want to customize a styrofoam background and build ledges and a stick into it to utilize the vertical space in my 12x12x18 Exo Terra.

I'll be receiving two Phyllomedusa Tomopterna by the end of next week so I have a little time for an adhesives to dry and cure before I put the frogs into the viv, so ANY suggestions AT ALL are helpful. XD I want to steer clear of silicone and foam though, I don't think I'll be needing that for what I want to do.

I'll upload some pictures below to give you all a better idea of what I'm talking about, but the project is as such: I want to use mushrooms to build little ledges against the back wall of my viv into the styrofoam background and I was wondering what you all thought was the best way to do this. The way I'm thinking of it now is I will be cutting out little "cubbies" and sticking the mushrooms into them, along with some sort of adhesive to keep them stable to create the ledges I want. I'll also be putting a stick in there to keep IT stable and create a climb for the frogs. (My Whites Tree Frog is so terrestrial something like this in his viv would probably be a waste anyway, he hasn't even tried to climb any of the plants or cool sticks I put in there for him. The closest he's gotten to the bromeliad is just to sit on the bridge nearby and stare at it. >>)

Now I heard from a friend that I could use gorilla glue in the background as adhesive to stick the mushrooms in and keep them stable, but my uncle (whose been a plumber for 30 years) said that gorilla glue would melt the styrofoam. Is this true? I'm not sure at this point who I should believe, my uncle seems pretty adamant about that fact. Has anyone used gorilla glue on styrofoam before? And if so, what were your results?

I think I found a solution to anchoring the stick though, my uncle suggested I use a screw to anchor it to the background and keep it stable, I think this will work but if anyone has any other suggestions I would greatly appreciate the input.

Here are those pictures I talked about before:

Here is the styrofoam background (12x18) and stick I'll be using from different angles.






And here are the mushrooms I'll be working with, currently baking to remove bacteria.

(Thanks again Ginger!)

Thanks in advance to anyone who has thoughts or suggestions, I'm really looking forward to doing this "build". ^ ^

[Kisa]

Oh, also I just remembered.

I wanted to ask also if anyone had any suggestions for plants to use in a P. Tomopterna's viv. I'm not very familiar with this type of thing, but I do use real plants in my WTFs viv (A flowering bromeliad, a snake plant and some lucky bamboo). I want avoid using the same exact set up for the P. Tomopterna so if anyone has any suggestions regarding that they would be awesome to hear.

I received these pictures from DonLisk when I asked him for pointers on how to change my WTFs viv, to great success (Thanks again Don) and was wondering if anyone could tell me what kind of plant this is. I'm not sure where he got these pictures, but they're water-marked, so that should be ok.

http://www.frogforum.net/members/unc...y-treefrog.jpg

http://www.frogforum.net/members/unc...y-treefrog.jpg

This is also the kind of look I wanted to achieve, with the mushroom as a ledge, so for anyone who was confused on what I was talking about, there it is. I won't be sticking the mushrooms to glass though they'll be going into the styrofoam, so keep that in mind. I'm also interested in creating a planted ledge like the one in this picture (the part with the plant hanging down) but making a sort of planter out of an old juice carton or something.

Thanks in advance again for any feedback you guys may have, I'm really new to this stuff and wanted as much help as I could get before I dived right in. XD;

[Kisa]

Here are some more reference pictures for you, sorry about all the posts before anyone's had a chance to reply, but I thought I'd get all this out of the way.

Here is how I think the mushrooms will be arranged without the stick.


And here's how I'm hoping it'll look with the stick in place.


Thanks everyone!

[John]

Glue: You do want Gorilla Glue, but not the normal Gorilla Glue. You want the stuff that says on the bottle "Dries White". It won't do much damage to foam I believe.

As for the plant, it's either Pothos or a Philodendron (both kinds of plant called Aroids).

[Kisa]

Glue: You do want Gorilla Glue, but not the normal Gorilla Glue. You want the stuff that says on the bottle "Dries White". It won't do much damage to foam I believe.

As for the plant, it's either Pothos or a Philodendron (both kinds of plant called Aroids).

Alright, that's really helpful thanks John. I'll go take a look at those two plants and see if I can figure it out. Both of those are safe for the viv right? I assume so I just want to make sure. And if anyone has any ideas about that white frilly-looking mushroom that would help me out, I can't seem to pinpoint what exactly it's called. I know the darker hard ones are called Artist's Conch (thanks to Ginger), but she wasn't sure about the other ones. I'm pretty sure they aren't poisonous though, and I baked them so that should've gotten rid of anything harmful inside them.

Thanks for taking the time to help me out John, I really appreciate it. ^ ^

[DonLisk]

The pics are from this forum of a members viv :-)
One of the nicest vivs I seen for artistic ideas and layout.

Gorilla Glue is awesome and no smell pretty much. Remember is expands three times the size that you squeeze out and don't get it on your hands, it will take some time to get it all off.

You can wipe away excess as it foams out over time (I checked every half hour or so at 1st) and remember to dampen the area you are going to apply the glue to since that is what helps it adhere and activate.

[Kisa]

The pics are from this forum of a members viv :-)
One of the nicest vivs I seen for artistic ideas and layout.

Gorilla Glue is awesome and no smell pretty much. Remember is expands three times the size that you squeeze out and don't get it on your hands, it will take some time to get it all off.

You can wipe away excess as it foams out over time (I checked every half hour or so at 1st) and remember to dampen the area you are going to apply the glue to since that is what helps it adhere and activate.

Yeah I found the member after I posted the pictures and left a comment letting him know that I posted them but didn't take credit or anything.

I went out and got the Gorilla Glue and am testing it on a piece of styrofoam now. If it all works out I should start modifying the background tomorrow. Hopefully it will be ok for the mushrooms too.

Thanks for the pointers Don, sorry I doubted you but my uncle seemed pretty sure that it would melt the foam. From what it looks like now I don't think it will though, I should be in business in no time!

[Kisa]

So I think I'm going to be starting the build tomorrow, here is my list of supplies as of now:

1 Bag of Hydro Balls (Drainage)
1 Block of Plantation Soil (Substrate)
1 1/3 Bag of Fluker's Terrarium Moss
1 Bag of Sea Grape Leaf Litter (Have yet to receive)
1 Foot long driftwood stick
3 Artist Conk Mushrooms
3 Oyster Mushrooms
1 12x18 Exo Terra Rock Styrofoam Background
2 Exo Terra Jungle Plants
1 Exo Terra Jungle Vine
1 Liquid Crystal Thermometer
1 26 watt Exo Terra 5.0 Bulb
1 25 watt Exo Terra Night Glo Bulb
1 Exo Terra Heatwave Rainforest Substrate Heater (Small)
1 Exo Terra Compact Top (Small)

and of course...

1 Exo Terra 12x12x18 Vivarium

I think that's everything...when I look at it in a list like this it looks like so much. >< But what's done is done. XD

I plan on adding whatever live plants I decide on in there, along with another Exo Terra Jungle Vine and a Hygrometer.

Is there anything besides all this stuff that anyone thinks I need? I know it's a long list to go through, but if anyone can think of anything please let me know in a reply.

Thanks!

[Leefrogs]

I would set this mush upside down. It makes a nice flat perch. Still looks cool. I've never used gorilla glue. Always used silicone. Good luck, lots to do!!! Can't wait!!

[DonLisk]

"I think I found a solution to anchoring the stick though, my uncle suggested I use a screw to anchor it to the background and keep it stable, I think this will work but if anyone has any other suggestions I would greatly appreciate the input." Quote

I would keep away from anything such as screws or tie wraps or wire since they could over time rust.
Use a dab or the gorilla glue where you want the branch to stay. Let the gorilla glue foam up for a bit, then put the branch into it. You may need to add a dab or two after it sets but that will eliminate the screw.

As the gorilla glue sets up you can also press substrate into it to make it for appearance. Use cheap rubber gloves.

[Kisa]

Oh that's right Don I didn't think about rust...thanks for the heads up I would've gone straight in and screwed it if you hadn't left this comment. I'll try out the Gorilla Glue on the stick, hopefully it's not too heavy for the glue though...and I didn't want to Glue exposed so I might have to make a cutout for the stick as well, but that should be ok.

Thanks, Don! I'll keep you all updated.

[Kisa]

Just an update on the way the background's going.

Here's me and my friend trying to shove some moss in the spaces between the mushrooms and the styrofoam.


Here's the background after some progress, anchoring the mushrooms with a stick because our arms got tired. XD


And here's the finished product, but sideways. We glued some moss onto the background for a more natural look.


Here's the background from another angle. I'm actually really proud of the way it turned out. I think it looks good for my first customization project.


Sorry these pictures bulk up the page. I got a little overwhelmed and wanted to document everything.

By the way, the leaf litter came in today and I added some to my WTF's viv and will be putting them in my P. Tomopterna's viv as well. I also picked up a golden pothos and small snake plant for live decor and another cool stick and some pebbles to fill out the ground a bit. I'll be taking pictures of the whole thing once I start filling the viv within the next few days so you guys can see what I mean. ^ ^

Quick question: Is it ever too early to set up a viv? I want it to be ready for the frogs but they're not coming in for another week or so and I don't want to set up the viv and have it sit there for a week with them not in it if it's a bad idea. I heard that you can set up vivs a month in advance, is that true? O:

Thanks for checking this out!
Brit

[Leefrogs]

looks good! Uv opperated this viv before so for operational purposes there's no need to set up. But it's going to take a day to get warm for your new babes. I say set up anyway. Cuz you'll always want to tweek a vine or move a plant. And these guys are going to be extremely stressed out after the long trip from Detroit. So setting up now will help get all the kinks out and everything warm and perfect for Lil monkeys!!! LOL.

[DonLisk]

Looks great. Get the viv up and going. The longer the plants are in, the better they will be rooted and settled before the frogs move in.

[clownonfire]

Kisha, it looks fantastic!!! Congrats and you seem to be having a blast.

I looked at the list you have and I didn't see a piece of mesh (window screen), unless I missed it. If you put some mesh between the hydro balls and the layer of earth, it will help prevent intrusion of it in the hydro balls.

Have fun today with it!

[DonLisk]

Kisha, it looks fantastic!!! Congrats and you seem to be having a blast.

I looked at the list you have and I didn't see a piece of mesh (window screen), unless I missed it. If you put some mesh between the hydro balls and the layer of earth, it will help prevent intrusion of it in the hydro balls.

Have fun today with it!

Good catch Eric! I did this once and eewwww what a mess trying to correct it.

[Kisa]

looks good! Uv opperated this viv before so for operational purposes there's no need to set up. But it's going to take a day to get warm for your new babes. I say set up anyway. Cuz you'll always want to tweek a vine or move a plant. And these guys are going to be extremely stressed out after the long trip from Detroit. So setting up now will help get all the kinks out and everything warm and perfect for Lil monkeys!!! LOL.

Haha that's quite true Ginger. XD Yeah I wanna make this as easy as possible for the frogs, I wish there was some alternative to shipping but it costs less than a round trip plane ticket and I wouldn't be able to have them in the plane with me anyway... Oh well, if I set up the viv now and make it all warmed up and pretty for them then I'm sure it'll make things ten times easier. ^ ^ Thanks Ginger.

[Kisa]

Looks great. Get the viv up and going. The longer the plants are in, the better they will be rooted and settled before the frogs move in.

Good point. For some reason I get sad when I think of setting up a viv and having nothing in it. XD; It's like if a friend comes over and gets all excited and peeks in and I have to tell them they're not here yet. I think that's what my problem is, but I'll get over it. XD It's only a week after all.

[Kisa]

Kisha, it looks fantastic!!! Congrats and you seem to be having a blast.

I looked at the list you have and I didn't see a piece of mesh (window screen), unless I missed it. If you put some mesh between the hydro balls and the layer of earth, it will help prevent intrusion of it in the hydro balls.

Have fun today with it!

Thanks Eric! I'm working really hard to make this viv as awesome as possible for the new frogs. ^ ^ I hope it's up to their standards, is all. XD

You know the mesh has always been in the back of my mind, I just forgot to put it on the list. XD; Oops! Thanks for saying something though if I really had forgotten your message definitely would have set me straight. ^ ^

Thanks again, I'm gonna start setting up soon. I'll take a bunch of pictures!

[bshmerlie]

Its coming along great. I can't wait to see what it looks like when you've got everything in the tank all set up. I'm sure your frogs will be happy.