20 Gallon Vertical Build Journal

[Voltage]

The tincs I saw today were climing up and down in a 10 vert... But it's looking good and I hope your foam doesn't shrink off the glass

[DonLisk]

Thanks Voltage. I just finished putting the silicone and substrate to it so I'll add more later tonight. I was amazed the Great Stuff was completely dry to the glass in 12 - 14 hours.

[DonLisk]

Part II

Below are photos of the foam and accents in place prior to the addition of the GE Silicone II and Substrate.

I applied the GE Silicone II Black to the foam which took a total of 2 1/2 tube to completely cover. I completed the applying of silicone and addition of substrate materials by dividing top, center, and bottom into separate sections.
Below are some pictures of the three sections once the substrate was applied.

And here are some pictures of the tank with the background completed.

I will allow this to dry and will rinse down multiple times by spraying down with the mister to ensure loose substrate particles are removed.
I will note here that once I have the substrate applied to the silicone, and pressed in firmly, I allow to dry overnight, then brush off excess substrate with a stiff bristle paint brush to break loose substrate that has not attached well.

I will also note here that I noticed the Great Stuff Foam did slightly shrink on the right side of the tank and slightly detach from the glass, but this was filled in with the addition of silicone and substrate for the background covering.

Hope you find this useful.

[John]

Thanks for this, Don. One aspect of terrarium building that I never expected is that everyone has their own design ideas, and even when we borrow the ideas of other people we always have our own spin on them. This is definitely a Don Lisk terrarium. Even if I tried to imitate it really carefully I know it would never be a Don Lisk original .

[DonLisk]

I know what you mean John. I see so many that I wish to grab design ideas from and they never come out like the original I was thinking of.

[SludgeMunkey]

Looks great Don! A quick suggestion, before you get too far along with the build, you may want to poke a meat skewer into the thicker portions of the foam to vent gasses and help it cure at the core. I found that the foam surface cures quickly, but stays pretty gooshy and out gasses for weeks otherwise.

I can't wait to see the finished product so I can steal your ideas!

[DonLisk]

Looks great Don! A quick suggestion, before you get too far along with the build, you may want to poke a meat skewer into the thicker portions of the foam to vent gasses and help it cure at the core. I found that the foam surface cures quickly, but stays pretty gooshy and out gasses for weeks otherwise.

I can't wait to see the finished product so I can steal your ideas!

Thanks. I'll do that tonight for something to do since I can't work on much more until I have glass and the smell out.
I can't wait to get the glass cut this Tuesday so I can start working on the front.