Do I Need A Background For My Terrarium

Custom Background Terrarium Tutorial

Custom Vivarium Background Guide

How to build great looking backgrounds for Vivariums & terrariums

This guide is intended for adult enthusiasts, and should not exist otherwise attempted without adult supervision This commodity volition explain the process we use when building a custom polyurethane & silicone based vivarium background. With excellent longevity, a fairly depression cost, and a straightforward construction procedure, we've found this mode to exist the best background solution for a alive vivarium. (Although information technology works for not-live enclosures, too!) This method isn't the to the lowest degree expensive or quickest way, merely the long-lasting finished product is worth the time & expense in our opinion. These backgrounds are best suited for small/medium temperate or tropical species, and they agree up perfectly in highly humid conditions.

What y'all'll demand to build your own

Nosotros stock everything you'll need to become the job washed right!

Pace 1: Initial Silicone Layer

This ensures the background will stick well to the glass, and also offers a good way to conceal the foam work from view

(Yours won't have anything also silicone within yet) This important step ensures a tight, fifty-fifty looking seal against the glass terrarium being used. Some DIY guides skip this of import step to save a piddling time & money. Unfortunately without it, the ugly foam is visible from the outsides of the enclosure, and the groundwork will be more than likely to autumn abroad from the drinking glass. To start, throw on some latex gloves and use a thin, even layer of blackness aquarium grade silicone along whatsoever section of the drinking glass panels you'll exist building the background on. This layer should exist less than 1/eight" thick, which both conserves silicone, while assuasive for the fastest cure time. We advise aiming to apply the thinnest layer possible while ensuring the layer all the same appears opaque when viewed from the outside of the enclosure. A putty knife/spreader is a huge help when information technology comes to spreading out this thin layer, as any spots over one/8in thick tin take significantly longer to cure. In our example, the background extends from the back to both sides. The initial silicone layer's edges do not need to be perfect, since they will exist getting trimmed in the final steps. A more of import goal during this footstep is to continue the silicone looking bubble-costless when viewed from the outside in. If you lot are building a live vivarium (we are in this example), information technology's all-time to not add silicone all the way to the bottom, since the bottom few inches will be taken up by the drainage & substrate layers. If you are building a background for an enclosure without these thick substrate layers, the initial silicone layer tin continue from tiptop-to-bottom. * Permit 48+ hours to cure before proceeding! *
Aiming a fan at the silicone helps speed up the process. Don't continue to the next step if y'all suspect it isn't 100% cured! If uncured silicone is sealed-in past more silicone and/or foam, air volition not accomplish information technology, and it's curing process may slow or stop completely.

Step 2: Foam & Decor

Positioning & mounting all the decor for hardscaping

At present the fun begins. Identify any pieces of vivarium safe forest, rocks, or vines onto your groundwork to get a visual idea of what yous'll be edifice. In one case y'all've decided on a layout, you can lightly tack them to the background using polyurethane foam. Simply employ some foam on the underside of the pieces you'll be using (where they'll contact the silicone-covered glass panel), and set them in identify. If you lot are using heavier decor, or don't have much surface expanse to attach the wood decor to the groundwork, we propose using an additional dab of silicone to add structural integrity to the piece. In that case, waiting 24 hours for that to cure will be necessary before proceeding with foam. One time the decor is settled into identify, you tin begin to cream-in around them, building as realistic of a pattern as possible. Nosotros suggest using inexpensive Cracking Stuff cream for this purpose. Foaming Terrarium Background

Past allowing the foam to cure for about 7-10 minutes, information technology should actually exist pliable enough for y'all to push, pull, and grade it using your hands before further sculpting is necessary. We strongly suggest using latex gloves for this step, as polyurethane cream does not wash off. Depending on the depth of the foam, information technology will fix & harden after about 30-lx minutes of application. Although the exterior may be difficult to the bear on, the within may even so be very pliable. For this reason, we recommend waiting 12 hours before using a razor knife or sculpting tool to shape ledges, platforms, vines, roots, and whatsoever else you'd like to see into the foam. New foam sticks well to cured foam, so if y'all aren't happy with the initial result, you can ever apply a trivial more to re-sculpt later. Polyurethane foam cans are mostly considered "one-fourth dimension-employ", and nosotros propose finishing the foam parts of your project within i hour of opening a can. In the above photos, nosotros used 5 smaller cork rounds to create that "cork tree" look, with each piece being held together with silicone. Cork bark rarely arrives looking that fashion, due to the way it's removed from the trees. To brand a long story short, "finding the perfect cork tree" is actually more most building the perfect cork tree out of small, easy to obtain, inexpensive cork rounds + flats. In all, the above build used three cork flats, and five cork tubes to consummate the await. Once the silicone property the cork rounds together cured, we filled the hollow parts with foam to add rigidity, and reduce the hazard of an animal getting inside a tube. A side-note relating to unlike foam types:
Pond cream is an alternative choice we've seen being used lately. Considering it'due south about 300% more expensive and gets covered with silicone & background mix anyway, we recommend (and use!) the usual Great Stuff product. Furthermore, in our experience, pond cream expands more than the standard Great Stuff foam, which makes it a little more than difficult to work with. * Permit 24 hours to cure before proceeding if you lot but used foam! Allow 48-72 hours if yous used cream and/or silicone. *
Aiming a fan at the silicone helps speed upwards the procedure. Don't continue to the side by side step if you doubtable it isn't 100% cured!

Stride three: Silicone & Texturing

The nigh hard part, and the last step before things start to look right aesthetically

This is the most difficult step of the project, and it will crave appropriate preparation for the best result. For this reason, it's critical to ensure you lot have everything ready to go before you begin to utilize silicone. We've ever urged clients to mix their own background texture substrate for the all-time aesthetic effect. A mixture of fine-grade coconut fiber, medium-form coconut cobweb, and peat moss is an excellent pick. Since our commodity first went live back in 2010, we've adult our own proven Custom Groundwork Texture Substrate that's specifically mixed for this purpose, and can provide more than dimension & a better visual effect than coconut fiber would alone. Once your background mix is prepared, apply a new layer of silicone over all of the exposed existing silicone and polyurethane foam. Be sure to completely embrace the foam and if you accept to, add a trivial extra onto the edges touching your decor add-ins to exist sure they look appropriately composite in. (It can easily exist trimmed later if you utilize too much.) The silicone should completely embrace all of the foam and original black silicone, and should not be practical thicker than i/8". Here's the tricky part... After applying the silicone, there is only a vii-10 minute window to apply the background mix earlier the silicone begins to get tacky. Once silicone "tacks upwardly" and begins to cure, the background mix volition non stick, so it's imperative to work rapidly. Working in a highly humid, warm location volition help to extend the time before silicone cures, and working without fans bravado on the project volition also help give y'all the almost fourth dimension possible. Information technology can be a pain to go back and correct errors, and difficult to brand corrections wait perfect, then it'south oft best to practice earlier proceeding. Later on the silicone layer is applied, pour a bunch (more than than you'll utilise) of the background substrate mix onto the silicone and gently, evenly press it into place. Be sure to remember where all the pocket-size details and crevices are! Permit your terrarium to sit background side face with the Background Mix pile nevertheless on pinnacle of the drying silicone for at least an hour. (Overnight is ideal) If you've applied silicone & background texture mix to the sides & background simultaneously, don't try and remove the remaining pile(s). Waiting awhile will ensure that the silicone can concur on to as much of the texture mix as it can. Once y'all are confident it'south mostly cured, the enclosure can exist placed face-up and the texture can exist gently removed. Paintbrushes piece of work great, just gently blowing it down works well likewise. Once cleaned upwardly, it should wait something like the inset photo. * Permit 48-72 hours before proceeding. *

Step four: Trim Work + Touch-Ups

It'southward all downhill from here!

At this point, we take what looks like the beginnings of a nice custom groundwork, although the edges & Background Mix blanket may not quite be perfect yet. From here, whatever missed spots with bare foam or silicone showing can be carefully touched upwardly with a sparse layer of silicone & Groundwork Mix. As always, try to limit the silicone awarding thickness to 1/8" or less, to ensure it can cure chop-chop & completely. If any pointed edges of foam are sticking out past the silicone, they may be difficult to cover up effectively. In this case, carefully removing the edge using a crafting pocketknife or razor will let for a nice, flat surface. At that signal, a repair of silicone + more Custom Background Mix is an like shooting fish in a barrel task. Any portions of forest decor that were unintentionally covered by foam or silicone can ordinarily be scraped & trimmed back without much endeavour. Information technology'due south nice to avoid this step, but that's often easier said than done.

Using paper towels carefully taped around wood pieces tin can help forbid adventitious-silicone coverage, and make the task a little less touchy. After touching up whatsoever missed spots with a footling silicone & texture mix, you are set for final trim work. All that'south left to practice is neatly trim the edges of the silicone back to wherever you'd similar them to exist using a razor blade. Be conscientious not to striking any noticeably thicker silicone or cream for the thinnest edge-lines. You'll be trimming the outsides of the background (shown beneath) and also annihilation overlapping the (in our example) cork feature on the inside of the vivarium that yous'd like removed. When you are washed trimming the edges it should wait something like the inset photos. * Allow 48-72 hours before proceeding. *
Aiming a fan at the enclosure at this step helps speed up the procedure. Don't continue to the adjacent pace if you suspect information technology isn't 100% cured!

Footstep five: Custom Vivarium / Terrarium Background Completed!

Constitute It, Seed It, and Savor!

That'due south information technology! In one case the custom groundwork is completely cured, it's ready for planting & seeding! For comprehensive, step-past-step instructions on how to build a long lasting live vivarium, bank check out our Vivarium Construction 101 article.

Thanks for choosing united states as your vivarium info source!

We hope you'll cull united states every bit your vivarium supply source, likewise!

View Custom Groundwork Kits

(Includes everything y'all'll need to build a vivarium background like the ones shown in this article!) Whether you'll exist creating a large commercial exhibit, or only building a quick & like shooting fish in a barrel live environment for a pet Frog or Gecko, we have all the herp supplies, vivarium plants, and tons of NEHERP brand vivarium specialty supplies you won't find anywhere else. We're a family unit owned & operated business concern, and are e'er happy to help with 1-on-1 back up. Vivariums are what nosotros do, then if y'all accept whatsoever questions at all, don't hesitate to contact the states!

Vivarium-Related Kits

Base Kits

Packages of substrate, drainage layer media, and a screen separator for all common enclosure sizes.

Consummate Kits

Complete, configurable "one click" vivarium kits. Available with or without drinking glass enclosures.

Lighting Kits

Lighting for specific enclosure sizes, designed effectually our proven LED & Fluorescent solutions.

Plant Packs

Discounted plant packages designed for specific enclosure sizes and fauna species!

Vivarium-Related Supplies

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