My background

[regalis]

Just a quick post to show how I made my background.

1. Cut hole in cork bark tube and stick to 10mm styrofoam. ( styrofoam cut to tank size).

2. Cut out the hole in the styrofoam board.

3. Spray the styrofoam board with expanding foam to desired depth. Leave to dry.

3. Carve out background taking off all the outer smooth surfaces of the expanding foam.

4. Cover carved out expanding foam with aquarium safe silicone.

5. Cover the background in dry substrate while the silicone is wet. Let dry and put it in the tank. (remember to silicone/ substrate around the"peep hole)

Let it dry and any smell disperse before you add the spider. ( I leave mine to "gas off" for a week).

 

[octanejunkie]

Looks very nice. Why aquarium safe silicone and not just spray adhesive?

 

[regalis]

Looks very nice. Why aquarium safe silicone and not just spray adhesive?

The substrate doesn't bond well when you put it in the foam. Some sinks, some falls off. Ends up looking like choc chip. Seen someone do it on yt. They ended up having to silicone/ substrate all the missing spots.

 

[JayManges]

Just a quick post to show how I made my background.
View attachment 447581. Cut hole in cork bark tube and stick to 10mm styrofoam. ( styrofoam cut to tank size).

View attachment 447592. Cut out the hole in the styrofoam board.

View attachment 447603. Spray the styrofoam board with expanding foam to desired depth. Leave to dry.

View attachment 447613. Carve out background taking off all the outer smooth surfaces of the expanding foam.

View attachment 447624. Cover carved out expanding foam with aquarium safe silicone.

View attachment 44763View attachment 447645. Cover the background in dry substrate while the silicone is wet. Let dry and put it in the tank. (remember to silicone/ substrate around the"peep hole)

Let it dry and any smell disperse before you add the spider. ( I leave mine to "gas off" for a week).

Very clever putting a window in the back. Nice choice of wood piece with the little peep hole in front.

 

[JayManges]

Looks very nice. Why aquarium safe silicone and not just spray adhesive?

Personally, I never tried it with spray adhesive. Doesn't seem like you would get as thick of a layer as you would with silicone. However, I do use spray Mod Podge to hold the top layers together to create an extra thick appearance.

 

[regalis]

Personally, I never tried it with spray adhesive. Doesn't seem like you would get as thick of a layer as you would with silicone. However, I do use spray Mod Podge to hold the top layers together to create an extra thick appearance.

Its expanding foam. It goes huge lol. Then cut to shape, silicone on top and push in dry substrate

 

[Arachnoclown]

Looks great unless your going to breed. A male arboreal will like it but a female probably wont drop a sack in a straight vertical hide.

 

[regalis]

Looks great unless your going to breed. A male arboreal will like it but a female probably wont drop a sack in a straight vertical hide.

They are only 30x30x45s just made them for my juvenile t's then into the final 45x45x90s. Not tried to breed my mature girls yet but will be after tips later in the year!

 

[Arachnoclown]

Looks very nice. Why aquarium safe silicone and not just spray adhesive?

Elmer's children's white school glue is the safest and less toxic.

 

[JayManges]

Its expanding foam. It goes huge lol. Then cut to shape, silicone on top and push in dry substrate

I know but Octanejunkie suggested using spray adhesive over the expanding foam instead of silicone. As you pointed out, I don't think it would work very well. The only thing I added was the Mod Podge over the surface when the the silicone and substrate were dried. Not necessary but seems to hold the top surface together.

 

[JayManges]

Elmer's children's white school glue is the safest and less toxic.

If you used paste, the T could eat just like we did in kindergarten.

 

[regalis]

Elmer's children's white school glue is the safest and less toxic.

Is that pva glue?

 

[octanejunkie]

I like @Arachnoclown suggestion about Elmer's glue. By the gallon it's cheap af, non-toxic and dries faster than silicone..I might try that.

@regalis have you ever experimented with using the Exo Terra background the enclosure comes with, modding it vs starting from scratch with new foam?

 

[regalis]

I know but Octanejunkie suggested using spray adhesive over the expanding foam instead of silicone. As you pointed out, I don't think it would work very well. The only thing I added was the Mod Podge over the surface when the the silicone and substrate were dried. Not necessary but seems to hold the top surface together.

Oooohhhhh I see. Sorry ...... I'm blond..... (this week)

 

[octanejunkie]

If you used paste, the T could eat just like we did in kindergarten.

I think they've moved on to tide pods

 

[regalis]

I like @Arachnoclown suggestion about Elmer's glue. By the gallon it's cheap af, non-toxic and dries faster than silicone..I might try that.

@regalis have you ever experimented with using the Exo Terra background the enclosure comes with, modding it vs starting from scratch with new foam?

Yeah. These 30x30x45s are zoo med and dont come with the background. It's all amazon had but I actually prefer the single door! If I could find thicker styrofoam board like clown suggested I would have skipped the expanding foam all together!

 

[JayManges]

Yeah. These 30x30x45s are zoo med and dont come with the background. It's all amazon had but I actually prefer the single door! If I could find thicker styrofoam board like clown suggested I would have skipped the expanding foam all together!

I take those backgrounds and cut the ribs off the back. Gives the T a little more space and prevents them from getting stuck behind.

 

[octanejunkie]

Truth be known, I'm in the process of experimenting with expanding foam and glue for a leopard gecko tank with a heater embedded in the foam to create a hotspot. The phone will construct both a bottom surface and a backsplash on the rear wall of the tank.

Instead of cocoa fiber, I was going to glue sand down for a natural desert substrate

 

[regalis]

Guess my tiger likes the new enclosure. Got itself a takeaway to celebrate its 1st night!

 

[Jess S]

Oooohhhhh I see. Sorry ...... I'm blond..... (this week)

So am I today... When I saw the title of this thread I eagerly clicked on thinking I'd be settling down to a read of your life story and how you got into the hobby lol. Trust me! Smh