DIY Terrarium Backgrounds | How To Guide!
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- Опубліковано 27 лип 2024
- Learn how to build your very own terrarium background! This is a step-by-step visual guide to DIY Terrarium Backgrounds that are perfect for all kinds of animals like frogs, geckos, skinks and many other reptiles.
INSTAGRAM: / lyssaslizards
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Music: / high
Intro: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziTjx...
Outro: www.youtube.com/watch?v=aw8JR...
What you did with some cork bark has given me an idea for a particularly large and janky piece I am using in an upcoming build. Thanks!
You don’t have to use the silicone if you’re not going to cut the smooth surface of the expanding foam just put your substrate and sphagnum moss on the wet foam and let dry. Ready to use no silicone smell saves time and money since silicone is 10 bucks a tube.
Yup just buy the black foam for ponds and throw the substrate straight on it I have finally found is way more convenient and it seems to hold better than the silicone anyways
What happens when it starts expanding? Do you have to keep pressing it down/into the foam?
@@kathrhodes good question, I’d suggest looking for videos on UA-cam to see if you can find a better answer to that question. I don’t have that information as I found a guy on here that does it this way
Little tip: spray some Windex on your silicone covered hands. It'll come off much easier.
Love this! Definitely looking to make a background for a 4x2x2 for a beardie and while he wouldnt need all the moss for humidity it still was great to watch! Follow u on tiktok and love your stuff! Thanks for being an encouraging reptile keeper
thanks for giving a more thorough diy tutorial !
Looks amazing 😍😍🙌🏼 thank you for this!!!
Jenae Macias thank you 😄
I love this background. Nice job
Great job! Those look awesome! Love your channel. 😀
Mitch Leary thanks so much 🤗
That was awesome!!!!!
Really awesome I like to see like 5 different ways and than try to create one as unique as possible
So glad I found a newer pet tuber. I am planning on making a channel soon and so I’ve been trying to see how people start out. I’ve seen all of your videos so far and I really like your ideas/video formats. Thanks for sharing! You will be hitting thousands of followers soon :)
Thanks so much for the kind words! It’s appreciated 😊 I look forward to seeing yours too!
Lyssa's Lizards what kind of editing tool do you use? That’s the only thing holding me back is I have no idea how to edit lol. I plan on using my phone at first but getting a nice camera around Christmas time
Anna Aman I’m definitely no editing pro! Haha I’ve been using my iPhone 7 Plus so far and it works great for now. I’ve just been using iMovie for editing 😊
Nice one! I'm more of the dry lizards terrariums but this is also very nice! good job!
Sjoerd van Bemmel thanks so much! About half of my pets are more tropical species but I do have a northern blue tongue skink, knob tail gecko and leopard gecko who are more “dry lizard terrariums” too. They’re really fun!
How do you have your leo gecko set up?
I found this really helpful as I was doing my builds as well!
I love this
Great job..
Just found your channel awesome videos
Karen Mcisaac thanks so much! 🤗
Amazing im going to use this for my Chahoua Gecko
Great video :) im looking at backgrounds for a dart frog setup, ive kept frogs before and have found that the food (crickets etc) kept eating the exo terra foam, worried if it would then be passed to the frogs when eaten. Have you had this problem?
:) thanks Mike
If they have food to eat in the enclosure they’re in (I.e. cricket food, frog safe veggies, etc), then they won’t feel the need to chomp your inedibles. :3
Loving the channel! Can you use natural found wood in these backgrounds or would it have issues were its attached with the foam/silicon? Obviously pesticide and bugs/pests free etc etc. Thanks !
Carter Littlefair thanks so much! As long as the wood you use isn’t too porous, I think it’ll stick to the foam well. If you use wood from outside, be sure to boil it in hot water or bake it in the oven to kill off anything that may be on/in it!
@@LyssasLizards responds to a comment on a two year old video in under 10 minutes, you are the best! Perfect I will do be sure to do that thanks!
Does it matter if some of the silicone is showing through the substrate on certain spots or is it bad for my snake to be on direct contact with it? Should I put more silicone on the spots showing then put more substrate on it for complete full coverage? I’m just worried lol
Does the silicone waterproof the enclosure? I'm trying to turn a bookshelf into a terrarium but I don't want the humidity to ruin the wood so I'm trying to find something to line the inside wood with
How long do you let the foam dry before you start carving it out? Great look by the way!
It should say on the can how long it takes for the amount you have to dry.
I've always let it sit for about 12 hours or overnight. And I carve it the next day. Just poke at it, it should be cured and firm. Do NOT do it too thick. It expands super big, and if it's applied too thick, you will notice when you carve into it days later that it's gooey and super sticky like syrup. Because the foam deep under couldn't cure since it was so deep in layers.
I have a video on my channel of my recent build. But yeah if you spray, you can carve it tomorrow.
We will start our own build soon. How many tubes of silicone did u use for the bigger terrarium?
Thank you!! Very helpful! How long does it take to dry usually?
4.593 seconds
I love the look of these 🤗 Will definitely tag you if I make any
Lauren M yes please, I’d love to see!
Thank u soooo much!!!!!!!!!
I am able to just use the substrate I’m using or do I have to use coconut fiber
Hey I’m gonna be making a background myself soon. I don’t plan on it being bioactive or having springtails. What would you use to prevent mould?
Josh Allen unfortunately, without springtails and isopods, mold is a bit unpreventable. I would just keep and eye out on it and clean away any mold immediately that may pop up.
About how many tubes of silicone did you use for the largest tank of you can remember? Thank you!
I’m hoping for a bearded dragon 🦎 for Christmas 🎄 but it is not for sure so I’m researching about it and this is awesome.
Absolutely fantastic video, thank you so much!! Are there any foams or silicones to watch out for in terms of flammability? I see so many keepers using expanding foam, but then watched a video this morning from a few years ago where one keeper said it had to be covered in unsanded grout if used for a high-temp enclosures? I'd like to use foam in my ball python enclosure, but don't want to start a fire - just wondered if you experienced any issues in high temps?
Hey there, thank you so much! I absolutely wouldn’t be concerned with any flammability unless you’re using temps over 110ish degrees (F). Shouldn’t be an issue at all for a ball python since they’re temps are way lower! 😊
@@LyssasLizards thank you so much for responding, that's so great to hear 🙌😁
thank you very much for the video! I was wondering how you make sure that your pothos or whatever plant you placed there has drainage? I am trying to figure out how I can place a bunch of pots but still have drainage for the plants! I know I will over or underwater without the drainage so.. yeah :D thank you ❤️
There are a couple ways; in this instance, I believe she’s just using pots with holes on the bottom, but otherwise, you can use spag moss around the roots and then water through misting (depending on the species of plant, that is). c:
What kind of shelving unit do you keep those all in?! I have a 40g and 20g tall aquarium but aren’t sure how to shelve them!! Also great DIY will definitely be using this
Thanks so much! I love my shelving units. My favorite is the biggest one from Home Depot, 6.5ft H x 6.5ft L x 2ft D. The second smaller one was from a Walmart.com seller so I’m not sure the brand but it’s 6.5ft H x 5ft L x 2ft D.
Once the foam is dry and on, can you remove it or is it stuck there forever?
TiskyDE I’ve never tried to remove it and likely wouldn’t want to but I’m sure it could be removed with lots of elbow grease and scraping! 😊
Do you have any suggestions on materials for a desert animal? I have a uromastyx and I would love to do this and I can use the cork bark but do you know what other materials I can use for a dryer cage?
I’d recommend the grout method! Instead of using silicone and covering with dirt, you can just carve the foam how you want it then paint it with whatever grout color you like. Looks much more “desert-like” and is a drier material too. 😊
Looks great!!! Would this work on plexiglass or wood?
Andrea R I think it would work well on wood for sure! Plexiglass I’m not sure but I know sometimes the insulation foam can pop or be pulled off the glass or plexiglass in areas if not dried well enough.
This is so good I’m planing on getting a leopard gecko so I’m trying to find out how to make a diy back ground
These backgrounds are more suited to arboreal species like crested geckos. Leopard geckos are terrestrial geckos so they prefer more flat surfaces.
I see you put the silicon on the sides of the tank did you live it to dry before you put the foam on to it 1st or can you put the foam onto the silicon when it is still wet
Paul Winters definitely do not put the foam on it while it’s still wet! I typically let silicone cure and dry for 24-48 hours before applying foam.
Does anyone know something that is lighter than dirt or coco powder? I like the white but it looks way to rough, so can I use some type of Sand or does that not work?
I think it depends on the type of animal you plan to house in the enclosure! Sand might be a little dangerous with the sand grains being so fine and could fall into your animals eyes or be injested/eaten. It could be a little rough or scratchy for geckos and it may not stick well to the silicone in an enclosure for an animal that needs high humidity. Could be interesting to try but overall, coco fiber/eco earth is definitely one of the best and safest options for the animal you'll be housing in it.
If I use dirt and sand for the back ground, will it fall apart when I mist it?
How long do you let it sit for until it is habitable
I cant find big cork bark anywhere in SF. Amazon has it but you cant choose the size.
I have a 65 gallon arc tank and I want to do this did you have any issues with the Foam Adhering to the glass? Someone told me it won’t stick.
Stag5_56 I’ve never had an issue with it! Sometimes I’ve noticed it coming off a bit on the back but if you use enough and use plenty of cork back too, it shouldn’t be an issue at all! Tons of keepers use the foam method so I think it works pretty well 😊
Thankyou
Looks great u should make more DIY vids
thanks so much, I will! I've made 3 more of these enclosures recently that I like much more than the two shown here. :) so I plan to do an enclosure tour of those 3 sometime soon to show them off!
brilliant what reptile would suit this, is the silicone and foam none toxic ?
Lee Newey yes, it’s all non-toxic once it’s fully cured and dried out! I currently have my leachianus gecko in this one but it would work great for any other arboreal geckos like crested, chahoua or gargoyle geckos too! All my arboreal gecko enclosures have this similar setup and backgrounds built.
Thank you for the prompt replay you rock.
I think it looks great and I know this is an older video. My only concern is cleaning the enclosure? I have a juvenile veiled chameleon and I want to build a larger enclosure. I want to do a hybrid so I liked the idea of the more real looking background. You did a good job explaining and stuff and maybe I missed it so I’m sorry if I did. I just wonder with putting the coconut stuff and mosses if it would make it difficult to clean or cause any issues? Thank you in advance
Thanks so much! Cleaning truly has never been an issue for me. I keep all bioactive enclosures with springtails and isopods so any mold or anything like that is eaten away by that “clean up crew”. I pretty much just spot clean by picking up big noticeable poops and then keep the glass clean. The only reason you’d need to clean the actual background is if your animal pooped directly on it, which I’ve yet to experience even once in 5+ years using these type of backgrounds! Hope this helps.
Would the foam be strong enough to support small rocks? I’m going for a sorta mossy stone wall look.
Yes, definitely! I usually decorate and use mine with cork barks and moss but it could definitely hold some small rocks. I’d recommend letting it sit for a few hours first to let it halfway dry, then add the rocks so it’ll be a bit sturdier! If you put the rocks on the foam right away, they’ll probably just sink through it.
@@LyssasLizards awesome, thanks so much!
Do you have any problems with mold? I'm trying my first background and its for a crested gecko. Substrates are eco earth coco fiber mixed with some moss. Thanks!
Noob Moose Not if you go fully bioactive! By adding springtails and isopods to the substrate as your cleanup crew (and keeping the substrate moist), they will take care of any mold that shows up. 😊
@@LyssasLizards awesome, Thanks!!
@@LyssasLizards this is my worry as well. Also that the moss I glue on might die. It's my first and I'm scared that one day I might have to strip it because of some outbreak of something. The plan is to be bioactive but I'm nervous of teething problems!
is there some other wood apart from cork bark, in in New Zealand and i cant get any
djrpm 88 you can technically use any kind of wood or bark you want, just be sure to look up the type of wood you use online and confirm that it’s not toxic to the animal in the enclosure!
Cork is mold/rot resistant, very lightweight, and floats which is why it's so popular but there are many types of wood that of course now I can't remember.... let me think.... Mopani is a beautiful, twisting hard wood popular for wet environments and available in pet shops here in the states...I believe it's imported, though... it does sink and is heavy but looks awesome, great for reptiles and also submerged in fish tanks. Manzanita is excellent for reptiles to climb and creating hardscapes, it's lightweight, gnarled and twisty with a driftwood feel to it and available on eBay (I miss living in northern California where I could just find huge amazing pieces of the stuff). From personal experience both purchasing wood for vivariums and finding my own in the woods, as a general rule you want wood that's ALREADY AGED and has gotten hard/dry (think driftwood)... not one that got soft - you know how some logs pretty much turn into mulch or compost.... you definitely don't want to use a piece that disintegrates in your hand and has 50,000 bugs in it, if you know what I mean. "Driftwood" is often a particular species in a region, but really just refers to any wood that has died and dried out instead of rotting. That's really what you're after. Clean, dry, aged wood. If it's already started to rot then it will continue to do so as it lays in contact with your substrate. If it's a terrarium, or a bioactive vivarium with something like say, a snake and a population of isopods as a "cleaner-crew," then you might want to have a certain little area where some wood can begin to actually decay, supplementing the isopods diet and nesting areas, so it comes down to your particular set-up. I don't know much about New Zealand flora but I do know you have a strong cycle of seasons, great forests, and I would imagine there must be some market for driftwood as home decor, etc.... Maybe worth a check on your local version of Craigslist or even plant nurseries... sometimes they have some various dried woods for use in gardens and whatnot that transfer really well to vivariums. Good luck.
What type of driftwood is that? Sorry, I really new in this
Can I do this in my bedroom or do i have to do it outside? Are there any dangerous chemicals?
Trent The Coinfinder I’ve done it in my apartment and let it air out afterward with no issues! However, you have to allow the silicone to cure for over 24+ hours before the toxic smell goes away
What silicon did you use??
Did you silicone the sheet moss down?
Ocean Balsley-Roupe i did! However, it ended up dying so I would recommend against that now.
what kind of foam and silicone will it work for a reptibreeze habitat
Staci Bailey Great Stuff Gaps & Cracks and 100% silicone (listed in the supplies list). It can work on a Reptibreez screen enclosure but it will be more difficult and you’ll need to be extra careful to not let the foam or silicone drip through the screen. I have not tried this but I’ve seen it done!
@@LyssasLizards ty
You should make video of drift wood with coconut shell ..
U forgot to tell us to let the foam dry before carving and putting the silicone down
What kind of silicone did you use?
I don’t remember the exact brand but as long as you ensure it is 100% silicone then it will dry non-toxic and reptile safe!
if i want to make a custom background do i need to go bioactive?
Definitely not! You can make the background and just not use bioactive soil or have an enclosure with bioactive soil and no background. Either way works as long as it’s best for you! 😊
@@LyssasLizards ok ty! One question i see alot of people put plants in there backgrounds, do i need to have a bioactive enclosure for that or does it work either way?
@@fabianabos6702 I put plants in mine for the look but you definitely don’t have to use plants at all and it doesn’t have to be bioactive if you do put plants in it! As long as you place a planter in your background while building it, that plant can be separate from the bottom of the enclosure so it doesn’t matter if it’s bio or not.
@@LyssasLizards ok ty very much!!
So awesome!! Would this be okay to replicate on a piece of styrofoam, so it can be a removable background? I have a PVC enclosure coming and would love to do this!!
I wouldn’t recommend styrofoam, just in case your animal tears it a part. If you want a removable option, I’d do it on an acrylic sheet cut to the size you need!
@@LyssasLizards I was tossing up those options as well. I'm nervous of doing anything permanent in case I ever have to strip it down. My vivs are built up and 7x3 with 2 apertures on the front so I'll have to build in situ or in 2 pieces. I thought Styrofoam might be a good option. Hmm
Damn I wish you would of put black silicone I bought clear 😅😅😅
I see everywhere people are against silicone with mold inhibitors, but you have used it. I also noticed that most of the haters are aquarium people, not terrarium people. Any input?
Blake Spinks ah that’s surprising! I’ve never seen anyone have a problem with using silicone in terrariums, maybe because I’m not part of the aquarium/fish keeping community! Over here in the reptile keeping community, everyone I know uses silicone on top of the insulation foam to seal it and coat with dirt for a naturalistic look. 😊 Once the silicone is cured, dried and left out for a few days, there are no smells or toxins putting your animals at risk. I’ve done this in 8+ enclosures over the last 3 years with zero issues at all!
@@LyssasLizards thanks. I am in the middle of buying a carpet python and building and enclosure. I didnt see any reptile people having problems, but I was still worried. With all the money leaving right now there is no way I could afford aquarium safe silicone for a 2'x2'x4' enclosure.
Have you ever made a removable background? What would you use as your base?
I would LOVE to do a removable one some time and have given it a lot of thought! I’d probably use a clear acrylic sheet as the base so it wouldn’t be overly noticeable.
@@LyssasLizards that’s a pretty good idea. I was toying with the idea of insulation foam, expanding foam and silicone. I’d love to see a video if you end up making something!
@@rissajewell thank you! Yes, if or when I try out removable options, I will definitely film a video for it. 🤗 and I do use expanding insulation foam here! I would just do that on top of the clear acrylic.
@@LyssasLizardshow about on top of plywood?
Nice Tutorial 😃👍🏻
I would like to create a Background like this for my Linothele Megatheloides.
Can you recommand a Background build with these Materials for a Terrarium with tropical conditions ?
Greetings from Germany ✌🏻
jamari416 absolutely! This background build would be great for a tropical, arboreal reptile. I currently keep my arboreal Leachianus Gecko (native to New Caledonia) in this enclosure! I also have a more recent tutorial video showing how to do a “background” build with a different more “tree-like” design that I’m loving lately. Check it out here: ua-cam.com/video/c9V3HmJE2tM/v-deo.html
Just realized the species you mentioned is a tarantula! As long as it’s tropical and arboreal, these tank backgrounds will still work well for it 😊
Lyssa's Lizards wow thanks for your fast answer.
Yes this Tarantulas natural Habitat is the tropical rainforest in Columbia 😃
I am very excited to create a Background like this 💯
jamari416 good luck! Feel free to send me pictures of yours once it’s done! I love seeing and getting ideas from other builds 🤗
Woul this work on wood
Yes, definitely!
Thank you 😊
Paint brushes are mad cheap and gloves would be for this project. Just saying.
Next time cutting the foam after it dry and they need more plants also when applying the foam try not put it all in the same direction it will look More natural another way to add texture after you apply the silicone sprinkle wood chips and sphagnum Moss before the dirt
Hi! Thanks for your input. The foam was completely dry before I cut it and added the silicone + eco earth to it. I also added plenty of plants in for my pets after the background was completed but just didn't show the planting process here. Thanks again!
@@LyssasLizards no problem jst giving sum pointers I do like your work tho I wish could send you sum pics