Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey I got a ton of great advice for the DIY backgrounds and a lot of people didn't know quite what i was talkin' about so I found some styrofoam in a box and decided to make a mini version but with the same concept. It should work the only thing I was worried about was the shelf's durability with it only bein' attached at two sides but with supports underneath it should work... as always if there is any advice it would be much appreciated. Oh and I painted it red just to give it some definition, the camera didn't pick up the white too well...

Will the bottom of the shelf be at water level? The water itself will provide a lot of support if so.

You can also build up the foam underneath for extra support. Like I said in another thread, basically build a corbel out of the foam but carve it to look like a rock.

Also, I would not just attach the shelf to the sides of the wall panels. Instead I would have the wall built in two or three sections. Put in the first section and then have the shelf rest on top of that. Use adhesive and some sort of skewer to attach the shelf. Then have the next section of wall rest on top of that. The shelf will be sandwiched inbetween two sections of wall.

Does that make sense?

One of the wall sections will need to be notched out for the shelf. Or a third section can be used as filler.

I understand Gorilla or other polyurethane glues stick well to foam. It has a limited shelf life so just buy a small bottle.
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Currently keeping:

6.10 Gonyosoma oxycephalum (Javan, mixed colors)

1.1 Philodryas baroni

1.1 Lampropeltis triangulum multistriata

1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback

The two section suggestion definitely makes sense... that is a good idea, I am goin' to try to carve the whole thing out of one piece of styrofoam (my dad gets huge blocks of it free) but if that doesn't work then the two section thing sounds perfect. and yes the shelf will sit right at water level so that the ramp doesn't have to jut down that far.

So in all I'm gonna try to carve the supports and all out of one huge block and if that fails ( that's a lot of carving) then I'm doin' the 2in' styrofoam route with sections. thx

If you use the white beaded foam then I would recommend using some of the mesh tape in your coating. Even if carved from a single block it won't be anywhere near as strong as the extruded pink or blue foam.

You would probably only need the tape on both sides of the platform area and where it meets the walls.

Really looking forward to seeing your final product.
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Currently keeping:

6.10 Gonyosoma oxycephalum (Javan, mixed colors)

1.1 Philodryas baroni

1.1 Lampropeltis triangulum multistriata

1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback

I'm gonna try to do the beaded stuff out of one block first cuz i get that free but if that fails then i'll do the colored foam as suggested. thx again for the help, i received more money for Bday than expected so I'm hopin' i can get it done over the break... my lil guy deserves it... he's quickly outgrowin the 10gallon setup... thx again

I think the beaded stuff will work. A local guy makes playground toys out of it that kids climb all over. Things like dinosaurs carved into slides.

Granted he has internal support but things like the spikes seem to hold up fine. But he does use a layer of fiberglass mesh.

I would absolutely include mesh on the shelf area. If you don't want to find a whole roll of mesh tape you might be able to find a cheap drywall repair kit with enough.

Heck, contact me though Kingsnake's messenger service and I'll cut a few yards off of my roll and send it to you. Think of it as a gift for getting though Biochem, LOL. You only need to repay me by posting several pictures of the steps you took to make your background.
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Currently keeping:

6.10 Gonyosoma oxycephalum (Javan, mixed colors)

1.1 Philodryas baroni

1.1 Lampropeltis triangulum multistriata

1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback

I most definitely will do that... if you can find the post where i made my Iguana cage I took a picture from like 4 angles after each step. It was fun to see the process... thx again

I love the design!

What material will you be constructing the real one with? My wife and I have a 6 year old RES in a 75 gallon right now (the 150 gallon is in the garage awaiting me to build a stand!). Our turtle eats everything. Do you have worry of yours destroying it within a week? I have already gone through 4 of the turtle docks because our girl shreds them. Corkboard didn't last long either, she just loves to bite things up. She always has a large piece of cuttlebone to chew on as well as some floating toys, but that isn't enough for her.

Can't wait to see what you have for us next. That is just great work, and a model toboot!

Matt

I plan to use the same material as the mini version shown but cover it with layers of cement and fiberglass tape. once that is dry I plan to sand it to smooth it back out then apply a couple of coats of epoxy to add even more strength and to eliminate the harmful qualities of the concrete in water. Thanks by the way on the compliment. I hope it all works out, when i get to workin' on it I will take several pictures of each step and post them all to help everyone else with any further improvements or to spark new ideas...

Looks Great....

P.S. Don't look now but there is a squad car next door....
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Jeremy Payne
JB Reptile
Specializing in Boa Morph's

1.0 Snow "Kahl"
0.2 Triple Het Moonglow "Kahl"
0.1 Orange Tail Hypo Het Leopard
1.1 Double Het "Sharp" Snow
1.0 Ghost
0.1 Possible Super Hypo
0.1 DH Ghost
1.1 "Kahl" Albino
1.0 Hypomelenistic
1.3 Pastel Hypo
0.1 Suriname/Columbian cross
0.1 Anerthrystic

Thx, and he's not a "real" cop i guess just a campus police officer. Doesn't have the juristiction to take me to jail but he can detain me until the real po po show up haha... nice guy though, he has reptiles as well

I just had to comment on your artistic & crafting abilities. Good job!!! I love the detail, pattern, etc...

I've seen several other backgrounds done by several other people that looked really good, too, but I didn't have or take the time to compliment them. To those of you that have posted backgrounds over the last several months, let me take this opportunity to tip my hat to you, too.

Takes what lil' time I have just to get cages built, wish I had time for interior decorations like these. Ya'll have captured my heart.

Have fun & keep up the good work!
HH
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Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

www.natures-signature.com

Thank you...

Here's a DIY BG I made for my sons Beardie. For the basking shelf I used wooden skewers, for kabobs, worked great. If you use the skewers along with glue you should have no problem. Cheers.

That looks awesome... thanks, I'll be sure to post the final product asap... I received more money than expected for birthday so we'll see what i can do over the break...