Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i've read that i could use insulating foam and carve out the the backround to make a strucure i want and then use silicon and press substrate to it. is that corect?
could i carve out part and make it a planter in part of the tank?

what about using part for the water fall feature? It would hide the hose and pump and the water would trickle down it in the way i want

would it hold water and still be chemical free?

loads of question if you could could come up with information about any of this it would be great

Your understanding is correct. I hid my waterfall/trickle area by placing the tubing and then spraying the foam.

Rather than carving out the areas for planting, or depending on the foam to hold water, it is just easier to get a plastic container of appropriate size, position it where you want, and spray foam around it. I did this with film canisters for egg deposit sites, and you can build the foam up around the edges to make it look more natural. If you want to use the void for plant growth (especially for epiphytes), you might want to drill a hole through the foam and up through the container for drainage.

As for removing the eggs deposited in the built in canisters, I cut some other film canisters down the side so that they would fit inside the implanted canisters as inserts for easier egg removal. However, I got a better terrarium (thanks Melis), so this 20 gallon high has been relegated to the garage until I get a bigger area for frogs.
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Homer W. Faucett III, esq.
Purveyor of Trivialities and Fine Nonsense

so how could i make the river/waterfall into the foam.
All i can think of is useing pvc pipes and slate or flat rocks....this is more for lizards but it will be setup exactly like a dart forg tank that is why i posted here.

how much does enough foam cost to cover a 18 by 36 inch surface?

Hey,

Ive found two sites that have helped me make my foam background.

Check out:

www.dekeaffexotics.com/photo_gallery_Vivarium.htm
and...
www.blackjungle.com/gallery/talltank/page1.html

M.N