Terrarium Progression

I wanted to share this new project with the forum. I never see pictures of anyones terrariums, and I think this could inspire others. I really have enjoyed this project and I look forward to doing more.

This terrarium is made of a 45g split into two sections with an acrylic divider. It's going to house two pairs of adult crested geckos.

Step 1
• 2 cans of Great Stuff foam insulation
• 3 pieces of driftwood
• 6 river rock stones
• 4 pieces of cork bark
• 4 compressed peat moss planters



I first sprayed a layer of Great Stuff foam down onto the back of the enclosure. I left 3-4" on the bottom for my drainage and substrate layers. Before the Great Stuff foam dried, I placed my driftwood and river rock where I wanted it. For planting small vines and other plants, I also placed compressed peat moss planters into the Great Stuff and hid them with pieces of cork bark. I let the first layer of Great Stuff sit for about 2 hours before going back and adding another layer to secure my decorative wood and rock and add more depth to the background.

Step 2
• 4 tubes of black Silicone II window & door caulk
• 1 bag of peat moss





After allowing the Great Stuff to set for 12 hours, I tugged on the wood to see how secure the pieces were staying in. They aren't budging! For this part I used 2 tubes of caulk per side, and now my arm hurts from using the caulk gun so much yesterday! Anyway, starting from the bottom of the background, squeeze generous amounts of the black caulk in about 6" square sections. I used plastic knifes to spread the caulk around like peanut butter. Take handfuls of the peat moss and press it into the silicone before it dries. Keep doing this until the entire back is covered, let set for 12-24 hours.

Step 3
• Vacuum

After letting the silicone and dirt set, I figured out a little trick to make sure that any spots I missed were found right away and fixed. After sitting the tank up and knocking the bulk of the extra off, I used my vacuum hose and ran the end about 1/2" from the background. This sucks off any loose dirt and will expose any bare spots. It will not harm the sections that are securely held in place with the silicone. Once bare spots are found, just use a bit of silicone and press the dirt in. I did this 3 times to make sure ALL spots were covered.

More to come as this project progresses.

Looks good!

How many geckos do you have?

Have you ever been on the repashy forums? www.forums.repashy.com

I'm sure they'd love to see this since there was a question about building terrariums not too long ago.

Thanks. I have one now, my little Chili Pepper. But I have 5 more on the way as soon as weather gets cooler.

Moss added for additional depth:


Also working on a combination lay box / hide that matches:

That is going to look amazing!!! Great work and keep us updated on the progress!

Robert

Got one side of this done. I don't have all the live plants (have to wait until spring), so their is temporary fake greenery for the Cresties. Can't seem to take decent pictures either! Hopefully once I get the other side done I can get it all in focus.

That is freaking awesome!! It looks so natural (despite the plastic plants, lol). How easy is it to clean, especially with all that texture? Great job!