[Harley_Davidson]

I am going to design three backgrounds a left side, a right side and a back so that only the front will be open to view. I will be housing my two mossies in the tank.

Here is the process and finished product for the left side:

From an idea



to the carved styrofoam to give it more depth



Then on to the foam all in place



The tree which is hollow to allow my mossies to climb inside is added and painted



To the final product. Notice the giant "knot" in the tree. This is another access point. Once they climb to the top, they come out on a ledge:







I hope you enjoyed

I will add the other pieces as I get them done.

[Yoshi'smom]

Looking good!

[Hannibal]

Very nice! Can't wait to see the final product.

[Nativeson]

Very cool. Great idea, can't wait to see the finished product!!

Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk

[DragonsMaelstrom]

Lookin' good. A couple "for what's it's worth" type comments:

Being as the carving of styrofoam tends to make a horrible mess (and once statically charged the itty bitty pieces stick to EVERYTHING), you may find that cutting and stacking -- whether vertically or coming from the back out -- may be useful. Also, pure acetone can be dabbed on with a paintbrush to dissolve away portions of the styro instead of carving.

After using Greatstuff, or other spray foam, an application of a coat of grout or cement will make a harder 'shell' over the foam. Additionally, this creates a rougher surface which can not only enhance a "natural" look, but -- for many herps -- makes for a more 'grippable' climbing surface.

[Harley_Davidson]

Thanks for the advise DragonsMaelstorm. Being as this was my first I pretty much went in blind so any help is muchly appreciated.

[Yoshi'smom]

Ann,
Here's my thread on my DIY for my one leo's tank. It's a step-by-step on my background. Hope this helps some.
New leopard gcko terrarium!

[Harley_Davidson]

Thanks Kelly......nice tank

[DragonsMaelstrom]

Sweet tank, Kelly!

[ScottyB]

Both you Harley and Kelly have done great jobs. I stumbled across a web site the other day that's called www.lizard-landscapes.com. When I have enough time and a little extra cash I will probably follow some of these videos or the steps to doing it and make my own. The guy who does them is like the Bob Ross(happy trees) of making natural looking fake stuff.