This article is dedicated to the creation of your own terrarium background or artificial rock, rock plateau, etc. This article is dedicated especially for people who want to save some money, or also for people who just want to try this procedure. I have been making terrarium backgrounds this way for several years and I am very satisfied. Attention! The result of your efforts will also depend on your artistic talent. I always try to make the terrarium background or stone as aesthetically pleasing as possible, and at the same time I try to keep the habitat in which the animal lives. As a disadvantage compared to a commercial terrarium background, I see mainly in hygiene, ie the cleaning of the background itself, as well as the time-consuming nature of creation and also a certain skill. Otherwise, the advantages are - the already mentioned price and also the fact that you can make a terrarium background "tailor-made", you can perfectly adapt it to all your requirements.

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What will you need?

 

• Cutting knife and ideally solder

• Brush

• Tile adhesive

• Polystyrene

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According to the background type further:

• Food contact certificate

• Sand

• Glue - non-toxic, water-soluble. I use DUVILAX.

• Expanding foam

 

STEP 1

As a first step, you need to think about what the terrarium background will look like, it is not a problem to draw the approximate shape of the rocks on polystyrene with a marker. Then we dive into cutting shapes, protrusions and caves. I make larger protrusions from pieces of polystyrene separately and then glue them to the background with silicone and reinforce them with wooden skewers. Some also use electric solder or a hot air gun to shape the background. I always try to make the background as reminiscent of a rock as possible. It is also possible to use expanding foam instead of polystyrene with which you can spray your desired shape and then further modify it as polystyrene.

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STEP 3

After you let the background dry properly, it's time for your imagination. You have to decide whether you want to paint, sandblast or cover with a lignocellular background. In the first case, it is advisable to use any basic color with a certificate for contact with food and children's toys (Balakryl). You can apply the paint with a brush or spray it in the background. As for background sanding, the variant is a bit more complicated. First it is necessary to paint the background with one layer of water-soluble and non-toxic glue and then just sprinkle the background with fine sand. If you miss some areas, repeat the process until the background is completely sandblasted. This method is really aesthetically pleasing, but when it comes to maintenance, it's a little harder. In a similar way, you can also sprinkle the background with lignocellulose, which is very suitable for forest terrariums.

STEP 4

After you let everything dry thoroughly, you can install the background in the terrarium. I always glue the terrarium to the back wall of the terrarium with silicone and I have never had a problem. It is important that the background fits into the terrarium exactly, if there are cracks on the sides or in the upper part of the terrarium between the background and the glass, it is a mistake. Very often, refuged insects hide in such gaps, which is unpleasant. Now I can only wish you good luck and remember, there are no limits to your imagination!

 

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