• Hello!

    Either you have not registered on this site yet, or you are registered but have not logged in. In either case, you will not be able to use the full functionality of this site until you have registered, and then logged in after your registration has been approved.

    Registration is FREE, so please register so you can participate instead of remaining a lurker....

    Please be certain that the location field is correctly filled out when you register. All registrations that appear to be bogus will be rejected. Which means that if your location field does NOT match the actual location of your registration IP address, then your registration will be rejected.

    Sorry about the strictness of this requirement, but it is necessary to block spammers and scammers at the door as much as possible.

Super cheap & easy background!!

D

danar1977

New member
Not anything too fancy, but it is VERY cheap and VERY easy!

Materials needed:
*Glue (only one I can find that sticks ANYTHING to glass and dries overnight is LOCTITE EXTREME all temp)
*Slate tiles, various colors choices, about a dollar a piece at the hardware store
*Sand (I just used some craft sand that I had on hand, you can get a bag at the $1 store though for a buck)
*Moss if you like (another $1 store item)

Break the slate by dropping it on the ground, set your tank down with the back side on the floor, lay your slate where you want it. Piece by piece glue in..then go around the slate with a light layer of glue and pack it with sand....add moss if wanted...let sit on back and dry overnight. Next day, set it upright and clean off extra sand that drops down. Wallla! Your done, and all for less than $10.00!

DSCN0571.jpg
 
Thanks soo much. I saw my local pet store did something similar with a cracked tank and I found slate was cheap and looked cool and is very light (so the tank doesn't become heavy).
 
You're soo very welcome...I LOVE herps and I LOVE craft/DIY projects! I am really glad someone is going to try this! Please post or send photos when you are done!
 
Yay it's sweet now, but gonna be a PITA to wash and degrade over time. Next time go to home depot and purchase a product called great stuff- same effect and timeless:)
 
I have an extra large exo-terra terrarium I did with GREAT STUFF and will NEVER do that again. It is NON REMOVABLE FOREVER for one and for another it makes the tank about 10 times it weight!!
My snake cannot climb on the back of the tank, so it does not get "icky", and if it does, slate is a natural stone, so yes, you can wash it. And the silicone based glue I used is also washable, along with sand that is obviously washable!
So, yes, I have thought of this all and did plan before I did this tank, unlike before I did my beautiful yet dumb idea "great stuff" tank.
 
Just fyi for anyone WANTING to do this project, it not only takes less than $10.00 for a 20 long, but alos takes one day to drya nd put your critter back in and about 1-2 hours worth of work. That is why I listed it under cheap and easy. It also looks great and I have had it for well over a year with NO deteriation or problems at all! None of the sand even falls off, unlike the cocoa bedding that falls off that darn great stuff and silicone project I did that took about 20 hours and $60.00 in great stuff and silicone to complete!
 
My "great stuff" tank....yes, it looks great, but really really was not worth the money and time it took. But, if you want you can still give props! Lol! :)


DSCN0400.jpg
 
danielle said:
Yay it's sweet now, but gonna be a PITA to wash and degrade over time. Next time go to home depot and purchase a product called great stuff- same effect and timeless:)
Click to expand...

I bet if you bushed on some water base poly on there (a few coats) it will seal it and make it stronger.
 
ratsncorns said:
I think it looks great! Much better than your "great stuff" project.

BTW, I live in Wauconda :)
Click to expand...

Thank you! Thank you! If you can't tell I am a little sensitive about the whole background thing. I am starting up my own biz, so all will see why i am like that soon :)
And wow, you live SOO close. Do you have any other reps?? Do you go to the Wheaton swap? If you do, or would like to, we could carpool maybe!?
I am a 33 year old single mom with a 7 year old son.
 
ratsncorns said:
I have never been to the Wheaton swap but I would definitely be willing to carpool!
Click to expand...

Sounds good to me. I KNOW I am going to the December 19th show, as I booked a table to debut my line. So, if you have anything to sell you are more than welcome to have a few feet of table and join me. But, if you don't it might be a bad time to carpool as I will be leaving here at about 7 am and not leaving there until 3 pm.
But, they have them the first Saturday and third Sunday of every month. So, just lmk!
 
I dont know my work schedule yet for that week but I will let you know! I sold all my babies already this year, but have one or two adults I am trying to sell. One is an adult female okeetee.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top