Could you put a list of everything you used and a link? Thank you awesome idea too!

Making a bioactive set up for a bearded dragon soon. Thanks for the inspiration :)

@zareptiles

4 жыл бұрын

You’re welcome! Good luck! 😁

I can’t wait to do this for my leopard geckos tank! Thank you for the tutorial!

@zareptiles

4 жыл бұрын

You’re welcome! It was a lot of fun!

I LOVE this. Exactly what I was looking for. You can tell by the sound, when you were putting the finished product in, that is solid and durable for such a small creature. Can't wait to try this method. Thank you love!!

@zareptiles

11 ай бұрын

Of course!!! I use a different method now (drylock) - if you watch my newer enclosure builds you’ll see that method! Ive had better long term luck with that method personally :)

Honestly this is a really good informative video. Thank you 🙏🏼

@zareptiles

4 жыл бұрын

I’m glad you found it informative! 😁

Looks awesome thanks for the idea ❤️

@zareptiles

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much!

Looks great!!

@zareptiles

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks girl!💙

you're so pretty and easy to understand. thanks for the guide!

@zareptiles

Жыл бұрын

Thank you! Im glad you found it helpful!

I used sanded grout for mine and it worked really well! I mixed it to a pretty thick consistancy and just used gloves to apply everything

@ashleygwin3472

4 жыл бұрын

I also used adhesive grout first for flat surfaces to help the sanded grout stick

@zareptiles

4 жыл бұрын

Gloves definitely would have worked better with the sanded grout than a paint brush lol! Good to know about the adhesive grout!

@ashleygwin3472

4 жыл бұрын

Yeah idk if I just got lucky but I used it on wood with the adhesive grout and on expanding foam by itself but it was like cement consistancy and I just spread it around!

Im planning on making a naturalistic set up for my leopard gecko thank you for the tutorial!

@zareptiles

3 жыл бұрын

youre welcome! thanks for watching! 😁

Well done!

@zareptiles

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks girl!

A tip for anyone who might try this... Sand your pice down before you grout!! The surface needs to be rough for the products to stick to it. 😉

@zareptiles

5 ай бұрын

great tip! I did several other backgrounds after this using non-sanded grout and it went much smoother and they came out great lol!

Well done and thank you!

@zareptiles

3 жыл бұрын

thank you so much!

Thank you this helped a lot! 😁

@zareptiles

3 жыл бұрын

Yay im so glad! youre welcome! 😁

SO HELPFUL!!! thank you so much!!!

@zareptiles

2 жыл бұрын

Im so glad you found it helpful!😁

thumbs up...good info!

Add a little bit of water to your clear coat and put it into a spray bottle works like a charm

Looks great! Are all these materials safe for the leopard gecko?

A good tip to make sure what you are making will fit that I use is cut out a piece of cardboard (or use paper, it doesn't matter, cardboard is just sturdier when you work on it) to the exact dimensions of the INSIDE of your tank. That way when you are working, not only will you know if your item will still fit but you can also see how it will arrange/look in your tank proportionally Your issue with the grout you could have just added some water when it's too thick, too watery, I honestly would have probably tinkered with some corn starch maybe. The grout you mix is also made with water so there should be no issue thinning premade mix with water

@zareptiles

4 жыл бұрын

Great tip! The original premixed ground was sanded, so that was the main issue. I added water to make it easier to paint on, trying to match the consistency everyone said to use, but it didn’t work because of the sand - it all just sank to the bottom. Once I went and picked up grout that wasn’t pre mixed or sanded I had no problems :)

If you use a sanded grout you have to rough up all surfaces for it to stick to it. Best way to do is either a wire brush or sand paper.

Are all these items safe for Leo’s and did you silicone the background to the glass or no? How long did this take?

love it sooooooooooo much .. wht a reality

Nothing will stick to your silicone or your expanded foam on the smooth uncut foam nice job definitely like it another good cement to use is hydraulic stop masonry cement and then use Drylok waterproofing no need for clear coat and you have a sanded finish

@zareptiles

3 жыл бұрын

I use drylock for all of my projects now lol! Ive done several like that and im never going back to grout 🙅🏻‍♀️ 😂

@sissymizzell4884

2 жыл бұрын

Starting background for my uro. In this video you didn't use dryock...so you have used it now and like it better? I looked for more videos on this and didn't see any. When using the dryock is that for sealing the grout or is that all you used?

Your idea is amazing and i followed all your step .. :)) but .. What can i put on top of the sealant? My dragons are slipping and I am thinking of a spray with a rough finish effect but I don't know if it will be toxic ... any recommendations? Thanks so much :))

@zareptiles

2 жыл бұрын

You can sprinkle sand on the sealant before it dries to create texture too :)

how does the polycylic hold up to cleaning?

I think I’m going to paint mine grey before I seal it !

@zareptiles

3 жыл бұрын

thatll look great!

@kaitlynverdecchia4011

3 жыл бұрын

ZA Reptiles do you have to use the grout ?

What spray foam was used? It’s a pretty strong chemical so I wanna make sure I get all the correct supplies for my bearded dragon!

@zareptiles

Жыл бұрын

You can use pond spray foam or great stuff gaps and cracks is a really common one :)

How did you prevent the insulation board from warping after you put spray foam on it?

@zareptiles

2 жыл бұрын

I didn’t do anything special and didn’t have a problem :)

Using grout for my corn snake won’t mess up his soft underbelly right?

@zareptiles

4 жыл бұрын

Nope! Snakes belly’s are still covered by scales for protection, so they’ll be totally fine! The grout just basically is like turning the styrofoam into a hard rock like surface, totally safe 😁

This is awesome! How would you go about cleaning it?

@zareptiles

4 жыл бұрын

So it’s in a bioactive enclosure, so I don’t have to worry about cleaning too much other than just spot cleaning and keeping an eye on things, but once you put on the waterproof sealant you can easily wipe it down with a wet cloth or something :)

@ayesharawal2447

4 жыл бұрын

@@zareptiles Oh awesome!! I assume with the waterproof sealant using a reptile safe disinfectant would be okay as well?

if i want to make a custom background do i need to go bioactive?

@zareptiles

3 жыл бұрын

nope not at all!😁

How long should you wait before putting a leopard gecko in?

@Stargate-over-starwars

4 ай бұрын

Few weeks to let evening offgass

How thick was your styrofoam .5 inch or 1inch?

@black-kryptic8539

4 жыл бұрын

Rose Liou I would say one inch, hope it helped!

Is it okay if I do this and use a heat lamp or should I get a heat mat

@zareptiles

2 жыл бұрын

I would not but a heat lamp on the glass side of a tank. You wild have to use a heat mat with this method

For the extra hide can it be used as a heat hide with a heat mat underneath?

@zareptiles

3 жыл бұрын

absolutely!

@lilianasanimalzoo2821

3 жыл бұрын

@@zareptiles also did you silicone the background to the tank?

@zareptiles

3 жыл бұрын

you can, but it was such a tight fit I didnt need to :)

Did you paint the back of the styrofoam board?

@zareptiles

3 жыл бұрын

yes :)

We’re did you buy the foam board my stores have none ?

@zareptiles

3 жыл бұрын

home depot :)

@apetloverslife5799

3 жыл бұрын

@@zareptiles ok thanks so much ! ☺️

How does that styrofoam do against a heat lamp?

@zareptiles

4 жыл бұрын

Good question. In theory, you ideally wouldn’t have a heat lamp directly on or over it since it’s a background, but also the styrofoam is covered in grout and sealed, so the styrofoam is no longer exposed, and The whole structure is meant to be pretty sturdy and hold up against quite a bit. If you are using this method for a background in an enclosure with over head heating, it’ll be totally fine :)

i kinda did the same but after a while the sand stuff letted go when my beardy started to climb

@zareptiles

4 жыл бұрын

Did you seal it? I’ve heard that can happen if it’s not sealed like crazy! I’m paranoid, so I put like 3 or 4 layers of sealant on LOL!

@lieuwebruinsma1082

4 жыл бұрын

@@zareptiles what do you use to seal it?

And with the heat lamps this won’t melt?

@zareptiles

Жыл бұрын

No they don’t, however I’ve never had a light fixture aimed directly at them and with this particular set up you can’t use over head heating

Is all of these materials safe for bearded dragons

@zareptiles

8 ай бұрын

Yes! I made my bearded dragon a background the same way! However these days I perfect using drylock on foam for my backgrounds! You can see this method in my newer enclosure builds :)

Can you list out the supplies ?

@zareptiles

3 жыл бұрын

just added it to the description :)

@kaitlynverdecchia4011

3 жыл бұрын

ZA Reptiles thanks girl!!!

Can I use a heat lamp still with all of these products

@zareptiles

3 жыл бұрын

I personally would not use a heat lamp over a converted glass tank. If you had a glass tank with a screen top you could! But I wouldnt if you plan on turning a tank on its side. If you are just referring ring to the background - absolutely! All of the products used are used for the purpose of making a background thats totally safe for reptiles! I used the same methods to create backgrounds in my very large enclosures and they have basking bulbs :)

Uhh is this safe for a leopard gecko?

@zareptiles

2 жыл бұрын

I wouldnt have made it if it wasnt

@littlespiderproductions3017

2 жыл бұрын

@@zareptiles good point. But also what sealant should I use then?

@zareptiles

2 жыл бұрын

@@littlespiderproductions3017 waterbased polycrylic is my sealant of choice because its easily available at home depot and walmart

@zareptiles

2 жыл бұрын

@@littlespiderproductions3017 waterbased polycrylic is my sealant of choice because its easily available at home depot and walmart

@littlespiderproductions3017

2 жыл бұрын

@@zareptiles ok thank you. My father works in construction and probably has all this stuff so I should be good. Thank you!

Will you make me one if I pay you?😭😭😭😭 I’m three years late

@zareptiles

Жыл бұрын

they are pretty heavy and would be nuts to ship! Ive done lots of videos showing various processes though - you should give it a try!