# Suggestions on mounting plants etc. on Exo-Terra backgrounds



## Bcs TX (Sep 13, 2008)

Hi all,
Just received my Exo-Terra 18x18x36 tank (YEA). Ready to get started but it came with the background and wondering if any of you have experience and advice not to mention pictures on any improvements. Like attaching plants and driftwood hate to pitch it and go the GS route.
Any suugestions will be appreciated!


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## boogsawaste (Jun 28, 2008)

If you don't want to pitch the stock background, but want to change it you can do the silicone/coco fiber right over it. It's easier than using great stuff because it doesn't get all those nooks and crannies and it'll definitely change the look of your viv.


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## Bcs TX (Sep 13, 2008)

Sounds like an idea but what about attaching plants etc.


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## boogsawaste (Jun 28, 2008)

Well if you get bromeliads you can simply silicone them to the background. Other epiphytes require different types of mounting. Some are also going to require constant dripping of water on them. Which the exo terra backgrounds are nice since they already have a channel under them and up the back for a drip tube and pump wire  What plants did you have in mind? That's a good start.


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## Bcs TX (Sep 13, 2008)

Ferns some broms and hopefully some air plants.
While the background is nice thinking of painting it in some brown tones with acrylic paint. Now, kind of a yellow grey thing going on.


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## boogsawaste (Jun 28, 2008)

For the ferns (epiphytic ones), it seems that you would need to keep it moist or possibly wrap some sphagnum moss around where you have it mounted. Some aluminum wire can be bent up to support it until it roots. Broms some silicone or the wire works (I've always used wire for them), and the tillandsias (air plants) should be mounted towards the top of the viv and try and face them down or at least horizontal. They can rot pretty easily so keeping them like that will help against water build up.

I'm NO green thumb but those are methods I've picked up and seem to be working fine in my viv.


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## Bcs TX (Sep 13, 2008)

Will give it a whirl.
Thanks!


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## frogsanddogs (Jun 21, 2008)

I don't know how it will hold up if you paint it, but I just wanted to let you know, we used one bare in our first tank and cut out areas to plant into and I wanted to let you know that the finish on it sort of gets "chipped" over time... its almost as if they have already finished it with some sort of paint that flakes off bit by bit... or it could be the crickets in that tank eating it off (it has a tree frog in it, not darts but I think it is weathering as before that we had some other small local tree frogs in an exo tank with the stock background and they ate fruitflies and it still did a bit of the same "chipping"- especially when you clean the tank... anyway, I think it looks pretty junky at this point, so we are planning breaking it down soon and doing our own background as his home pales in comparision to all of our dart enclosures. 

I have another tank that has the coco fiber siliconed directly to the exo background and that looks much more natural and holds up better but does seem to have a few more bare spots than the ones done onto the great stuff with the flevopol method (mixing concrete binding adhesive with the coco fiber and using this to put it onto the great stuff background)... I'm not sure if this method would work directly onto the exo background, but thought you should know that left the way it is, the exo background will not keep its same finish in a couple of years. Just something to keep in mind... I guess if you use it as is, it is very easy to change your mind and pull it out to add a more embellished background down the line, so it is an easy way to start but you will probably eventually want to change it out if you don't do something to make the finish more durable... not sure how your suggestion of painting it might work... I do think it could be made a much more natural color- as for how well the paint sticks over time.. not sure. Good luck!


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## Bcs TX (Sep 13, 2008)

Whew sounds really scientific to me.
Will try CoCo Fiber and some moss along with mounting ferns, pothos and maybe a cork bark stick with broms to keep it from looking so sterile.
Hubby thought I would not like it in the long haul but hard to trash it for the good stuff adventure. Silicone messy enough.


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