Brown silicone?

[JadeWilliamson]

Here's my first attempt at a ten gallon enclosure creation(Poecilotheria pederseni):

I really like it a lot. The door that swings down, which has the vents on it, needs to be redone because I screwed up a little with the hole saw. Overall I'm very happy with it. The backdrop is sold (specifically in this case at PetSmart) as hermit crab carpet. It comes perfectly fitted for common ten gallon aquariums for only $5. The live plants are awesome and the hide is tapered to a close at the bottom (though she never goes in it; she likes the plants). It's basically a RobC setup by the book.
The only thing I didn't do with this one was create my own backdrop. What seems to be the norm for backdrop setups no matter what your technique is the brown caulk. The backdrop I tried to make last night for my regalis enclosure was made on thin white foam board from Lowe's with clear silicone. I vastly underestimated the importance of brown.


I've looked around and can't find precisely what people who create their ow backdrops use as far as brown silicone. Is it something I can get from Lowe's without having to order it online and wait for shipping (I will if I have to but I want it now!)? RobC talks WAY too fast for me to catch what he uses. Not too mention he mumbles.

Thanks in advance for any responses!

 

[ch4dg]

i get brown silicone from the range and is a brand called 'mangers' not sure if its avaliable in the usa, but any brown silcone(normally used for window and door frames) is fine once fully cured....48hours

 

[JadeWilliamson]

Sounds good. How about the spray foam?

 

[peterUK]

Im going to be making some (x 10) myself in the very near future. Backing will be 10 inch x 18inch

I'll be getting my silicone from ebay so i want to order the right amount of tubes.

How much of the silicone was you using per sq ft ?

Thanks

 

[SamuraiSid]

RobC uses Food Grade Silicon he buys online, I dont recall him being mroe specific than that.

Many people trust GE 1 brand of silicon, and I've heard from many, including RobC, to stay away from GE 2, which I have personally used, and after 14 days of curing, it still stunk horribly, so I chucked the background.

GE 1 brand, or Food grade, or aquarium grade is what I would suggest, but only because I've heard of bad consequences with using "whatever" brand.

 

[JadeWilliamson]

Im going to be making some (x 10) myself in the very near future. Backing will be 10 inch x 18inch

I'll be getting my silicone from ebay so i want to order the right amount of tubes.

How much of the silicone was you using per sq ft ?

Thanks

It takes barely less than a tube to make mine which were 15"x9 3/4". If I were you I'd go with 15 tubes. Good luck!

 

[Thistles]

You can get brown, black and clear GE1 at Home Depot. I haven't checked Lowes, but I would assume they carry it as well. PetSmart also has "Forest Tile" background which is like a natural bark cut to fit the 12x18 exo/zoomed tanks. I hadn't thought of using the hermit crab climbing sheet. I bet that would be nice for slings since it's thin and easy to cut. Does your pokie like her new home?

You can also use Gorilla Glue, which is actually my preference. It cures to a light amber color, but it also expands. In my gecko tanks I first lay down some Great Stuff before attaching background materials. I like having a textured background and it expands a lot, letting me make ridges and such. For my T enclosures I just use the Gorilla Glue. It puffs, but not as much as the GS does. I still get my texture, but it doesn't expand as much which leaves more room in the smaller enclosures. If I had a better camera I would take pictures but as it is I just have a 10 yr old flip phone with a camera. Maybe my sister will let me use hers...