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I saw this idea on several threads and thought i would give it a try. this took about 2 months so don't be mislead on the amount of work that goes into it.
my attempt at a cork board background viv
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here are the remain pictures.
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Ok so I know I am doing this all out of order but it's my first time posting a thread and it's been a head ache. I used a ten gallon tank I previously used for some bull frog tadpoles I had. First I bleached the tank out and rinsed it until the smell of bleach was out. After that I had to take all the adhesive off around the tank and during that I slipped and but a crack in the tank. I fixed the crack with aquarium silicone. Then I took my cork board and made a grid on the back to see how big the pieces would turn out. I used a box cutter to cut the back then snapped it with my hands. This technique doesn't give it a natural look but this being my first attempt I wanted to go easy that's also why the pieces are so big. I then laid the pieces out to see how I wanted to have them. Doug "Pumilo" suggested the shelf pieces. Also I need to give him credit cause it was his 75 corner viv that I first saw this idea. After the cork was set I had to install the front door which was more work than I would like to admit. From there I stuffed the spaces with moss. I did add to small pieces of cork bark so there wouldn't be a straight line down the center. I then put the branches of wood in. Then hydro balls and abg mix. Added my plants. The brom is in between one of the branches. Then I added my leaf litter. Sorry this is a lot longer then I ment for it to be.
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Thanks and the next one I do I will try it out. I really like how it looks compared to other back grounds.
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Yeah I used what little extra plants and trimmings from my other viv as I could but I want to add more plants for sure. I seem to struggle with moss I am not sure why. Any hints?
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I've been having good luck using sodium bentonite/peat as a moss growing medium, not only does the peat grow, but other mosses that I shred and add in come up as well. You could try to spread a little clay/moss mix on some parts of the bg and see what pops up. I'm working on a similar build right now and will be filling the cracks between the cork pieces with clay mixed with shredded moss instead of stuffing with sphag.
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Not much of a hint. I use the shotgun approach. Tuck a little bit here and a little bit there. Some shaded, some bright. Try a few different types. I get some to grow and some...not so much. Wherever you put it, I always tuck it into some sphagnum as most? mosses need to be kept moist. A misting system helps so it doesn't dry out. If you watch for Manuran's next offering, you can pick up a 5 pack of different, live mosses to try out. It may be a while though, as he recently offered a batch and quickly sold out.
I have used this eBay seller eBay My World - lhhdz5 before, to get live sphagnum moss. He offers it pretty regularly. His is not "frog safe" out of the bag, like Manuran's though. You do have to treat it for safety. I did a 10 minute soak in a 5% bleach solution. It promptly turned it all yellow but it quickly began greening up and growing for me. I can tell you that sphagnum needs a good amount of light to grow.
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Looking good! I used Pumilo's "cork mosaic" method, too, and really like the results.
As for your tank, it's kind of hard to tell with the small pics but I do like the branches going across the tank. What kind of wood are they? It looks like you have plenty of area to add some cool brom's and maybe an orchid or two!
As for your tank, it's kind of hard to tell with the small pics but I do like the branches going across the tank. What kind of wood are they? It looks like you have plenty of area to add some cool brom's and maybe an orchid or two!
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I will have to give those suggestions a try with the moss. And yeah sorry about the small pictures if I knew at the time they would of ended up that small I would of used an actual camera. Live and learn I guess. The branches I don't know the type of thembut you can find them in almost any pet store they are usually somewhere between two to three feet I just measured it out and sawed it where I wanted.
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Haven't updated in awhile I have been letting everything grow out. The shot gun theory Doug said on here worked out plus the background sphagnum moss is now green and growing. Got a pair of standard imitators. It was a definite female and probable male. When I got home and put them in the tank the male started calling within 5 mins. Now I need to set up some film canisters or I heard small deli cups work to for them to deposit tads in. Any suggestions please let me know.
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Awesome thanks Doug I was debating just sending you a pm I knew you would have a solution.
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Also any suggestions on how many and where to place them?
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I usually use 6 or 8 per viv. I have the best results with most of my frogs down in the lower 1/4 to 1/3 of the viv. I set up a couple completely horizontal so they don't hold water. These ones are facing the back of the viv for privacy. They will sometimes lay eggs in these. I'll set up 4 to 6 at a 45 degree angle so they will hold some water. These are to deposit tads in. They like to pick and choose what they decide the best places are so scatter them around. Some frogs will lay all over the place and some frogs seem to keep coming back to the same spot. If yours keeps coming to the same spot, try moving more of your canisters to that spot.
Good Luck!
Good Luck!
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I saw on Josh's frogs they ar the clear film canisters do you use black ones aw well or just those?
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Sweet cause I got the clear ones so looks like I am painting 
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Would rolling it in peat moss have the same effect?
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