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Background Supplies

For Bioactive Terrariums & Live Vivariums

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About Our Background Supplies:

Easy Custom Background For Bioactive Terrarium

Easy Custom Background For Live Vivarium

Best Background For Bioactive Terrariums

Introduction

Building your own custom terrarium background is often the most difficult but most rewarding aspect of creating a beautiful environment. On this page you'll find all the building supplies you'll need to create an incredibly awesome custom terrarium background. If you aren't sure how to proceed, we've got your back! Check out our DIY articles about Custom Backgrounds & Heavy Duty Backgrounds before you jump-in. Those (totally free) articles can act like a detailed set of instructions for using all of the supplies you'll find below.

Growing Live Plants On Terrarium Backgrounds

Building A Background For Live Terrarium Plants

Building A Tropical Live Vivarium Background

Supplies For Building A Tropical Live Vivarium Background

The Two Background Styles

There are many ways to go about building a custom background, but we've found two styles to be the most long-lasting, best looking, and most consistently repeatable. Fully custom backgrounds rely on tools like foam, silicone, wood decor, and background texture mix to get the job done. These are a little more difficult to create, require more time, but have the absolute best looking results. Heavy duty backgrounds are basically modified cork tile backgrounds, with added 3D plant mounting points, animal perches, and more. These are the least expensive option we recommend, can be built very quickly, and easily support larger inhabitants.

Image Galleries:

Gallery: Custom BGs

Gallery: Heavy Duty BGs

Supporting Articles:

Custom BG Article

Heavy Duty BG Article

Discounted BG Kits:

Custom Background Kits

Heavy Duty BG Kits

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Foam: Great Stuff Brand

A common choice for custom background builds

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This is the most common & trusted brand of foam used to build a custom vivarium background. After applying a thin layer of terrarium-safe silicone onto a glass enclosure, this foam can be sprayed-in to form ledges and other 3D effects. It's also great for filling gaps between wood decor during custom background design. Once applied and allowed to cure, it can be carved or left "as is" before it's coated with a layer of silicone & background texture mix for an awesome naturalistic effect. To learn more about custom vivarium backgrounds, check out our custom vivarium background how-to article.

$5.99/ea Always discounted in our Custom Background Kits!

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Gloves: Akers Brand

Non-powdered flexible latex gloves

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Inexpensive, high quality, powder free latex exam gloves. These gloves resist tearing, are more flexible than nitrile gloves, and are light enough to retain textural feeling when performing sensitive tasks. We use these while working with silicone, Great Stuff foam, sensitive animals, and more. Available in four sizes. Sold in quantities of 10, boxes of 100, or in wholesale cases of 10X100 on request.

10-Pack 100-Pack

$2.29/ea 10-Pack
(Select glove size in-cart!)

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10-Pack 100-Pack

$9.99/ea 100-Pack
(Select glove size in-cart!)

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NEHERP Custom Vivarium Background Texture Mix

Specifically formulated to add a dark, detailed texture to custom terrarium backgrounds

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To use: Simply apply terrarium safe silicone, press texture mix into it, and allow the silicone to cure. You'll be left with a plant-friendly & realistic looking surface!
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Want more detailed texture & plant growth performance on your custom background? Our background texture substrate is a carefully blended mixture of Canadian organic peat moss, shredded coconut husks, and coconut fiber, and is designed to add a more detailed, darker, and three-dimensional texture than any alternative. The mix looks great on it's own even before plants grow on it, but it's also a great way to encourage Moss, Moss Slurry, epiphytic plants, and trailing plants to spread onto a custom background directly. Our Background Texture Mix is included at a discount in our Custom Background Kits, as well as our Heavy Duty Background Kits. For detailed instructions, please check out our Custom Background DIY article.

96oz 192oz 384oz 576oz

96oz | 0.75 Gallon | $5.49

15% Off!
96oz | 0.75 Gallon | $4.66

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96oz 192oz 384oz 576oz

192oz | 1.5 Gallons | $10.49

15% Off!
192oz | 1.5 Gallons | $8.91

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96oz 192oz 384oz 576oz

384oz | 3 Gallons | $19.99

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384oz | 3 Gallons | $16.99

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96oz 192oz 384oz 576oz

576oz | 4.5 Gallons | $29.99

15% Off!
576oz | 4.5 Gallons | $25.49

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Always discounted in our Heavy Duty & Custom Background Kits!

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NEHERP Modular Cork Planters

Specially selected cork rounds cut at neat 45° angles for use as background-mountable planters

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A New England Herpetoculture Product:
Our inexpensive modular cork planters allow vivarium builders to add a planting site anywhere they'd like on a background. These are compatible with Cork Tile Backgrounds, Custom Background Kits, and included (at a discount) in our Heavy Duty Background Kits. Depending on the type of background being created, Modular Cork Planters can be attached to an enclosure using either our terrarium-safe silicone or using stainless steel hardware. If silicone is used, any excess "push out" adhesive can be coated with Background Texture Mix to help the planter blend more seamlessly into the background. Both sizes have one opening cut at a 45° angle for easy mounting. Once a planter is mounted it can be left empty to be used as a cave/ledge, or filled with substrate to contain live plants. Over time the roots of plants will grow out & onto the cork itself, creating an awesome grown-in effect. Click here for a bare background fitment photo of the above enclosure.

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Links To Supporting NEHERP Pages:
Custom BG Article HD Custom BG Article Vivarium Image Gallery
Links To Supporting Supplies:
Silicone Hardware BG Texture HD BG Kits

Small Medium

$7.49/ea Small

15% Off!
$6.36/ea Small

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Always discounted in our HD Background Kits!
Small - 3-5in Length X 2-4in Diameter

Small Medium

$10.49/ea Medium

15% Off!
$8.91/ea Medium

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Always discounted in our HD Background Kits!
Medium - 6-8in Length X 2.5-5in Diameter

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Nursery Net Pots

High quality flexible plastic net pots

Net Pots For Custom Terrarium Backgrounds

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Net pots can be used with standard soil, but are more commonly used with Sphagnum, Soilless media (hydroponics), and in other unique circumstances.