Rocks

Advanced Use:
For experienced designers only. Background-mounting rocks is performed at your own risk.
Background-mounted rock decor is an advanced-level practice which we recommend only to experienced adult-age terrarium designers. Always perform due diligence for safety, as rocks which become detached from glass can cause a serious falling hazard for inhabitants, and a broken glass hazard for people. The following practice is performed at the builder's own risk. Please don't proceed unless you are experienced, confident, and capable of ensuring adequate safety measures are followed.

At NEHERP we mount rock decor to glass using Terrarium-Safe ASI Silicone which features an extremely high high tensile strength (500PSI!) compared to lower-end hardware store silicone and/or polyurethane foam. We're always careful to provide an adequate contact path between the silicone, glass, and rock decor as this is the primary method of adhesion we rely on. Not every rock is suitable for background mounting, and we try to focus our efforts on pieces which have a mostly flat side, since that offers the greatest contact path. Once the rock is well secured using silicone and fully cured, we test it for safety by applying pressure to see if it can be removed by hand. If it comes off after a good tug, it wasn't secure enough. If it sticks firmly, it's possible to move to the next step. Foam can then be used to help fill gaps between rocks & other hardscape decor and may help support things in a secondary way. After the foam has cured, we cut it where it's not desired, coat it with more silicone, and cover the wet silicone with Custom Background Texture Mix. After another 24-48 hours of curing, we're left with a nice looking piece of rock integrated into some custom background work. As of late 2023, we are working towards a rock mosaic style background tutorial. Keep an eye out, and don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions or concerns about this process. Hide advanced use recommendations.