I need some ideas on attaching items to the glass terranium.

mjhandy

New Member
The units we have a big. 48x48x19. We bought two but are just going to set up one for now.

Other than the mag shelf units how else can I attach vines/plants to the glass sides? I was thinking of large suction cups, but not sure if they will hold.

Any thoughts?
 
Aquarium silicone or, my personal favorite, cans of spray foam. Id make a panel for each surface you want to cover using expanding foam. While the foam is tacky place your pots like you want them and then cover the outside of them with foam in a way that will secure it where you want it on your panel. I don't know the weight but I have a 12"x10" pot foamed into my wall for years, its heavy and hasn't budged since the install. Once the foam dries you can spray it with stone texture spray paint, looks like expensive terrarium décor but can be done for less than $20. I get way more complements and pride building these than any décor I ever bought!

I never use suction cups because at some point they always fall for one reason or another, good way to kill your chams.
 

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I use suction cups. They hold if you keep the humidity up. They also allow you to reorganize and remake your design.
 
Suction cups are your friend. I use them to hold up my terrarium wall. I have 4 large good quality suction cups holding this wall up. I have to use an object to break the suction when I remove it for cleaning or electrical work. Held up well for several months now.
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Aquarium silicone or, my personal favorite, cans of spray foam. Id make a panel for each surface you want to cover using expanding foam. While the foam is tacky place your pots like you want them and then cover the outside of them with foam in a way that will secure it where you want it on your panel. I don't know the weight but I have a 12"x10" pot foamed into my wall for years, its heavy and hasn't budged since the install. Once the foam dries you can spray it with stone texture spray paint, looks like expensive terrarium décor but can be done for less than $20. I get way more complements and pride building these than any décor I ever bought!

I never use suction cups because at some point they always fall for one reason or another, good way to kill your chams.

The problem with more "permanent" solutions is that cleaning is a PIA. You can't remove what you've installed to clean, and remodeling is much harder to do.

If you have good suction cups and perform regular cleanings and inspections, then they are safe. Some one else also pointed out that the humidity also factors into there grip as well.
 
The problem with more "permanent" solutions is that cleaning is a PIA. You can't remove what you've installed to clean, and remodeling is much harder to do.

If you have good suction cups and perform regular cleanings and inspections, then they are safe. Some one else also pointed out that the humidity also factors into there grip as well.

I cant argue against the second half of what you said, but as far as the PIA part, they are only a pain to maintain if you design and build them to be that way!

Correct me if im wrong but It looks like you bought a cage and did not build your own, nothing wrong with that! It looks like yours has a lip on the bottom so my method probably will not work for you unless you remove it. Can that lip be temporarily or easily removed? If so you can drape any piece of plastic over the walls you wish to foam. Apply as much foam as you wish but I recommend that you at least foam over the back, both sides, and bottom. Then, while the foam is still tacky embed your vines/branches/plants into the wall foam as I mentioned above. Make sure a couple of your branches connect one side of your cage to the other, this will give it a lot of strength and is needed for the next step. Once your foam has fully cured you will be able to grab the plastic you laid down and pull out the entire foam structure very easily. The plastic keeps the foam off your glass while it dries and the plastic should easily pull away from the foam as well. Think of it as making a mold of the inside of your enclosure. You can then spray your stone texture and several layers of animal safe clear coat if you wish. If you do use the texture spray the clear coat step is critical to ensuring your cham does not accidently ingest anything it shouldn't. Once the final coat of clear coat has cured be sure to give the mold a day or two to air out.

Remodeling is easily done by cutting a circle in the foam surrounding the object you want to remove, it will pop right out. Any holes are easily filled with a bit more foam or just go straight to the texture/clear spray step. If you wish to keep the hole it will give your enclosure a bit of character and may give your feeder insects a "cave" to hide in, this will make your chameleons hunting more interesting for him!

The next time you need to clean their enclosure you can just pull the whole mold right out, take it outside, and clean it as needed. Pop it back into your enclosure and your done. Should take 30 mins at the most. If you really wanting to speed things up, there are a lot of good hydrophobic products out there now.

Its all about what works for you!
 
Suction cups are your friend. I use them to hold up my terrarium wall. I have 4 large good quality suction cups holding this wall up. I have to use an object to break the suction when I remove it for cleaning or electrical work. Held up well for several months now.
full

full

Did you make this backing out of spray foam, or did you purchase it?
 
I'm also looking at rare earth magnets to hold something. Not sure that that something is yet, but a plant holder out of spray foam could be a possibility.
 
I cant argue against the second half of what you said, but as far as the PIA part, they are only a pain to maintain if you design and build them to be that way!

Correct me if im wrong but It looks like you bought a cage and did not build your own, nothing wrong with that! It looks like yours has a lip on the bottom so my method probably will not work for you unless you remove it. Can that lip be temporarily or easily removed? If so you can drape any piece of plastic over the walls you wish to foam. Apply as much foam as you wish but I recommend that you at least foam over the back, both sides, and bottom. Then, while the foam is still tacky embed your vines/branches/plants into the wall foam as I mentioned above. Make sure a couple of your branches connect one side of your cage to the other, this will give it a lot of strength and is needed for the next step. Once your foam has fully cured you will be able to grab the plastic you laid down and pull out the entire foam structure very easily. The plastic keeps the foam off your glass while it dries and the plastic should easily pull away from the foam as well. Think of it as making a mold of the inside of your enclosure. You can then spray your stone texture and several layers of animal safe clear coat if you wish. If you do use the texture spray the clear coat step is critical to ensuring your cham does not accidently ingest anything it shouldn't. Once the final coat of clear coat has cured be sure to give the mold a day or two to air out.

Remodeling is easily done by cutting a circle in the foam surrounding the object you want to remove, it will pop right out. Any holes are easily filled with a bit more foam or just go straight to the texture/clear spray step. If you wish to keep the hole it will give your enclosure a bit of character and may give your feeder insects a "cave" to hide in, this will make your chameleons hunting more interesting for him!

The next time you need to clean their enclosure you can just pull the whole mold right out, take it outside, and clean it as needed. Pop it back into your enclosure and your done. Should take 30 mins at the most. If you really wanting to speed things up, there are a lot of good hydrophobic products out there now.

Its all about what works for you!

True, but most people simply instruct or tell people to use the foam directly on the cage without instructing to use some sort of barrier to allow removal. So when I stated it is a PIA to clean and remove I was referring to a wall that is permanently bonded to the enclosure. I'm not a fan of this type. I went with the simple "black foam" look. I saw it on a Dragon Strand picture and thought it looked unique and fresh compared to my last setup. Thanks for the tips, when I look into my remodeling for this enclosure or my new one I will consider your ideas.(y)

I bought a glass terrarium. I prefer glass, but am wishing I had LESS humidity.

Did you make this backing out of spray foam, or did you purchase it?

I made this. See my thread here:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/diy-floating-removable-foam-wall-for-glass-terrarium.155908/
 
I have been looking at rare earth magnets. Same thing the Magna brand units. What is on the outside of the enclosure would need something type of handle glued to it so you could get it off.
 
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