# My Golden Mantella Terrarium Build



## JR.Exotics (Mar 24, 2011)

Hi everyone :] 

I have been after some_ Mantella aurantiaca _for ages and i have finally found a pair and im getting some more soon from a friend. So i have decided to make a live planted terrarium like I have for my Azureiventris and other Dart Frogs to make it as natural as possible :] So im doing a Madagascan lowland forest/swamp set up for the _M.aurantiaca _for when they arrive in a few weeks time. 
Here is a list of equipment I have been using encase you want to do one yourself and if you haven't done one before :] 

*Equipment:*


Glass Tank & Lid
500 ml Spray can of Expandable Foam (500 ml is enough for a 2ft long and a foot and a half high terrarium) - From B&Q.

Bathroom Mastic Sealant & Gun (people say Aquarium Grade Sealant however its all the same stuff just different name and price) - B&Q or Reptile/Aquarium specialists. 

Exo Terra Plantation Soil Brick (any soil or coco husk bricks can be used but i like using the Exo Terra one) Reptile Shops
Stanley Blade (Sharpe razor of some sort) 

Latex Gloves (Trust me it gets messy lol)

This is what i have done so far....
I firstly got my tank (of course) and cleaned it out making sure there was no dirty marks on it. 
I laid the Tank on its side and sprayed a fine mist of plain water, using a spray bottle, on the area i wanted to use for my foam background. I then sprayed the Expandable Foam onto the glass, like so.... 
















And finally all of the background has been sprayed, remember it will expand quite a lot bigger than it looks however it is easy to cut back so dont worry at all (hence the need of a Stanley blade)..


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## JR.Exotics (Mar 24, 2011)

So after spraying the beginning of the background allow it to dry and expand (usually it says for 24 hours to dry completely on the can). I trimmed the top of the background to make it look neater and so the lid could actually fit on lol anyway this is what the result should look like...
















As you can notice i have added something on the bottom... I found i had some foam left over so i thought, what the heck im going to make a small water section which looks like this... 







I have cut it into the shape it is now with the Stanley Blade making it as smooth as i possibly can lol... 








So, So far i have got this which is ready for the next stage once it has all properly set as i touched up a few areas which had holes in (also i just wanted to be safe and go over the 24 hour mark)... 










While i was waiting for the Foam to dry and set i, decided to make a little Plaque to go on the display when its finished (this you dont need to do lol i am just sad)...









I will post the next stage when i have done in  but tell me what you think so far please :]


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## bw89 (Jan 11, 2010)

JR.Exotics said:


> So after spraying the beginning of the background allow it to dry and expand (usually it says for 24 hours to dry completely on the can). I trimmed the top of the background to make it look neater and so the lid could actually fit on lol anyway this is what the result should look like...
> image
> image
> As you can notice i have added something on the bottom... I found i had some foam left over so i thought, what the heck im going to make a small water section which looks like this...
> ...


 
Those plaques are one of the coolest ideas iv ever seen,i dont think it is sad at all. Or maybe it is and we are both sad:lol2:. Looks good cant wait to see it finished:no1:
Bill


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## JR.Exotics (Mar 24, 2011)

bw89 said:


> Those plaques are one of the coolest ideas iv ever seen,i dont think it is sad at all. Or maybe it is and we are both sad:lol2:. Looks good cant wait to see it finished:no1:
> Bill


haha thanks i have been doing those Plaques for years tbh i have them for all my animals that i have :] i think it is always the finishing touch needed for any Viv! lol
and Thanks i hopefully will get started on the next stage tomorrow but i need to buy some soil bricks now i forgot to get them today :/ 

josh


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## bw89 (Jan 11, 2010)

:blusho you mind if i make my own? and if so what sites did you use to get the maps and the endangered animals scale (vulnerable, critacally endangered, etc.) Actually i could do it on paint, but i would want u to be ok with it first


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## JR.Exotics (Mar 24, 2011)

bw89 said:


> :blusho you mind if i make my own? and if so what sites did you use to get the maps and the endangered animals scale (vulnerable, critacally endangered, etc.)


well of course i dont mind lol however what i will say is this...... i can make them for you haha as i have done it a very awkward way, i am making a few for some of my friends and a few people that have asked :] but tbh i get most of the info off my website and the IUCN Red List database lol and maps i did in paint 
however if you decide to make them yourself all i ask is that you adapt to it so you make it different to mine :] lol


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## bw89 (Jan 11, 2010)

JR.Exotics said:


> well of course i dont mind lol however what i will say is this...... i can make them for you haha as i have done it a very awkward way, i am making a few for some of my friends and a few people that have asked :] but tbh i get most of the info off my website and the IUCN Red List database lol and maps i did in paint
> however if you decide to make them yourself all i ask is that you adapt to it so you make it different to mine :] lol


Thanks mate, i will try it myself because i like doing this sort of thing and i want to make about 10-15, maybe 20. I couldnt ask u to do that, but thanks. I like the IUCN website but they havnt got the precious info i need for my Mangrove Snake, lol. I think it's a good idea, because if someone comes to look at my reptiles it gives them a lot of info, and makes it look nicer. Great Idea:no1:


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## JR.Exotics (Mar 24, 2011)

bw89 said:


> Thanks mate, i will try it myself because i like doing this sort of thing and i want to make about 10-15, maybe 20. I couldnt ask u to do that, but thanks. I like the IUCN website but they havnt got the precious info i need for my Mangrove Snake, lol. I think it's a good idea, because if someone comes to look at my reptiles it gives them a lot of info, and makes it look nicer. Great Idea:no1:


haha no worries just pm me if you get stuck and want me to do it instead :] well i have made 80 so far since December! :lol2: some of the animals i dont even have yet but i made them ready so i dont have to worry haha :] but good luck with making them i suggest you do like a faded background on the plaque maybe of the habitat it comes from? i would do that but i have to many to redo if i want to change it :/ lol.. and yeahh i had trouble with the mangrove snake for my website as its a Encyclopedia for endangered species


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## bw89 (Jan 11, 2010)

JR.Exotics said:


> haha no worries just pm me if you get stuck and want me to do it instead :] well i have made 80 so far since December! :lol2: some of the animals i dont even have yet but i made them ready so i dont have to worry haha :] but good luck with making them i suggest you do like a faded background on the plaque maybe of the habitat it comes from? i would do that but i have to many to redo if i want to change it :/ lol.. and yeahh i had trouble with the mangrove snake for my website as its a Encyclopedia for endangered species


Hey thats a great idea, might have to look into it, or maybe a picture of the animal for when said animal is hiding, so people can see it.Cheers and good luck with the viv:2thumb:


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## JR.Exotics (Mar 24, 2011)

right next stage everyone lol :] 

before i even started to make the background, i got the wood and branches i was going to use and soaked them in a bucket of boiling hot water (i took a pic for the sake of it lol) i left it in there for about a week (note that the water level has gone down greatly lol) 









Anyway after you soak whatever your using, its now time (which is tricky) to attach the branches to your background :] using your expandable foam like so.... 

























right now thats done (i will have more in there when they finish soaking) you can now move onto attaching your plant pots for your plants to grow from to make it a little more exciting than a mud wall lol (you will be covering the pot later dont worry)... 










so it should look (well not exactly) like this.... 



















doesn't look like much yet but it will do when there's a little bit more happening lol next stage soon :]


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