Quote Originally Posted by jclaiborne View Post
I am in the process of drawing out the background layout for my empty 55 gallon tank that I want to set up for dart frogs. I already have the bio active mix setup in a tub ready to go and hydroton for the base, this will be my first attempt at doing a foam back ground. Did you just goop a bunch on and start carving away with a razor blade until you got the rough shapes you wanted?
Yep! The big ledge and some other sections were carved and painted outside the enclosure out of polyurethane insulation foam (that pink or blue kind) and then glued in. After that I filled in all the empty space with Great Stuff foam. Once it was set I carved it to match the other rocks. I mainly used a little x-acto and a steak knife to get the results I wanted.

A few tips if you decide to use Great Stuff: Wear gloves! It's impossible to get off of skin. Apply it in thin layers and allow it to expand and cure before building it up further. You can mist it a little to speed up the curing process. After you carve, it may continue expanding and contracting for a while, so give it a few days before painting for best results. I was impatient and now I've got a bunch of cracks in the paint that I need to touch up.

Also, people using it on glass usually apply a thin layer of silicone to give it something to cling to. Since you're doing a dart enclosure I assume you've looked through the builds on Dendroboard? That was my best source for information, by far!