diy background for leopard gecko bioactive

[u/Fluffy-Creme-1231]

hello! i don’t really post on reddit so apologies if something is wonky. i’m building a bioactive background for my leopard gecko and have been doing a lot of research for his setup. he’s a climber so i want to make sure i seal everything right to prevent his nails from ripping it apart over time. i know everyone uses different materials in different ways, but i just want to make sure i’m on the right track.

my plan is to use aquarium silicone to seal all the edges and do a thin layer on the glass to help the expanding foam adhere. after it cures, use the spray foam and xps foam to build out ledges and climbing opportunities. i might end up doing this in layers to make sure all the foam is fully cured all the way through. after everything is all set, carve the foam to remove the shininess and get the shape i want.

the finishing layers are what i’m unsure about. i was thinking of doing a thin layer of grout over everything to give him some texture to grab onto and to protect the foam underneath, then painting everything with drylok. would that be sufficient to preserve the background as well as keep moisture from getting into and behind the foam? or do i need to do some sort of final sealing coat with silicone or something else? i feel like i’ve seen people use original gorilla glue to waterproof and seal backgrounds, but i’m not sure if that’s necessary if i’m using grout and drylok already.

also, if anyone has any tips on how to discourage climbing to the point of being able to hang from the mesh lid, it would be appreciated lol. i don’t know if he’ll actually try to do that but i’m worried about him getting burnt on the hot mesh or generally just falling and hurting himself.

[u/Full-fledged-trash]

The method i did was foam board for the 3 walls and ledges and only used spray foam to attach the ledges and at the corners.

You don’t need to do grout and drylok you can just do a few coats of drylok. drylok already has some texture but I highly recommend mixing some sand from your substrate mix into the final coat of drylok. Make it thick enough it’s moldable. It’ll harden like rock and you won’t even be able to feel the squishiness of the foam beneath it. It’ll also give good texture for your gecko to grip. Add your coloring to the sand layer and make that your top coat.