New 18x18x36 Viv

Just finished planting my new viv for my gargoyle gecko! This was actually a lot harder to hardscape as far as placement and layout than my 24” since I had so much more space to fill. I’m super happy with how it’s turned out but now I have to be patient and let it grow in. A couple of in progress photos in the comment to show the build for those interested 🙂 And don’t worry, I’ll clean up all the scruffy silicone to get things sharp.

I do have a couple questions for folks if willing to share advice:

• I siliconed the glass first before applying Great Stuff. The silicone had maybe a week to cure before I applied the foam. After the foam cured I noticed it bowing and rolling up and away from the silicone. I needed to apply fresh silicone behind the foam sheet and clamp it in place to correct the issue. Had anyone else had a similar experience and how did you avoid it?

• I’m interested in growing moss on the manzanita branches and the cork tubes. Does anyone have tips for success; moss varieties, whether to apply a mud paste before setting the moss, anything else?

• I’ve got a birds nest fern, blue star fern, blue oil fern, and four broms I’m trying to establish as epiphytes on hardscape. Right now it’s just sphagnum wrap the bases and tuck into wedge spaces. Any suggestions to improve my odds of success or stumbling blocks to avoid?

Thanks everyone!