Thanks Ethan. Not really an in depth video showing techniques I used, but just a rough showing of how it progressed and the stages it was at. Appreciate your comment 😊
Hope you are doing well buddy! I finally am about to get my anaconda enclosure! I ordered it in May but the guy was giving me the run-around so I canceled payment to him and ended up having the guy who did my boa enclosure that who did my boa enclosure, do the Anaconda enclosure as well.he was a few months behind schedule also because he didn't realize how much work it was going to take but I got some pictures of it today and it looks amazing. It's 11 feet by 6 feet by 6 ft with a 6-foot by 6-foot pond that is 2 feet deep.I will hopefully be getting it in the next 2 weeks and we'll be doing a walk-through video. A lot of the stuff you did were used as reference points so I appreciate that! I wish I was able to build them myself like you haha but maybe the next couple I can do on my own haha
Thank you so much. It's not easy, I admit. There's some things I could have done better for easier access, and my back would be much more grateful. But I use F10 cleaner, a mixture of brushes to get into all the grooves, a vibrating brush cleaner to really scrub some parts, followed by rinsing and drying with paper towels. It's not that bad to do really, and if you keep on top of spot cleaning it doesn't tend to get too dirty.
After Christmas I will be making a new build, bigger, with some new ideas going in... maybe I will do some voice over on the creation of each stage... maybe... lol
The majority of the build was polystyrene, covered in grout, with some of it being expanding foam also covered in grout. Some of the high traffic areas have worn down where it was a bit thinly applied, so the next tank will account for this a bit better.
What did you use to make the tree in the wall and the branch going across the vivarium? Also, what did you use for the waterfall set up? Were there any substrate moisture issues or leaking using the waterfall? How did you waterproof everything, DryLok? GAH! I have so many questions. 😂
Thank you very much. The tank is chipboard melamine tank. After a couple of leaks/snake business... some of the edging has suffered a bit but it's structurally still very sound, no concerns over using similar again. However, the next build is going to be much bigger and will need stronger material for the size.
I think this is amazing! Really well done for the snake! Sure it could be bigger, it could always be bigger, but it already seems like there's plenty of space to stretch out when needed given all of the levels you have in there. I've been looking to do my Pandora's tank for YEARS. And my girl goes up on suspended vines or tree limbs most of the time, or hifes sometimes, very rarely ever tries stretching out in a straight line nose to tail. Shes 4 1/2 ish in a 48x18x21 tank so shes got LOTS of room. What steps did you take? Styrofoam shaped how you want, grout, paint, then? What sealant did you use, if any? Just nervous about sealants even though everyone says water based ANYTHING is ok, i think otherwise sometimes. I assume acrylic paint also. Are the plants live or fake? Some look live, but then seem fake based on practicality... Regardless, i know how destructive boas are, so live plants are kind of a hassle to keep up! Overall super well done, I love everything you did!!
Thank you very much for the comments, really appreciated. It makes it all worthwhile seeing and hearing the appreciation. Firstly, in regards to size - Bonnie is 7ft now, and with the width being 5ft and depth being 2ft, that's adhering to the advice being width + depth = snake length = perfect size. Obviously, she's still growing so no, that won't do forever, but as you rightly say, the fact there are levels and the height of the tank (3ft) allows her full stretch capability. I am also restricted by the size of my living room. I don't want her to go upstairs out of view, and I have futher ideas for expansion whilst keeping this vivarium intact. So in regards to steps - pretty much as you say! Shape and create the polystyrene/foam to be what I wanted to look like using knives, hot wires, fingers to rip etc, which all got grouted (3 coats) once all in place. The paint was indeed acrylic, with a watered down basecoat sprayed on to give some coverage (that's the mostly black picture just before the rock effect pics), then varying brush techniques for the desired colour and effects (such as dry brush for the rock effect). And it was sealed up after - however, I used a plasticote one, which took 3 weeks to dissepate the smell/fumes. Only once cleared up fully did the snake get anywhere near going in - it just took A LOT longer than I planned for. This was probably one of the most contentious issues I faced (oddly) because of the sheer amount of different views and pros and cons with each type of sealant people suggest. Just... urgghh. Plants are all fake - all from varying sources so some look more realistic than others. But they were all made to be removable and washable. The whole concept with the tank was ease of use, ease of cleaning, ease of maintaining and fully automated. But once again, thank you so much for the comments!
I’m sorry if you already answered this question, but I briefly scrolled through and I didn’t see it off the rip, so....I was wondering what the dimensions are on this enclosure? It’s perfect! I love everything you did every lil detail.
Hi Lauren, thank you for the kind words, appreciate it. This tank is 5ft wide, 3ft tall, and 2ft deep. Its no longer big enough for her and I am in the planning stage of a new improved tank, ready to be built after Christmas. I've got a couple of lessons I've learned from this one to improve on the new tank but generally it's still doing the job well.
It's absolutely spot on. There's been no issues arising from the heat and humidity for over 2 years now. The polystyrene actually acts as an insulator to help with heat retention. With the grout, paint, and sealant, nothing has degraded due to humidity. The design allows for 5 separate heat gradients too, so she chooses where to go based on what she needs.
Thank you very much! Cleaning isn't too bad. I use F10 cleaner and a selection of brushes to scrub. There's a few things I'm going to do differently on the next tank to help with cleaning as some of the floor detail I done was too intricate. But with brushes it's not too bad, just room for improvement
Hey I absolutely love your enclosure and am building my boa one at the moment as well 6.5’x2’x4’ and I was just wondering how your heat is set up are you using lights or panels or mats etc. I live up in northern Canada so temps can get challenging through the winter.
Hi Lukas, apologies, I've only just seen this comment. I have LED lights in there for lighting only, no heat from the light source at all. The heat is given by a ceramic heat bulb, 150w, controlled by a Microclimate Evo Pro, which also controls the humidity. I was worried about whether a ceramic bulb would be enough to heat up the tank, but it's more than capable. The amount of polystyrene in there helps retain heat, and I'm so glad I didn't go for one of the larger wall mounted heaters. I actually installed 2 ceramic bulb holders but only needed the one in the end. My new tank will have a couple because of how I'm going to build it, but this setup has multiple heat gradients in each area so Bonnie can choose the temp she wants.
very well done. I'm just curious, have you had any issues with the paint pilling or chipping off? i plan to build a large rain-forest vivarium for a green tree boa, and i like the idea of painting certain details, but I'm concerned the paint wont last in the high humidity, waterfalls, pond, and rivers.
Thanks for the comment :) She has now "worn down" some areas which has chipped off the grout - although only minimal and only on high stress areas. Easy to touch back up. But in regards to the paint, no, that itself has remained completely intact. And if you're going to have a high humidity or water flowing area, the paint should be covered by something more waterproof - my waterfall and pool is actually incased in aquarium grade silicone, so although it took a bit of the detail off the fine paintwork, it's actually fully protected from the water and so faces no danger of chipping away or wearing down with water. The general humidity of the tank has caused no degredation of the paintwork whatsoever :) HTH
Hello 😊 I'm again, I've Comment long time ago under an other Video from this Terra. I would like to try to make my terrarium that way, after a long break I can finally continue building. So, I've a new question 😊 is that gypsum or what did you do about the polystyrene? Thank you for your answer 😊❤
Hi again. Once the polysytrene has been shaped how you want and fixed in place, it gets covered in grout - as in the stuff you use to fill the gaps between wall/floor tiles. First coat was a runny consistency to enable full coverage, then slightly thicker on the subsequent coats (but nowhere near the consistency as what you would use to actually grout tiles). Apply with a paint brush, and allow to dry/cure between each coat. The final coat I used a different colour simply for seeing where I have covered as well as providing a good base colour as the majority of it would be grey/black. Once it was all fully cured, it was painted with acrylic paints, firstly watered down in a spray bottle for easy application, then hand painted to add effects of rock, moss, water, etc. With the painting stage, just play about, see what works and what doesn't. If you mess it up, you can paint over.
Thank you for your ansewer 💖 Right now I'm on the tree trunk right in the corner, I'm totally despairing. I got some modeling clay and I'm just trying that, but somehow I do not get it that realistic. I do not know if I'm just too stupid for that or if I'm concentrating too much on your work ...
@@katharinaweraakkermann6200 It's not about being "stupid". You've just got to have a think, and have a practice. You say you're using modelling clay, so to get a bark effect get a craft knife and simply slice lots of lines vertically in it. Then add some other features you see on bark, like former branch stumps, missing bark, and roots. Get a piece of your clay separate and practice it, look at pictures on Google of bark and mimic what you see. It doesn't have to be perfect, further stages add to the effect like rough grout, and painting.
@@katharinaweraakkermann6200 thought I'd check in and see how you were progressing with your build? I hope you've kept up with it and progress. I won't lie, my build was a love hate thing. Some days I'd have all the intention of doing a few hours on it, sit in front of it, and yet... nothing, through either my own inability to get what was in my head into the tank, or there was nothing in my head and I'd get frustrated with myself. It's not an easy thing to do, but every step forward is one closer to completion. If you're struggling, tell me what snake you have and I can offer some help based on it's environment and the size it is/will become.
She already has got larger and I am now planning what to do next. Originally I was going to extend above with another idea I had, and link 2 tanks up essentially, but now I'm thinking I may just build a new tank entirely. Once she has a new home then yeah, I guess I'd be selling this. But I have no idea when that will be just yet!
Hello EvilDes, I Love, love, love this vivarium! I'm beginning to convert some furniture for my boa, and your setup features something I haven't seen before -- the drain (stopper/plug thing) and tubing to release the water. Do you have a link to what you used? Or can you give the name of it so I can do a proper google search? I've tried, and I'm not finding the right stuff. Also, what was the inner structure/base for the branch you made? I see something that looks tubular, blank, and slightly bent in places -- what is that? Well done, this is beautiful and is giving me great inspiration! Thanks!
Hi Reid, thank you for the kind comments, very much appreciated. The drain I used was from a company called Pollywog and I found it on eBay UK. I just had a quick look and I can't find it on there anymore, but a similar item shows up when you search "terrarium drainage", www.ebay.co.uk/itm/323815803533. Hope this helps you find something similar wherever you're from! The branch inner structure is basically... Gutter pipe! I simply heated it using a heat gun to be able to bend it to the shape I needed before covering with expanding foam. I may do a video about making one of those as lots of people ask about that. Hope this helps 😊
@@EvilDes82hey there! Amazing build and brilliant inspiration for the boa build I’m starting. I have been searching for a drain plug system like you have - I so badly want my ‘water bowl’ to be just integrated into the enclosure. I can’t find anything similar to what you are using though 😭 My question for you is - have you used this water system on any other builds and did you manage to find the parts to make it happen?
Hi Joseph, I'm afraid I haven't currently got the time to make a video, however it is something I plan on at somepoint soon. If you have any specific queries I can help out. But in general, the materials used were polystyrene for the majority of the fake rock, which was shaped, cut, carved, and hot wired to get the desired look. Expanding foam was supplemented over this for certain areas, which was also carved for the shaping process. I used wood for the shelves which was then covered with both polystyrene and expanding foam and carved to mask the shelf. Obviously, glue was used to halp stick everything where it needed to be and fill in any smaller gaps - it also strengthens as it dries quite solid. Once the whole tank was as I wanted in regards to shape, every last bit of the polystyrene and expanding foam was covered in 3 separate layers of grout, watered down more than what you'd use for tiling and brushed into every single area of the fake rock. The branch was made from drainpipe, heated and shaped, then covered in expanding foam and carved to give a bark effect. This was supported from the underside of the shelves with standard drainpipe brackets. Once dried, acrylic paint was used to paint everything, beginning with a general grey/black coat, then various techniques were used to create the rock look, mossy green areas, water fall "runs", wood effect, and pool colouring. Once painting was completed, it was all sealed with an acrylic sealant (which took 3 weeks to fully cure), and then all the electrics were fitted for daytime lighting, night time lighting, heating, water pump, and connected up to a couple of stats to fully control and automate the whole setup. It was a laborious process, requires patience, practice and experimentation. There's no quick way of doing it, and the only way to get good is have a go :)
Thanks for the comment. I disagree, it's just right for her. The purpose of the tree and rock shelves was to add extra levels, hiding spaces, (and thermal gradients) thereby helping with additional floor space. She can fully stretch out, with room to spare, whilst also climbing, and these features help with that too. I'm not saying it will be for life, but until you have seen how she lives in this tank, a bit more of an insightful reply would be appreciated 👍
This is INCREDIBLE! I'm getting together supplies to upgrade Pablo's enclosure & am so excited! Thank you for the inspiration & ideas.
This was really cool, I have not been able to find a video like this for a while so I was super exited to find this.😊
Thanks Ethan. Not really an in depth video showing techniques I used, but just a rough showing of how it progressed and the stages it was at. Appreciate your comment 😊
This is so stunning!
Thank you for your kind comment :)
Thank you for this! What a beautiful boa in a beautiful terrarium 😊
Thank you 😊 no problem. I hope it gives you some ideas and inspiration
Beautiful work!
Hope you are doing well buddy! I finally am about to get my anaconda enclosure! I ordered it in May but the guy was giving me the run-around so I canceled payment to him and ended up having the guy who did my boa enclosure that who did my boa enclosure, do the Anaconda enclosure as well.he was a few months behind schedule also because he didn't realize how much work it was going to take but I got some pictures of it today and it looks amazing. It's 11 feet by 6 feet by 6 ft with a 6-foot by 6-foot pond that is 2 feet deep.I will hopefully be getting it in the next 2 weeks and we'll be doing a walk-through video. A lot of the stuff you did were used as reference points so I appreciate that! I wish I was able to build them myself like you haha but maybe the next couple I can do on my own haha
How's Annie doing:D
That's so beautiful!!! What a wonderful job! May I ask you, how do you deep clean it?
Thank you so much. It's not easy, I admit. There's some things I could have done better for easier access, and my back would be much more grateful. But I use F10 cleaner, a mixture of brushes to get into all the grooves, a vibrating brush cleaner to really scrub some parts, followed by rinsing and drying with paper towels. It's not that bad to do really, and if you keep on top of spot cleaning it doesn't tend to get too dirty.
Omgggg I wish this was a talk through vid lol. Amazingggggg
After Christmas I will be making a new build, bigger, with some new ideas going in... maybe I will do some voice over on the creation of each stage... maybe... lol
Beautiful!
Thank you very much :)
What material were all the white things made out of?
The majority of the build was polystyrene, covered in grout, with some of it being expanding foam also covered in grout. Some of the high traffic areas have worn down where it was a bit thinly applied, so the next tank will account for this a bit better.
This is just insanely awesome
Thank you very much, means a lot!
Wow, its so beautiful, thank you for the video, I want try it 😁
No problem. Basic video but hopefully helps with showing the process I went through.
What did you use to make the tree in the wall and the branch going across the vivarium? Also, what did you use for the waterfall set up? Were there any substrate moisture issues or leaking using the waterfall? How did you waterproof everything, DryLok? GAH! I have so many questions. 😂
Make a video focusing on that water fountain and what you did specifically
I'm quite jealous of your artistic ability. What kind of tank was it if you don't mind me asking. Currently in the process of getting a BRB
Thank you very much. The tank is chipboard melamine tank. After a couple of leaks/snake business... some of the edging has suffered a bit but it's structurally still very sound, no concerns over using similar again. However, the next build is going to be much bigger and will need stronger material for the size.
I think this is amazing! Really well done for the snake! Sure it could be bigger, it could always be bigger, but it already seems like there's plenty of space to stretch out when needed given all of the levels you have in there. I've been looking to do my Pandora's tank for YEARS. And my girl goes up on suspended vines or tree limbs most of the time, or hifes sometimes, very rarely ever tries stretching out in a straight line nose to tail. Shes 4 1/2 ish in a 48x18x21 tank so shes got LOTS of room. What steps did you take? Styrofoam shaped how you want, grout, paint, then? What sealant did you use, if any? Just nervous about sealants even though everyone says water based ANYTHING is ok, i think otherwise sometimes. I assume acrylic paint also. Are the plants live or fake? Some look live, but then seem fake based on practicality... Regardless, i know how destructive boas are, so live plants are kind of a hassle to keep up! Overall super well done, I love everything you did!!
Thank you very much for the comments, really appreciated. It makes it all worthwhile seeing and hearing the appreciation.
Firstly, in regards to size - Bonnie is 7ft now, and with the width being 5ft and depth being 2ft, that's adhering to the advice being width + depth = snake length = perfect size. Obviously, she's still growing so no, that won't do forever, but as you rightly say, the fact there are levels and the height of the tank (3ft) allows her full stretch capability. I am also restricted by the size of my living room. I don't want her to go upstairs out of view, and I have futher ideas for expansion whilst keeping this vivarium intact.
So in regards to steps - pretty much as you say! Shape and create the polystyrene/foam to be what I wanted to look like using knives, hot wires, fingers to rip etc, which all got grouted (3 coats) once all in place. The paint was indeed acrylic, with a watered down basecoat sprayed on to give some coverage (that's the mostly black picture just before the rock effect pics), then varying brush techniques for the desired colour and effects (such as dry brush for the rock effect). And it was sealed up after - however, I used a plasticote one, which took 3 weeks to dissepate the smell/fumes. Only once cleared up fully did the snake get anywhere near going in - it just took A LOT longer than I planned for. This was probably one of the most contentious issues I faced (oddly) because of the sheer amount of different views and pros and cons with each type of sealant people suggest. Just... urgghh.
Plants are all fake - all from varying sources so some look more realistic than others. But they were all made to be removable and washable. The whole concept with the tank was ease of use, ease of cleaning, ease of maintaining and fully automated.
But once again, thank you so much for the comments!
I’m sorry if you already answered this question, but I briefly scrolled through and I didn’t see it off the rip, so....I was wondering what the dimensions are on this enclosure? It’s perfect! I love everything you did every lil detail.
Hi Lauren, thank you for the kind words, appreciate it.
This tank is 5ft wide, 3ft tall, and 2ft deep. Its no longer big enough for her and I am in the planning stage of a new improved tank, ready to be built after Christmas. I've got a couple of lessons I've learned from this one to improve on the new tank but generally it's still doing the job well.
How’s this hold up with humidity n heat ?!?
It's absolutely spot on. There's been no issues arising from the heat and humidity for over 2 years now. The polystyrene actually acts as an insulator to help with heat retention. With the grout, paint, and sealant, nothing has degraded due to humidity. The design allows for 5 separate heat gradients too, so she chooses where to go based on what she needs.
Awesome I will be doing this one day soon for my snakes . Thanks for the feedback!
What's the dimensions of the vivarium, and how big is the boa now - does it still fit ??
god, this is so incredible... how is it to clean?
Thank you very much!
Cleaning isn't too bad. I use F10 cleaner and a selection of brushes to scrub. There's a few things I'm going to do differently on the next tank to help with cleaning as some of the floor detail I done was too intricate. But with brushes it's not too bad, just room for improvement
Hey I absolutely love your enclosure and am building my boa one at the moment as well 6.5’x2’x4’ and I was just wondering how your heat is set up are you using lights or panels or mats etc. I live up in northern Canada so temps can get challenging through the winter.
Hi Lukas, apologies, I've only just seen this comment. I have LED lights in there for lighting only, no heat from the light source at all.
The heat is given by a ceramic heat bulb, 150w, controlled by a Microclimate Evo Pro, which also controls the humidity.
I was worried about whether a ceramic bulb would be enough to heat up the tank, but it's more than capable. The amount of polystyrene in there helps retain heat, and I'm so glad I didn't go for one of the larger wall mounted heaters. I actually installed 2 ceramic bulb holders but only needed the one in the end.
My new tank will have a couple because of how I'm going to build it, but this setup has multiple heat gradients in each area so Bonnie can choose the temp she wants.
Perfection ……😉👍🏼
Thank you very much! Although there's a few things I've learned that would be improved on for the next one!
very well done. I'm just curious, have you had any issues with the paint pilling or chipping off? i plan to build a large rain-forest vivarium for a green tree boa, and i like the idea of painting certain details, but I'm concerned the paint wont last in the high humidity, waterfalls, pond, and rivers.
Thanks for the comment :) She has now "worn down" some areas which has chipped off the grout - although only minimal and only on high stress areas. Easy to touch back up.
But in regards to the paint, no, that itself has remained completely intact. And if you're going to have a high humidity or water flowing area, the paint should be covered by something more waterproof - my waterfall and pool is actually incased in aquarium grade silicone, so although it took a bit of the detail off the fine paintwork, it's actually fully protected from the water and so faces no danger of chipping away or wearing down with water.
The general humidity of the tank has caused no degredation of the paintwork whatsoever :) HTH
Hello 😊
I'm again, I've Comment long time ago under an other Video from this Terra. I would like to try to make my terrarium that way, after a long break I can finally continue building. So, I've a new question 😊
is that gypsum or what did you do about the polystyrene?
Thank you for your answer 😊❤
Hi again. Once the polysytrene has been shaped how you want and fixed in place, it gets covered in grout - as in the stuff you use to fill the gaps between wall/floor tiles. First coat was a runny consistency to enable full coverage, then slightly thicker on the subsequent coats (but nowhere near the consistency as what you would use to actually grout tiles). Apply with a paint brush, and allow to dry/cure between each coat. The final coat I used a different colour simply for seeing where I have covered as well as providing a good base colour as the majority of it would be grey/black.
Once it was all fully cured, it was painted with acrylic paints, firstly watered down in a spray bottle for easy application, then hand painted to add effects of rock, moss, water, etc. With the painting stage, just play about, see what works and what doesn't. If you mess it up, you can paint over.
Thank you for your ansewer 💖
Right now I'm on the tree trunk right in the corner, I'm totally despairing. I got some modeling clay and I'm just trying that, but somehow I do not get it that realistic. I do not know if I'm just too stupid for that or if I'm concentrating too much on your work ...
@@katharinaweraakkermann6200 It's not about being "stupid". You've just got to have a think, and have a practice. You say you're using modelling clay, so to get a bark effect get a craft knife and simply slice lots of lines vertically in it. Then add some other features you see on bark, like former branch stumps, missing bark, and roots. Get a piece of your clay separate and practice it, look at pictures on Google of bark and mimic what you see. It doesn't have to be perfect, further stages add to the effect like rough grout, and painting.
@@katharinaweraakkermann6200 thought I'd check in and see how you were progressing with your build? I hope you've kept up with it and progress. I won't lie, my build was a love hate thing. Some days I'd have all the intention of doing a few hours on it, sit in front of it, and yet... nothing, through either my own inability to get what was in my head into the tank, or there was nothing in my head and I'd get frustrated with myself. It's not an easy thing to do, but every step forward is one closer to completion.
If you're struggling, tell me what snake you have and I can offer some help based on it's environment and the size it is/will become.
@@EvilDes82 i found using a fork works best for tree lines
What kind of paint did you use?
Just some acrylic paint and then sealed it in
@@EvilDes82 what type of sealer did you use?
If your snake gets any larger do you plan on selling this tank? It is beautiful and I got a Brazilian Rainbow Boa that this looks just right for
She already has got larger and I am now planning what to do next. Originally I was going to extend above with another idea I had, and link 2 tanks up essentially, but now I'm thinking I may just build a new tank entirely. Once she has a new home then yeah, I guess I'd be selling this. But I have no idea when that will be just yet!
@@EvilDes82 keep me in the loop man, I'd be happy to take this if you build a new one. If you got Instagram I'm on there👍
Hello EvilDes, I Love, love, love this vivarium! I'm beginning to convert some furniture for my boa, and your setup features something I haven't seen before -- the drain (stopper/plug thing) and tubing to release the water. Do you have a link to what you used? Or can you give the name of it so I can do a proper google search? I've tried, and I'm not finding the right stuff. Also, what was the inner structure/base for the branch you made? I see something that looks tubular, blank, and slightly bent in places -- what is that? Well done, this is beautiful and is giving me great inspiration! Thanks!
*black not blank... ugh hate typos. :)
Hi Reid, thank you for the kind comments, very much appreciated. The drain I used was from a company called Pollywog and I found it on eBay UK. I just had a quick look and I can't find it on there anymore, but a similar item shows up when you search "terrarium drainage", www.ebay.co.uk/itm/323815803533. Hope this helps you find something similar wherever you're from!
The branch inner structure is basically... Gutter pipe! I simply heated it using a heat gun to be able to bend it to the shape I needed before covering with expanding foam. I may do a video about making one of those as lots of people ask about that.
Hope this helps 😊
@@EvilDes82 Thanks so much for the reply, I appreciate it!
@@EvilDes82hey there! Amazing build and brilliant inspiration for the boa build I’m starting. I have been searching for a drain plug system like you have - I so badly want my ‘water bowl’ to be just integrated into the enclosure. I can’t find anything similar to what you are using though 😭
My question for you is - have you used this water system on any other builds and did you manage to find the parts to make it happen?
Woooow
Dimensions???
I’m very confused on what material you used to make this set up please make a video with a a lot more detailed steps
Hi Joseph, I'm afraid I haven't currently got the time to make a video, however it is something I plan on at somepoint soon. If you have any specific queries I can help out.
But in general, the materials used were polystyrene for the majority of the fake rock, which was shaped, cut, carved, and hot wired to get the desired look. Expanding foam was supplemented over this for certain areas, which was also carved for the shaping process. I used wood for the shelves which was then covered with both polystyrene and expanding foam and carved to mask the shelf. Obviously, glue was used to halp stick everything where it needed to be and fill in any smaller gaps - it also strengthens as it dries quite solid.
Once the whole tank was as I wanted in regards to shape, every last bit of the polystyrene and expanding foam was covered in 3 separate layers of grout, watered down more than what you'd use for tiling and brushed into every single area of the fake rock.
The branch was made from drainpipe, heated and shaped, then covered in expanding foam and carved to give a bark effect. This was supported from the underside of the shelves with standard drainpipe brackets.
Once dried, acrylic paint was used to paint everything, beginning with a general grey/black coat, then various techniques were used to create the rock look, mossy green areas, water fall "runs", wood effect, and pool colouring.
Once painting was completed, it was all sealed with an acrylic sealant (which took 3 weeks to fully cure), and then all the electrics were fitted for daytime lighting, night time lighting, heating, water pump, and connected up to a couple of stats to fully control and automate the whole setup.
It was a laborious process, requires patience, practice and experimentation. There's no quick way of doing it, and the only way to get good is have a go :)
Is this clay?
No, it's a few coats of grout on top of the polystyrene/expanding foam areas, each coat being cured properly and then painted over and finally sealed.
To small
Thanks for the comment. I disagree, it's just right for her. The purpose of the tree and rock shelves was to add extra levels, hiding spaces, (and thermal gradients) thereby helping with additional floor space. She can fully stretch out, with room to spare, whilst also climbing, and these features help with that too. I'm not saying it will be for life, but until you have seen how she lives in this tank, a bit more of an insightful reply would be appreciated 👍
Hi, what type of paints did you use?
I used acrylic paint which was then sealed after :)