Not sure weather this, or the DIY section is a better place for this-- maybe we should have a DIY section for reptiles, amphibians and other, but here we go.
I was getting bored with the... well boring-ness of an all glass tank for my Yavie. I kept surfing the net and seeing all these beautiful rockwalls and tile bottom tanks. So, I started saving and planning. I spent countless hours designing a tank in my head but took forever to get it out on paper.
The plywood is screwed together using metal braces on both the inside and outside.
I realized shortly after that I made a tiny mistake, I wanted it to be taller than it ended up.
Screwing through plexiglass is a lot harder than I originally assumed, in the end I ended up using aquarium sealant to help hold it together.
Started taking foam and cutting it out to the perfect sizes to fit inside the tank, then I started detailing it by beveling and embossing the background.
I knew I wanted an elevated basking area, but didn't so much like that angled piece next to it...
More beveling and embossing, adding hunks of foam...
I used white plaster to cover the foam first for added stability.
Found a nice shade of redish brown tilegrout that reminded me of the rock formations you see on tele from Aussie. I first applied a very thin coat, let it dry, then a thicker coat, and a thicker coat still until I felt satisfied with the wall.
After the tilegrout dried, I applied a water based sealant to it all, waited two hours, re applied and let cure for 48 hours.
And-- shortly after it's completion Yavie rewards me by breaking out! She knocked the lamp out of the way, shimmied up the hole and I found her ontop of my TV which is next to the tank. (That was why I wanted it taller to begin with!)
I was getting bored with the... well boring-ness of an all glass tank for my Yavie. I kept surfing the net and seeing all these beautiful rockwalls and tile bottom tanks. So, I started saving and planning. I spent countless hours designing a tank in my head but took forever to get it out on paper.
The plywood is screwed together using metal braces on both the inside and outside.
I realized shortly after that I made a tiny mistake, I wanted it to be taller than it ended up.
Screwing through plexiglass is a lot harder than I originally assumed, in the end I ended up using aquarium sealant to help hold it together.
Started taking foam and cutting it out to the perfect sizes to fit inside the tank, then I started detailing it by beveling and embossing the background.
I knew I wanted an elevated basking area, but didn't so much like that angled piece next to it...
More beveling and embossing, adding hunks of foam...
I used white plaster to cover the foam first for added stability.
Found a nice shade of redish brown tilegrout that reminded me of the rock formations you see on tele from Aussie. I first applied a very thin coat, let it dry, then a thicker coat, and a thicker coat still until I felt satisfied with the wall.
After the tilegrout dried, I applied a water based sealant to it all, waited two hours, re applied and let cure for 48 hours.
And-- shortly after it's completion Yavie rewards me by breaking out! She knocked the lamp out of the way, shimmied up the hole and I found her ontop of my TV which is next to the tank. (That was why I wanted it taller to begin with!)
