New viv construction, with pics and a question

Redgryphon · #1 08-26-2009, 10:29 AM

Hello!

This is a bit of a test, I have no idea if the pictures will appear where they should, (or appear at all, really.)

I've decided to just try out the 'paint and polyurethane varnish' thing. So here goes.

First, I photoshopped to get an idea of what I wanted it to look like

tank.jpg

Then I got started. I used bricks to raise the filter off 'ground' level and to weight down that side. The greyish thing in the background is one of those things you put in the bottom of a sink to keep dishes from cracking against it. I couldn't get eggcrate, and that was the best I could do. The thing to the left is a pond-plant-pot which I chopped in half and fitted together. It supports the chunk of wood on its own, so I don't need the support column I had planned on.

pic0.jpg

Going to post this before I put on any more images, see if it's working!

Redgryphon · #2 08-26-2009, 10:37 AM

It works!

Okay, so then I added more GS and put my pieces of cork bark in place.

pic1.jpg

Then it was time for the piece of wood. And it no longer fit! Arrgh! Using a saw on pieces of cork which have been attached to a slab of GS without wrecking the entire thing is a painstaking process. But eventually, it was done. Since I'm impatient, I started carving as soon and it didn't try to expand when I poked it with a knife.

pic2.jpg

Redgryphon · #3 08-26-2009, 10:48 AM

I wonder why my first lot of attachments show up as thumbnails and the second set as links?

I didn't like the way the GS was covering the filter. Not only was it shrinking, it was structurally unsound. So I hacked it off and silliconed in a rubbermaid cereal container which held the filter nicely. I roughed up the surface so the GS would stick better. The cardboard frame around the background is a test- I carefully cut out a piece of cardboard which would precisely fit through the top of my tank. Anything which fits through the hole which remained will fit in the tank.

pic3.jpg

Then I got to work with the GS and the carving again. More shrinkage, but not too bad, and I figure I will be putting rocks and things over it anyway.

pic4.jpg

Now my question. How long do I have to wait before I can start painting? I'm going to be using acrylics if I can get them, latex if I can't, and covering it in polyurethane varnish to seal it.

Redgryphon · #4 08-28-2009, 05:43 PM

Well, lacking any answers I've decided to go ahead with paint. For the record, it's been four days since I last applied GS.
I chose and siliconed a light(ish) weight rock in place to serve as the lip of the waterfall, since I decided that having something solid for the water to land on would be better. I've used artists acrylic paints, in titanium white, ivory black, burnt and raw sienna. These colours were chosen to match the colour of the rock. Having done all this, I'm not sure I want to apply the black sand and gravel.

painted1.jpg

painted2.jpg

gcutright · #5 08-28-2009, 09:03 PM

So, your pics at the end look very good. I want to get started on a viv, but I don't know how. Your pics in the 2nd and 3rd blogs didn't show up. I am exploring different blogs to understand the first steps.

Redgryphon · #6 08-29-2009, 08:16 AM

Fixed 'em, I think...

Boozled · #7 08-29-2009, 04:04 PM

I think it looks great so far...can't wait to see the finished product!

Redgryphon · #8 08-31-2009, 03:47 PM

Well, further research revealed that the polyurethane varnish would eventually become waterlogged and peel off. That's no good, since that is precisely what I want to prevent from happening to the paint job.

Over on thereeftank.com there is a thread about a guy who used epoxy mixed with sand to create a faux sand bed for the floor of his tank. It turned out that the epoxy he used is the stuff they pour on bars and tabletops. The brand name is Famowood Glaze Coat, and it comes in bottles small enough to be reasonable (I really don't need that much.) Better still, I could get it here! Yes!

I've applied it to the back of the background, (which is also painted to prevent light-caused-deterioration) and so far, so good.

Redgryphon · #9 09-28-2009, 08:51 AM

Okay, here we go, my finished tank. It's a 20 X High, which explains the awkward shape. So, some pics!

I siliconed some floor-tiles to the bottom, for added weight. Those little green squares on the cork are velcro, which I use to attach my airplants. I grabbed some lichen-bearing bark to blend the separate pieces of cork together.

tank1.jpg

Here's a view of the whole thing, with the airplants now stuck on and the substrate done. The glossy finish of the epoxy is barely visible under water.

tank2.jpg

A close-up of the waterfall. The ferns are all fernus artificialii. ; ) The diagonal ledge is made of a piece of bark I peeled off a dead branch outside, to give the newt another place to sit.

tank3.jpg

My cool piece of mopani wood. The fern is an endemic-to-my-country maiden-hair which I took out of our bog-garden. and which has already sprouted four new tiny fronds. The vine is locally called 'ink-berry' and is a passiflora suberosa. Having painstakingly pried it out of the rock, I then discovered a beautiful specimen in a flower-bed. *Sigh* But it seems happy, and has grown two inches. I used a piece of landscaping cloth to make a pocket planter behind the wood, and carefully threaded its roots in a hole I snipped about halfway down.

tank4.jpg

And one more view of the whole thing. All the grey branching lichen was gathered up after a nasty storm knocked it out of the trees.

tank5.jpg

Redgryphon · #10 09-28-2009, 09:01 AM

Here's the newt (called Tiamat, a female name, though I have no real idea what sex it is) trying out the new tank. It terrified me by climbing through the air-plants, which are fairly spiky, but managed it without damage to itself or the plants. Also, that velcro is much stronger than I thought!

Newt.jpg

newt2.jpg

newt4.jpg

newt3.jpg

newt5.jpg