# Natural Cresty Build.



## GeckoD (May 30, 2010)

Right! well... I guess I'll start with trying to cover my back...

I've been trawling through the habitat section looking for inspiration for a build I've been wanting to do for a while, and now have the perfect vivarium to do it! as I have rehoused the original inhabitants 
So I have this awesome little viv and an idea in my head what I would like to achieve! 
The process I will be using I have to admit is a complete rip off of Pendragons; Cresty Viv Build MKII! the technique is exactly the same and all the ideas are more or less the same so all credit to him! and to be fair he did say once upon a time that I could "steal away" so I did:2thumb:
But if you're expecting a good read and an awesome end result then check this out if you haven't already... 
http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/planted-vivariums/519243-planted-crestie-viv-build-mkii.html 
...because mine will probably suck in comparison: victory:

Now for the differences...
I have a 31x11x19" glass vivarium, not an exo, I will also not be using kingspan as its hard to find so I have substituted with space board which is cheap, easy to get hold of and basically the same thing...kind of:whistling2:

So here's the viv...









And the materials I will be using to build, all purchased from B&Q for about £50! (I will be needing a couple of other bits, so they're not in the picture)









I started (with a rather vague drawing and an idea in my head) cutting the 'spaceboard' to size...









I will add at this point that this will also be a 'planted' naturalistic vivarium so I will be wanting to incorporate a natural substrate with a drainage layer, so I left a gap at the bottom for that, as you can see...









At which point I had a basis for what I wanted so I could start designing and cutting my 'rock' into shape. By doubling up the 52.5mm space board you can create some substantially sized pieces of 'rock'! I used cocktail sticks to hold the two pieces together while I shaped them and then, once I got the desired result, I stuck them together using an 'easy nails' industrial adhesive.

















Notice in this picture of a (not quite finished) piece of rock, that the result in somewhat chaotic and unnatural and meringue like looking thing...
Now the techniques is... to use a Stanley blade to get an overall shape then basically go at it with a chisel stabbing and twisting to create the effect. Not quite as aggressive as it sounds but hey it's fun either way, and messy (So I recommend laying down something to collect all the pieces, like this giant cardboard box!) I'm hoping that once painted it will still look pretty good, We shall see: victory:
Once you have all your pieces cut to size and laid out to plan, you should end up with something like this...









You can see it looks rather crap at this point despite having added a bit of bark and a branch, which will go into the substrate (I think that will look good, at some point, maybe)...
Then, when you have all your bits in place, trace round all the bits of rock you will have coming out of the background. Then remove all the pieces so you can get to work on shaping the background itself.

When you have finally finished hacking up you background and 'rocks' then you are ready to paint!
This is where I'm at now, having been at it for about 8 hours!

... Next post will be about that process...

For now, here's the paint I will be using (I need to get a couple more tins, a lighter shade for the base coat and some sand to add a grain effect and give it more texture)









So as I've retired for the night and having (very kindly thought of you guys who don't know how to steal an idea:whistling2 decided I would create a running thread of my progress... So you can follow and criticise at will:blush:
So yes, comments welcome! But don't be too critical, it is my first go at this stuff:no1:


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## GeckoD (May 30, 2010)

*I had to add this bit as I almost literally PMSL!*

I wanted to add a fake tree to the left hand side of the vivarium so I decided I would give expanding foam a go! So I got a piece of cardboard cut to size and bent it into an 'L' shape and then cut the top and bottom off of a 2 litre bottle of Dr.P and slit it down the middle...this then got placed around the card to create a channel for the expanding foam to follow down then on to the bottom of the 'L' and then outwards as the roots of the tree which were supposed to have then disappeared into the top layer of substrate once it was dry/cured I would peel off the plastic bottle and cover the 'trunk and roots' in black silicone and press eco-earth into it to make it look like a tree! A reasonable expectation no!? lol
Anyway I did all this, filled it with foam, propped it up and left it and went round the old dears for tea! And this is what I came back to a few hours later!!!!






















































Needless to say once I'd pulled myself up off the floor and managed to compose my self I then realised (upon reading the instructions) that it expands rather a lot! 2 and a half times the original size to be exact...Serves me right really lmfao! However from further reading of the instructions I found that the fully cured foam is fairly workable and I should still be able to work with it...So tomorrow or when it has fully hardened I will get to work on removing the bottle (and that piece of ginger growing out of the side) and sanding it into shape ready for the silicone and eco-earth...

This is a classic example of why you should READ THE BLOODY INSTRUCTIONS!!!


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## corny girl (Aug 30, 2009)

All i can say is you have more patience than me :whistling2:. I'll stick to the Exo Terra backgrounds i think. Looking good anyway, shall be following the progress :2thumb:.


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## GeckoD (May 30, 2010)

GeckoD said:


> *I had to add this bit as I almost literally PMSL!*
> 
> I wanted to add a fake tree to the left hand side of the vivarium so I decided I would give expanding foam a go! So I got a piece of cardboard cut to size and bent it into an 'L' shape and then cut the top and bottom off of a 2 litre bottle of Dr.P and slit it down the middle...this then got placed around the card to create a channel for the expanding foam to follow down then on to the bottom of the 'L' and then outwards as the roots of the tree which were supposed to have then disappeared into the top layer of substrate once it was dry/cured I would peel off the plastic bottle and cover the 'trunk and roots' in black silicone and press eco-earth into it to make it look like a tree! A reasonable expectation no!? lol
> Anyway I did all this, filled it with foam, propped it up and left it and went round the old dears for tea! And this is what I came back to a few hours later!!!!
> ...


Managed to salvage this bloody thing! Pics should be up tomorrow when I've finished shaping and applying eco-earth, plus pics of the background fully shaped before I paint...
Work sucks! I wish I could do this full time


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## CalE (Apr 24, 2010)

ha ha that foam thing :lol2:


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## GeckoD (May 30, 2010)

CalE said:


> ha ha that foam thing :lol2:


Looks much better now  Check this thread out tomorrow night...and prepare to be amazed! lmfao


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## CalE (Apr 24, 2010)

GeckoD said:


> Looks much better now  Check this thread out tomorrow night...and prepare to be amazed! lmfao


ha ha will do duder x


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## s6t6nic6l (May 15, 2010)

GeckoD said:


> *I had to add this bit as I almost literally PMSL!*
> 
> image
> 
> ...


:lol2: :lol2:


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## GeckoD (May 30, 2010)

Just a quick update because I have work tomorrow but this is the background pretty much how I want it and I did a test coat of 'espresso shot' on a couple of the bits of 'rock' looks good so far, wont be dry enough to do another coat tonight so this is what I got...
More tomorrow!!!

Night people


















Sorry not that clear


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## Trissai (Apr 25, 2010)

looking good!!


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## GeckoD (May 30, 2010)

Just another quick update before I get ahead of myself and forget to photograph stuff... more to follow btw

My 'tree' that went a bit wrong and ended up looking rather strange, well I've reshaped it into something that DOES resemble a tree now and I'm ready to add the eco-earth to make it look semi realistic! 
I will have to deviate from my original plan somewhat because I was planning to use black silicone to stick the eco-earth to but, as I stupidly purchased some black gutter sealing stuff and realised it was toxic in an aquarium environment seconds before applying it, not wanting to risk poisoning my cresty I decided to paint the 'tree' brown then use the clear aquarium sealant I know is safe to stick the eco-earth to here's the tree now drying off now...


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## beckih1979 (Nov 15, 2010)

Looking really good so far. What plants are you planning on using?


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## ginna (Jun 2, 2009)

oooohhh you creating a dinosaur for your tank :lol2: 


its looking good , subscribed


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## knotty (Oct 21, 2009)

Looking Good :thumb:
Iv'e got two of the aqualantis vivs, for day geckos they work really well. I made one alteration too mine. As I feed small crickets I found the little :cussing: go through the metal mesh behind the sliding glass and come through the front vents! If you're feeding small stuff mate I would put some fine mesh over the standard metal mesh.


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## GeckoD (May 30, 2010)

beckih1979 said:


> Looking really good so far. What plants are you planning on using?


Well...This is something I am starting to think about now but I want some broms and pothos, the giant monster foot as my girlfriend just called it has a recess cut in the top so I can plant in the top of it so it comes down the 'trunk' preferably the pothos for this...
Other than this I am open to suggestions if anyone has any?
Some moss will probably be bought from dartfrog...


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## beckih1979 (Nov 15, 2010)

Giant monster foot :lol2: 

That should look brilliant.


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## GeckoD (May 30, 2010)

knotty said:


> Looking Good :thumb:
> Iv'e got two of the aqualantis vivs, for day geckos they work really well. I made one alteration too mine. As I feed small crickets I found the little :cussing: go through the metal mesh behind the sliding glass and come through the front vents! If you're feeding small stuff mate I would put some fine mesh over the standard metal mesh.


Funny you should say this as I was originally intending to put some day geckos in but my only concern was being able to mount adequate UV in side the viv as outside would be no good as the rays wouldn't penetrate the glass 
How did you get around this? as day geckos are still an option at this point...
I still have another viv build on the backburner that I can use for a cresty...


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## GeckoD (May 30, 2010)

Here's some more pictures of the 'monster foot' having been painted and silicone and eco-earth applied...
As you can see in the third photo there is a recess cut out of the back at the top for the pothos to be planted and to trail down the trunk...

























Hope you like it guys and gals:thumb:
Need to pop down to B&Q to get some lighter paint for the 'dry brushing' to commence and to prevent the rock from looking too brown!
Why is it that when you get 3 days off in a row and can get some stuff done...You can't get hold of what you bloody want!?!?:bash:
Might put some more pictures of my progress up, if I get bored later... 
Anyway more painting tomorrow: victory:


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## knotty (Oct 21, 2009)

Go for Day Geckos! :lol2: I've got a couple of pairs of Lygo Williamsi, they use every space of the Viv. I took the metal mesh off the top by running a blade under the length of the two black supports to cut the silicone. When the supports were removed the mesh pulls out the black supports. I replaced the mesh with a very fine mesh and then re-siliconed it back in place. I've got a 5% 15" bulb sat on top of the mesh and a 10watt puck light on the other end that creates a basking spot of about 30-31 deg. The lights are off now but I'll try to snap a photo in the morning and post it for you.


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## GeckoD (May 30, 2010)

knotty said:


> Go for Day Geckos! :lol2: I've got a couple of pairs of Lygo Williamsi, they use every space of the Viv. I took the metal mesh off the top by running a blade under the length of the two black supports to cut the silicone. When the supports were removed the mesh pulls out the black supports. I replaced the mesh with a very fine mesh and then re-siliconed it back in place. I've got a 5% 15" bulb sat on top of the mesh and a 10watt puck light on the other end that creates a basking spot of about 30-31 deg. The lights are off now but I'll try to snap a photo in the morning and post it for you.


DO IT!
DAMN you got me thinking now...:hmm:


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## GeckoD (May 30, 2010)

Just a quick post showing my feeding ledge...I wanted something built in that can be used as a feeding platform with a purpose built container for this and a water bowl when not being fed...

Here the pictures show the platform rock with a removable feeding/water dish...


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## knotty (Oct 21, 2009)

Sorry mate just remembered to go and get some photos, not the best quality as taken on my phone I'm afraid.


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## GeckoD (May 30, 2010)

knotty said:


> Sorry mate just remembered to go and get some photos, not the best quality as taken on my phone I'm afraid.
> image
> image
> image


Very nice!:2thumb:
The day geckos seem more and more appealing now I think about it...Got any pictures of them in it? Is that the same size as mine?
Got some more photos as I've finished painting now, done all five coats: victory:


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## knotty (Oct 21, 2009)

GeckoD said:


> Very nice!:2thumb:
> The day geckos seem more and more appealing now I think about it...Got any pictures of them in it? Is that the same size as mine?
> Got some more photos as I've finished painting now, done all five coats: victory:


Thank you. Haven't got many photos as they are quite quick and small :lol2: Here's a couple of one of my electric blue males.
















My Viv is the one down from yours its about 24" long, if you look at the 3rd photo you'll see my feeding ledge, similar to yours but on a smaller scale.
Look forward to more photos:2thumb:


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## GeckoD (May 30, 2010)

knotty said:


> Thank you. Haven't got many photos as they are quite quick and small :lol2: Here's a couple of one of my electric blue males.
> image
> image
> My Viv is the one down from yours its about 24" long, if you look at the 3rd photo you'll see my feeding ledge, similar to yours but on a smaller scale.
> Look forward to more photos:2thumb:


Nice! I so want a breeding pair of electric blues but I don't wanna waste a viv like this on them...That sounds harsh lol You know what I mean though...Ill purchase something smaller if I decide to go ahead and buy some:2thumb:
Ok I'll stick the last photos I took up as it does look pretty good I must say


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## GeckoD (May 30, 2010)

So I managed to get the paint I was looking for:2thumb:
Well they didn't do it in the size I needed so I got the very nice lady to make some up for me which ended up cheaper anyway...
When I last posted I had finished the first two coats with the added sand and varnish to add texture and strength which looked very dark and I was worried it wouldn't end up looking very good at all! 
However I did the 3rd coat of 'Intense truffle' which instantly improved the look of it:mf_dribble: This was dry brushed on to add some depth and shading to the rock leaving the deeper areas of rock dark from the first two coats. 
After this had dried (which took like 2 minutes lol) I then applied the highlighting coats, the first of which was the 'cookie dough' which was also dry brushed on to the highest points to add yet more depth and recreate a worn edge and accentuate the edges the light would fall on and then the fifth coat of 'soft stone' to top this off on the highest points (again, dry brushed)...
Now I know this idea is copied from Jay but I am actually quite proud with how this turned out. Thanks dude!: victory:
I had to move to the kitchen to get the right light to show the colour for what it is but this is what I got when finished painting.








































































Again pictures not brilliant as they're from my phone like the rest but...
Not too shabby:2thumb:

Right now I am waiting for the adhesive to dry as I have just stuck the protruding rock to the background ready to put in the vivarium...









Standby!:thumb:


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## DrChino (Aug 23, 2010)

Great stuff, can't wait to see it finished


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## GeckoD (May 30, 2010)

Right another pointless post:2thumb:

This is where I am currently at, and will be for a little while...

I had to cut a small trench down the back of the backgound behind the feeding platform for the thermostat probe to run down whilst keeping the background flush against the back to maintain a good hold on the back of the viv (you may be able to see the thermostat in the pictures). 
I've put the background in the vivarium now with some aquarium sealant, we shall see how well this holds up but I've got plenty of weight on it as you'll see...:whistling2:
























Can you spot all the stuff on top? 
There is; 
a tin of heroes. 
case of tetley smooth flow. 
bag of calcium sand.
silicone sealant.
big bit of driftwood.
6pack of pepsi max.
bag of eco-earth and of course
...a tin of paint: victory:

I've also made a rock to lay on the 'substrate separating layer' and into the top layer against the front of the viv which will support the branch I have coming out of the background and the piece of bark stuck into the background also. There is also a recess in the back to plant behind so it covers the base of the plant and drapes down over the rock...

































The tree didn't turn out as I would have liked with the eco-earth siliconed in place as it came out really easy (with the lightest touch) even when the silicone had cured so I decided to paint over it with an 'espresso shot' base coat and then dry brush some 'intense truffle' on top and it looks much better and because it went straight over the eco earth it has a lot of texture and although you cannot see too clearly in these photos it does look good (I'll try get more close ups when it's in-situ: victory...

















Overall I have had it all in place (background, bark, branch, rock, and tree) and despite being tight as hell! It looks really quite good and I can't wait to get some substrate in there and plant the bad boy! 

After that comes the lighting, heating and misting to install somehow lol (don't worry it's all up here *taps head*:mrgreen

Hope you guys like it so far...
last post for a while as I have had a harsh few weeks financially and cannot afford to continue with substrate and planting until I get paid again.
However I do have some 'Hydroleca' on order though (the Zoo Med stuff!!):2thumb:

But for now...

Cheers for reading guys:cheers:

I'll see you soon

Darryl


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## lewis1504 (Jan 25, 2011)

its really coming along nicely cant wait till everyting falls into place


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## Angelwings38 (Sep 22, 2010)

wish i had the patience to do summat like this , it looks amazin hun :2thumb:


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## Swain86 (Jan 23, 2011)

Good job


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## mixmastersteve (Jan 3, 2010)

them rocks look mint bro!!!!!!


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