# time for a crestie build



## Lermy (Sep 13, 2010)

hello all this shall be my thread for my ongoing crestie build

in the past ive had WTF fire salamanders and an albino ornate frog but my ex wanted guinea pigs so they all had to go , but nevermind long story short no longer with her and have my own place so its time to start over  (gets lonely living alone lol though i do have my rainbow crab called ralph)

ive been wanting to get cresties for a while now so ive bitten the bullet and decided its time to get them

so tonight i went and collected an exo terra 90x45x60 viv

here it is










payed £80 for it including the compact top with 2 bulbs and a night glo bulb

so now its here i will start to clean it up and start the build

ive done custom backgrounds before so doing it again

will be a expanding foam background covered in eco earth and have branches and areas for planting, im going to try my hand at having it all live planted did it with my whites viv but they broke the plants so out they came lol

any tips would be great hopefully i can get it looking quite natural 

cheers Liam


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

My main piece of advice for a natural looking set up is try to utilize all of the viv. For example, you see some glass vivs with everything towards the middle, which gives good viewing from all around but tends to look like someones dumped a load of stuff in the centre of a box. In other cases, typically wooden vivs, the sides are really built up but the centre looks a bit bare. Or rock backgrounds take up three sides without actually looking much like a natural landscape, more like the inside of a rock block or block of eco earth lol. 

Curves are great in backgrounds (and elsewhere :whistling2, and you needn't necessarily lose any floor space, indeed with big rock or eco earth overhangs you can increase it, and likewise wall space, with clever use of big vertical rock cracks it increases the size of the wall space as well as giving hides and so on. 

Various levels looks good to and is good for your critters, they can choose their temperature, UV exposure, privacy, etc. Easily acheived with horizontal or sloping branches, rock outcroppings, etc.

Try using a multitude of different decor items too, because oddly enough the rainforest isn't full of stripped java logs that are all the same colour with sanded corners :lol2:, it's got a huge variety of wood types, plant types, etc. Likewise other regions, it's not that common to find monochrome coloured landscapes.

Here's a couple of mine, a desert scen that shows how a large natural looking rock face doesn't necessarily have to mean the loss of floor space, and my cham viv, that is beginning to look really natural (although needs a lot more growing in time)

Desert viv (ignore the blue background, i'm still trying to decide if I like it or not)



















Cham viv










Hope this gives you some ideas

Dave


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## Lermy (Sep 13, 2010)

they both look really good :2thumb: love the cham viv

for the background im thinking of bringing it round the sides of the viv slightly then either one or two planters in the corners for some bigger plants they would be at a higher level than the floor so adding a slight bit of gradient, maybe a large branch as a center piece going to the top of the background with some smaller branches lower down may mount one or 2 broms onto them 

as for creating crevasses and cracks in the back ground that will be down to how the expanding foam wants to go but it will have bulges and areas that do stick out where the plant pots will be will also add a few smaller branches coming out of the background to the middle of the viv as if they are roots coming out of say a cliff face

this was a viv i started a while back for some crocodile geckos i was going to get but then it started falling apart so gave up










my whites viv










hopefully i can make this one 10x better


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

Lermy said:


> they both look really good :2thumb: love the cham viv
> 
> for the background im thinking of bringing it round the sides of the viv slightly then either one or two planters in the corners for some bigger plants they would be at a higher level than the floor so adding a slight bit of gradient, maybe a large branch as a center piece going to the top of the background with some smaller branches lower down may mount one or 2 broms onto them
> 
> ...


They both look dead good, but in some ways almost illustrate my points LOL! The whites viv looks really nice, the only thing that occurs to me is that it feels a little 2 dimensions if you see what I mean, with a sheet of greenery, then a few branches, it doesn't quite look integrated. And I love the stonework on the croc gecks viv, it's just the way it follows the shape of the viv. The shape of the rocks would suggest an igneous rock formation, but they would usually form in heaps, as they fall from eroded rock faces, rock slides, river floodings, etc. 
Another thing you tend to see a lot of is cork bark and branches randomly placed sticking out of backgrounds. It tends to look pretty unnatural as it's hard to see what they're supposed to be, if they're roots sticking out then they kinda need careful positioning and to have offshoots and tapering to be in the right direction, and if they're branches, how the hell are they growing into the rock!?!? :lol2: 

Sooooo, thats my rant over, actual advice time, if I was to do a viv in the same style as your croc gecks, I'd maybe keep the left hand side and back but try to curve them into each other a bit more and have a pile of smallish stones where the driftwood is, and have it end at the right hand wall. I'd probably use black sticky back plastic to cover the right hand wall and the left hand wall. (Just cover the walls first with this then build the background) i'd also try and make a few of the cracks between the rocks much sharper and deeper, so they look like real cracks that have formed due to stress in the rocks bit like this
http://saturniancosmology.org/files/geology/Sect2_1a_files/limestone.jpg
(although thats limestone it illustrates the effect I mean)

Then i'd put a diagonal branch from the bottom right to the top (ish) left, maybe a nice forked piece, that could be used to plant onto, and put a couple of decent size plants in the bottom. Allow ficus and pothos to find it's way round the viv, perhaps a lipstick plant to grow up the diagonal branch and weave in amongst some broms, etc. A second branch starting halfway up the right wall could be a good secondary basking spot and a good place to put a few more plants, or an upright branch/tree trunk towards the back right.

I'd go with somthing similar for a glass viv, but instead of blocking the whole sides with sticky back, i'd cut it around the shapes of your decor in a similar way to how I did my desert viv, looks ace when it's just around the ends of the odd branch and edge of a rock wall.

Hopefull this'll give you some ideas

Dave


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

PS sorry if it seems like i'm trying to tell you how to do things, I get a bit over excited sometimes........then i run in circles and wee the floor like an excited terrier!!!:lol2:


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## Lermy (Sep 13, 2010)

ha ha ha nah its all good advice is much appreciated  im going to have a good look at the builds on here and look across the net for some pics etc and work from there i have a general idea just need to execute it properly


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

Good thinking, i look at pictures from google for all my inspiration 

Quick question, anything you can think of to improve mine?

Dave


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## Lermy (Sep 13, 2010)

Erm if it were me I would add a bit of colour to the rock in the desert Viv like deep orange as a gradient through rock colour then a bit of sand to match and possibly a few loose rocks  

Liam


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

Lermy said:


> Erm if it were me I would add a bit of colour to the rock in the desert Viv like deep orange as a gradient through rock colour then a bit of sand to match and possibly a few loose rocks
> 
> Liam


Loose rocks is a good idea. The orange is too, i worked from several pics such as this 








where the rock has a fairly uniform colour, however i could try for something more like this









Is this more what you had in mind?

Dave


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## Lermy (Sep 13, 2010)

Yeah that's what im on about


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## Lermy (Sep 13, 2010)

finding it hard to come up with some inspiration, anyone have any ideas?


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## Lermy (Sep 13, 2010)

so far this is what ive come up with for a center piece



















background will be expanding foam and hopefully the gap underneath the cork tube and wood should create a nice dark spot

positioning where plants will go




















the ones in both corners im thinking will be a palm and umbrella plant then a mixture of smaller plants creepers broms etc


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## Jimma (Jul 24, 2012)

Looks like that could turn out pretty nice mate looking forward to seeing the next stage with the expanding foam. Love seeing new builds always gives me some new ideas.


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

Looks good, i'm guessing that after the foam expands it'll make the cork bark and the other branch look like roots in an earth bank, is that the way you're going with this? Really looking forward to seeing this progress, good luck!

Dave


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## Lermy (Sep 13, 2010)

my_shed said:


> Looks good, i'm guessing that after the foam expands it'll make the cork bark and the other branch look like roots in an earth bank, is that the way you're going with this? Really looking forward to seeing this progress, good luck!
> 
> Dave


well im hoping to not have the expanding foam cover them too much just enough to hold them in place so they look like old stumps and branches in the background rather than tree roots, it should then add some more climbing hiding space as they will be sticking out of the background more


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## Lermy (Sep 13, 2010)

im not using expanding foam again ha ha, kinda hasnt turned out how i would have liked but then the foam decides where it wants to go, doesnt look like much atm but im hoping once ive covered it with eco earth it should look good  pics to follow


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## Jimma (Jul 24, 2012)

Lermy said:


> im not using expanding foam again ha ha, kinda hasnt turned out how i would have liked but then the foam decides where it wants to go, doesnt look like much atm but im hoping once ive covered it with eco earth it should look good  pics to follow


Yeah get some pics up mate. It does take some getting used to, certainly expands lol. Can you not cut and shape it a little to get your desired shape?


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## Lermy (Sep 13, 2010)

layout

then foam




























feed back welcome


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

Lermy said:


> image
> 
> layout
> 
> ...



That will look............EPIC!! :lol2:

I'd sand or cut some of the bulges back so it's a flatter surface but try and keep the shape it's in. just literally take the tops off with a bit of sandpaper. Remind me, how are you attatching the eco earth? OOOOh, and i'd try and dig out the plug of foam from the cork tubes offshoot and plant a nice brom in the end, just make sure to run a drainage line down it. Looking ace though, think you could have a real good viv on your hands there!!

Dave


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## Lermy (Sep 13, 2010)

ha ha cheers dude 

yeah need to carve a few bits back and shape it a little ended up having to get 2 more cans as one big one only did half the viv :devil:

im going to try gorrila glue if not the silicone 

and yeah think i will take the plug out of the trunk and plant a brom in there its completely open down the inside of it so the water will flow straight through to the drainage layer :2thumb:


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## Lermy (Sep 13, 2010)

Quick question will I be ok using gorrila glue on the foam I know it expands but my foam hasn't expanded too much so im hoping it won't make the background petrude more than it does already 

Also any more ideas for the background? Like more branches etc, im getting some mushrooms to add to the cork bark tube and bogwood to make them look like old bits of tree


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

Lermy said:


> Quick question will I be ok using gorrila glue on the foam I know it expands but my foam hasn't expanded too much so im hoping it won't make the background petrude more than it does already
> 
> Also any more ideas for the background? Like more branches etc, im getting some mushrooms to add to the cork bark tube and bogwood to make them look like old bits of tree


It expands a little, but nothing like expanding foam! The more you use/the more you spray it the more it expands, but as the method calls for you to keep pressing the soil into it, you don't really end up with much expansion at all.

As for more branches etc, I'd leave it. it's easy to overcrowd it, and by the time you've put plants in the pots and got stuff growing up it you don't see a whole lot of it anyways :2thumb:

Dave


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## Lermy (Sep 13, 2010)

started doing the next step with eco earth tonight didnt do much think i may use aqaurium sealant instead of gorilla glue, but its starting to take shape and looks pretty good i think

i have another tube of glue so going to use that for both sides of the viv

and anyone know how to fix an exo door as one of my hinges is broken so the glass can be pulled out :/


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

Lermy said:


> started doing the next step with eco earth tonight didnt do much think i may use aqaurium sealant instead of gorilla glue, but its starting to take shape and looks pretty good i think
> 
> i have another tube of glue so going to use that for both sides of the viv
> 
> and anyone know how to fix an exo door as one of my hinges is broken so the glass can be pulled out :/


For ease of use I can't recommend gorilla glue enough, but it's upto you. As for the broken door, best bet is to take a picture of it so we can see exactly whats happened

Dave


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## fatlad69 (Oct 22, 2009)

I used epoxy resin to stick the Ecco earth onthe foam and two years later it still looks good.









And after it was planted.


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## Lermy (Sep 13, 2010)

my_shed said:


> For ease of use I can't recommend gorilla glue enough, but it's upto you. As for the broken door, best bet is to take a picture of it so we can see exactly whats happened
> 
> Dave


yeah tbh its easy to use but its too runny to begin with, just thought with sealant it may be easier for pushing into crevases or maybe im being weird lol

as for the door will take a pic but basically what it is theres 2 rod like bits on the top and bottom of the door that act as a hinge these rods go into a little hole, one of the rod its has snapped off so the door no longer has a hinge at the top holding it in place, its fine when the canopy is on top as it puts weight on it

where did you get the epoxy from fatlad?


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## fatlad69 (Oct 22, 2009)

I got it from Dartfrog - Everything for the Amphibian Keeper they have some other methods of sealing expanding foam as well. You can probably get the epoxy else where but I have been dealing with Marc for years. I did try using silicone but didn't get as good a result.


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## Lermy (Sep 13, 2010)

yeah ive used silicone befor but that was on a 45x60 background not 90x60 lol im after something i can do in larger sections


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## Lermy (Sep 13, 2010)

this is where im currently at



















need some more glue or silicone to finish the background


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## MRS MURPH (Mar 26, 2009)

my_shed said:


> My main piece of advice for a natural looking set up is try to utilize all of the viv. For example, you see some glass vivs with everything towards the middle, which gives good viewing from all around but tends to look like someones dumped a load of stuff in the centre of a box. In other cases, typically wooden vivs, the sides are really built up but the centre looks a bit bare. Or rock backgrounds take up three sides without actually looking much like a natural landscape, more like the inside of a rock block or block of eco earth lol.
> 
> Curves are great in backgrounds (and elsewhere :whistling2, and you needn't necessarily lose any floor space, indeed with big rock or eco earth overhangs you can increase it, and likewise wall space, with clever use of big vertical rock cracks it increases the size of the wall space as well as giving hides and so on.
> 
> ...


Love the backing on your cham viv. Where did you buy it?


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

MRS MURPH said:


> Love the backing on your cham viv. Where did you buy it?


Its a custom size waterproof poster, picture was from google, poster from these guys

Poster Printing | Online Poster Printing

If you go for it, I got a few words of advice. 

1 - Go big, order at least 10mm bigger on each side than you want, this'll avoid any white border or similar and also allow you to cut it down if you scud any edges.

2 - When finding a photo to have blown up, try for the highest resolution possible, I think mine is about 24 megapixel, and if you look closely its a tiny bit fuzzy in places, although this is when you have your nose an inch away! :lol2:

3 - Sounds obvious but, stick it up really well!! I put double sided carpet tape up first round the outsides, then spray aghesive (non toxic) then siliconed all the edges. Nothing worse than a background falling flat on it's face after a few weeks.

Can't vouch for the UV resistance just yet but it's been in for months and i've seen no bleaching so far. It looks good in that viv because there's loads in front of it, i'm not so sure they look all that great if you just have them with not much in front.

Hope this helps

Dave


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

Sorry for the hijack Lermy!!


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## Lermy (Sep 13, 2010)

ha ha no worries dude we are all here to help others out


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## Lermy (Sep 13, 2010)

Bit more of an update tonight backgrounds pretty much there and I picked up a lucky rep super fog for £30 from a local petshop that's closing down its brand new boxed was just a bit dusty....bargin I say


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## Lermy (Sep 13, 2010)

found a nice bit of poly i can use for a feeder


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

Lermy said:


> image
> 
> image
> 
> ...


Looks ace :2thumb: did you end up using gorilla glue for the rest of it? Love that piece of poly for your feeder cups too, just remember that your holes need to be a few mm bigger than the actual feeding bowls so when your substrate is glued to the insides of the holes, the bowls still fit. Looking forward to seeing progress. 

Dave


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## Lermy (Sep 13, 2010)

I ended up using aqaurium silicone in the end as couldnt get hold of gorrila glue, the feeder pots are 2 large bottle tops that leave a big enough space round them when in the poly that they will fit snug once its all covered  doing some more tonight hopefully be ready to plant by the weekend


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## Lermy (Sep 13, 2010)

done and planted  may change a few things about yet think it needs a splash of colour as alot of green in there atm pictures coming later :2thumb:


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## Jimma (Jul 24, 2012)

Sweet look forward to the pics then!


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## tomcannon (Jan 2, 2008)

Ditto... Pics? :whistling2:


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## Lermy (Sep 13, 2010)

just need to get some leaf litter in there and add some springtails and woodlice to the substrate, thinking about adding some fake mushrooms to the wood and maybe some small broms for a dash of colour as it looks a bit too green i think

any thoughts comments welcome cheers guys :2thumb:


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## tomcannon (Jan 2, 2008)

That's wicked. I agree on the splash of colour and maybe a shroom or two. Real nice work!


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## Lermy (Sep 13, 2010)

cheers  its my 1st proper planted setup after my last attempt was a failure going to make sure this time it goes well. does anyone know how long i should wait before cresties go in


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## Jimma (Jul 24, 2012)

That looks sweet mate. Did a damn good job of that. Think my next build is def going to be planted for sure.


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## Lermy (Sep 13, 2010)

thanks  i already want to do another build but like the inside of a western barn for a corn snake....i just dont like snakes ha ha so dont know what else i could put in there


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## Jimma (Jul 24, 2012)

Lermy said:


> thanks  i already want to do another build but like the inside of a western barn for a corn snake....i just dont like snakes ha ha so dont know what else i could put in there


Lol that would be wicked, love that idea. Would certainly be unique too. You could have an old cowboy boot for a hide or something lol.

I have to agree about snakes though. If there is one in the same room you would see a Jamie shaped hole in the door for sure lol


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## Lermy (Sep 13, 2010)

that would be the plan with some old rope a little garden fork etc  maybe do the sides in wood paneling


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## tomcannon (Jan 2, 2008)

That's a sweet idea. I thought about doing a themed viv for the boy but space is holding me back. You'd have to have a wagon wheel (not the biscuit!) in there too.


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## Lermy (Sep 13, 2010)

maybe figuring a way of making just a 1/4 of the wheel and screwing it to the side of the viv so it looks like it should be a big wheel


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## tomcannon (Jan 2, 2008)

I'd think you could make one pretty easily with pvc tubing and the likes.


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## Lermy (Sep 13, 2010)

1st off i need to get me some cresties  planning on housing 3 in this viv


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## bigd_1 (May 31, 2011)

that viv looks so good have sum lovey baby crestie that will be for sale soon but think you live to far a way


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## Lermy (Sep 13, 2010)

Thankyou  and yeah bit far I think, but have found some local to me now either a pair or trio

im just wondering if I need any other bits for them, I still need a water dish though believe they tend to drink the droplets from spraying, I've got some small cups for food, they have the fogger and I've got a temp humidity gauge which sits at 24 max temp 20 min and around 85% humidity is this fine? Am going to be adding some vines at some point for extra climbing space and small coloured plants to the ground area


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## Lermy (Sep 13, 2010)

just added some moss in tonight hopefully it grows


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## bigd_1 (May 31, 2011)

Lermy said:


> Thankyou  and yeah bit far I think, but have found some local to me now either a pair or trio
> 
> im just wondering if I need any other bits for them, I still need a water dish though believe they tend to drink the droplets from spraying, I've got some small cups for food, they have the fogger and I've got a temp humidity gauge which sits at 24 max temp 20 min and around 85% humidity is this fine? Am going to be adding some vines at some point for extra climbing space and small coloured plants to the ground area


had a water dish i my but there drink when i spray then 24c/75f is good for the day time can go to 27c/80f but no hotter than 29c/85f and 20c/68f is good for a night time drop and humidity i do from 85% to 90% then let it drop to 60%


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