Yo, what's up SerpaSquad?
Tanner here.
This past week I went to Aquashella in Orlando, which was an incredible time.
It was my first time flying to Florida, which just so happens to be where my friend Kamp Kenan lives.
He told me about a few enclosures he acquired from a zoo that he wanted to set up.
All I needed were the interior dimensions of the tank and I immediately got to work
on the background.
The primary material I'll use is XPS Insulation Foam.
This stuff is pretty dense, but it's fairly light, which will make it easy to transport.
I transferred Kenan's measurements to the boards and cut them down to size.
Believe it or not, I've found that the best tool for the job is a kitchen knife.
To add more dimension, I included offcuts to create thicker areas.
I applied some Silicone and situated them on the main pieces.
I went back and scored the foam around these pieces.
This isn't necessary, but it gives Expanding Foam a better surface to adhere to.
I added that next.
Combining the foams will make it easy to create a seamless look.
I let the foam and silicone cure overnight.
From there, I carved some of the foam with the knife.
This will cut back on the amount of debris created in the next step.
For that, I used a Wire Brush Drill Attachment to carve a more refined shape.
As I did this and the subsequent steps, I kept my shop vac on hand to keep a clean workspace.
To easily create a rocky texture, I resorted to the kitchen knife once more.
With the texture down, I took the foam outside to add the fine details.
I want cracks and fissures to bring the rocky look full circle.
I used a Wood Burning Tool to add those details.
I also went over everything with a Heat Gun.
This tightens up the foam and makes the texture look more irregular and natural.
I'll bring these to life with several coats of paint.
As usual, I'm using Tintable White Drylok and Quickrete Colors.
I started with black to establish the details.
I applied two generous coats to each piece.
Then, I mixed up various grays, which I'll add with a dry brush technique.
In doing so, the paint is picked up by the upper layers and creates definition.
I repeated this process about ten additional times
until I got something I felt looked natural.
One thing I want to mention real quick is about the enclosure's door
I had to build around.
To make the system work, I cut the back section, so that it's composed of two pieces I carved
to match up.
Anyway, with all of that addressed, I finished off the backgrounds
by giving them a thorough spray down.
I only had three days to make these, which was quite the process.
I couldn't stop there though.
I wrapped each piece with paper to prevent them from being damaged.
Then, I cut up and taped six boxes around them to create this monster.
Not pretty, but it did the job.
Everything made it completely unscathed.
Now we can get to work.
The first order of business was to modify the tank.
We made measurements and cut a larger hole in the top of the enclosure.
This wasn't part of the initial plan, but it was a quick fix we had to do to get the
backgrounds into the tank.
We went on to clean the glass for better viewing.
This ended up being a waste of time because we later removed it.
I painted visible areas within the tank with black Drylok.
I didn't want the white to show through and ruin the aesthetic.
After it dried, we installed the backgrounds.
I started with the back panel.
I applied silicone to the foam and secured it with Stainless Steel Bolts.
After that, we put silicone on the other pieces and put them in place.
We braced them up with PVC Pipes while the silicone cured overnight.
You didn't see it, but we also moved it to a different location.
That's when we decided to remove the glass.
We felt that it would cause the enclosure to overheat and reduce visibility because
of reflections.
We also stapled Knit Wire over the holes in the bottom of the tank for drainage.
A few months back a tree fell on Kenan's property.
He's been saving it for a project and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.
He chopped it up with a chainsaw, so I could get to scaping.
In doing so, I wanted to keep it simple.
I started with the large piece and worked in the smaller branches.
We secured them from the outside of the tank with Construction Screws.
Since we removed the glass, we had to make a substrate dam.
Rocks seemed like the perfect material for the job.
I situated them accordingly and locked them in with Expanding Foam.
After the foam cured, I painted it all with black Drylok, so it doesn't clash with the
rest of the design.
That meant it was finally time to mix up the substrate.
We began with Coco Fiber and Repta-Bark.
We also collected Topsoil, Leaf Litter, and Palm Boots from the yard.
Since it's all from outside and the topsoil is already alive so to speak, we're jump-starting
the bioactive process.
As you know, I typically wouldn't recommend using materials from outside without sanitizing
them first.
However, all of Kenan's animals live outside already, so introduction of something they
can't handle is very unlikely.
We added a base layer to the tank along with some of the palm boots.
We also wanted to make an epic hide.
For that, it made sense to use a Corrugated Drainage Pipe.
We drilled holes in it and bent it into a horseshoe shape with zip-ties.
Kenan propped it up with stones while I secured it with expanding foam.
We hid it with additional stones and applied more foam.
We added more substrate to create a slope up toward the back of the enclosure.
Kenan also placed a rock near the front for basking.
We had to include a water bowl as well.
It doesn't quite match the aesthetic, but it gets the job done.
Let's button up the enclosure.
Kenan secured a piece of Vinyl Coated Screen to the top with staples.
Then, we added the plants.
We used what we could find on the property that loosely mimics the animal's natural range.
Tall Grasses seemed like the perfect choice.
I also found various Tillandsia on site, which I mounted to the wood with staples.
We added a top dressing of leaf litter and sprayed down the tank.
Finally, we secured more Screen to the front.
Here's a closer look.
I think we did an awesome job making a natural aesthetic and it was a great way to repurpose
an old enclosure.
It was also really fun to be able to use whatever we could find on hand.
I typically don't have that luxury because I live up north where materials aren't as
favorable.
I really like how the door turned out as well.
It was the feature I was most concerned about, but luckily we pulled it off quite well.
Keep in mind that this is just a grow-out tank for developing animals.
It will house various critters over the course of its life, but for now, it will house Bobby
Rubino the Black Throated Monitor.
The setup and background will hold up well since he's small, but it would be a different
story if he was a full-grown animal.
I'm sure he could easily tear through the foam.
I'll show you more durable solutions for larger animals in the near future.
Anyway, why don't we see what Bobby thinks of his new home?
Soon after introduction, he found the hide we painstakingly built and was very curious
about his new surroundings.
He inspected the leaves and was on the hunt for food we placed throughout.
Thanks to the texture on the backgrounds he was able to explore the height of the setup
with ease.
He was especially intrigued by the GoPro.
It's also really cool how well Bobby's colors match with the background.
It wasn't something we planned for, but he blends right in.
All in all, I'd say this was a successful operation and what I love to see.
Happy animals that avidly use the environments we provide for them.
I can't wait to see how it enriches Bobby's life as he grows up.
I had so much fun doing a build for Kenan and I'm glad he finally has a proper SerpaDesign.
This certainly won't be the last one though.
Be sure to check out Kenan's channel to learn more about his incredible animals.
I'll put links in the video description.
Also, a huge thanks to Fritz Aquatics for making my trip down to Florida possible.
They had me down for Aquashella and made it possible for me to visit with Kenan as well.
And of course a thanks to Kenan for allowing me to crash at his place and for showing me
around South Florida.
That's all for now though.
As always I really hope you all enjoyed the video and learned something new.
Until next time SerpaSquad, take care and peace.