The Eight Enclosure creations from Talonawd

Question!

So when making floors and stuff you usually use the styrofoam... Do you silicone and substrate up the underside before putting it in?
Or do you have some kind of method/magic way of doing that after it's already all in?

Hobo said:

Question!

So when making floors and stuff you usually use the styrofoam... Do you silicone and substrate up the underside before putting it in?
Or do you have some kind of method/magic way of doing that after it's already all in?

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For these small tanks yes I prepare it with silicone and substrate before placing in their final positions. But in the larger tanks where I have more ways of getting to it with my long fingers, I don't always prepare it before hand. To decide if it should be done beforehand I build it but by using toothpicks to hold it in place. This enables me to see the "look" before setting it firmly in place permanently. Not all my floors are made with styrofoam pieces. Some are with the foam and its gets harder to put on the silicone because of the hard to reach areas. But I use whatever it takes to get everything covered with silicone.
I do it in steps because you basically have roughly 15 minutes max before the silicone starts curing and loses its "Stickyness". So plan to start in the most difficult area first with the silicone. Than after you have an area, throw your substrate on top. Pack it down than empty the tank. The siliconed areas will have substrate stuck on it. Than I repeat. I keep a vacuum right next to me to vacuum up excess to always keep my next work section clean before putting on the silicone. Eventually the whole thing will be covered with your silicone and substrate. It can be a long process dependant on your landscape design.

At last!
My first, feeble attempt at a 2.5 gallon enclosure à la Talonawd. I'm glad to say I didn't get hot glued to anything, though my caulking gun has definitely looked better!

The only difference in methods was that I didn't use foam, and I used just regular caulk. Figured that I'd get a feel for it first just in case I calk myself (I did) and I figured it would be a lot easier cleaning off regular caulk than something silicone based (it was)!

No pics of the process, unfortunately, I didn't want my camera to accidentally be a permanent fixture in my new enclosure!

Anyway, here she is! It was originally for a C. fasciatum, but now it's for a B. boehmi, so I was going for a scrubland roots-of-a-dead-bush-exposed type look.


Here's the side view (These are hard to take pictures of! The contours and stuff don't appear if it's too bright or if you have flash on!)


From the top


I used styrofoam on both sides and carved them together to make a kind of vertical burrow shaft in conjunction with the wood that will lead down to the first floor. I'm going to put lots of substrate around here, especially to fill in that gap towards the bottom of the photo, as well as the bottom part of the enclosure so she can move some dirt to her liking.


The "terraces" provide the second floor as well as a place to rest if she choses to use the top entrance of the burrow, as well as a roof for an enclosed area, or the cover for her alternate burrow entrance if she decides to stay on the floor.


I'm still doing small touch-ups, but it's essentially done. I might add some dead looking grass in the front right corner, though I'm currently looking for plants that fit in with my scrubland type theme. With the added floorspace for a second floor, it seems like even an adult T of medium-large size can live in here comfortably!

Anyway, making these "Talonawd-esque" type enclosures is GREAT fun. It still smells pretty funky so the worst part is waiting for it to cure. I am dying to see what it would look like with actual substrate! Oh, and a tarantula too, almost forgot that part!!

Thanks for the tips, pointers, and pics and stuff. Now I know why you love making these things.

OH MY GOD!!!

HOBO, that looks super AWESOME!!!

You did an excellent job. WOW! I love it!!! B. boehmei for sure! I love your drift pieces! For that hole in the corner....I would opt to leave it there if its large enough for the tarantula to use it. My B. boehmei tank has a similar hole in her ExoTerra enclosure design and she uses it alot! She prefers to go through there to go up to the second floor.

wow, that makes my Tupperware and Sterilite look pathetic lol

Looks Great! I love the designs, very inspiring.

Amazing enclosures! These really gave me great ideas on the whole process coz i was thinking of doing the same thing. Probably won't look as good as yours tho! Anyway I have one question: what do you do when it comes to changing the substrate?

Judd said:

Amazing enclosures! These really gave me great ideas on the whole process coz i was thinking of doing the same thing. Probably won't look as good as yours tho! Anyway I have one question: what do you do when it comes to changing the substrate?

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Thanks.

For the substrate, I actually vacuum the substrate when I want to clean it out. Its faster and less messy. I use the vaccum tools with the hose. I never reuse any substrate as I buy it by the bale (2.2 cu ft of Sphagnum peat moss) I always have lots to spare and its always ready to use.

I did some similar things with a ExoTerra 12x12x12. I 'painted' black silicone along the bottom sides about 4" up. I then basically filled it up about 4" worth of spray foam, cut out the center, hollowed underneath (made a cave), made an entrance hole, then using a razor I cut a 4"x2" viewing window in the black silicone to see inside the burrow.

I'm going to try to get some pictures but the G. rosea in there blocked the window with substrate.

Wondeful creation!!! Hobo!!!.... Good job thats an awsome... i love the terrace's... now the only thing your missing is substrate, also which one of your lucky T's will occupy this space?...

Good stuff Talon. It's kind of motivating me to get of my ass and make the 11 vent 10g tank I've been planning on making for a while now for my P regalis. Thank you for posting these pics. I think I will document my progress on that as well, when I get around to it.

robd said:

Good stuff Talon. It's kind of motivating me to get of my ass and make the 11 vent 10g tank I've been planning on making for a while now for my P regalis. Thank you for posting these pics. I think I will document my progress on that as well, when I get around to it.

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Good, I'm glad I motivate people to do this. Check out my newest creation #9. Also a 2.5 series enclosure. Posted on the forums and a direct link in my signature (EC#9)

Those are som gorgeous enclosures.

You are one very talented individual!

Amazing.. Imma try this in the tank I bought the other day. Dumpling is still too small to move in there, so I have some time for trial and errors.

She's a versi, so she's gonna love it if I make a shelf for her to eat on, and drink on, so she wont have to go near that pesky floor =p

Quit question though.. For a versi, that never leaves the roof of her enclosure, could I make a plate, similar to you styrofoam backdrops, on the bottom? And how well does these enclosures hold moisture?

AbraCadaver said:

Quit question though.. For a versi, that never leaves the roof of her enclosure, could I make a plate, similar to you styrofoam backdrops, on the bottom? And how well does these enclosures hold moisture?

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You can make anything you are able to. I have a A. versicolor and she too never leaves the top area of her enclosure. As for humidity, I worry little about it. I do not keep the substrate moist and occassionally mist her enclosure (top portion) and she is doing great.

Awesome work Talon!!! I love your enclosures!

TalonAWD said:

You can make anything you are able to. I have a A. versicolor and she too never leaves the top area of her enclosure. As for humidity, I worry little about it. I do not keep the substrate moist and occassionally mist her enclosure (top portion) and she is doing great.

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Sweet, thanks! I'm gonna try and fiddle about with it, and see what I can do!

I live in Norway, and we don't have the same brands of foam and silicone as you. What kind of silicone would be safe? Like the stuff you use in aquariums or something?

AbraCadaver said:

Sweet, thanks! I'm gonna try and fiddle about with it, and see what I can do!

I live in Norway, and we don't have the same brands of foam and silicone as you. What kind of silicone would be safe? Like the stuff you use in aquariums or something?

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Any kind of silicone would work as long as it does not have the mold/mildew additives. You want 100% silicone. The aquarium silicone is idea but more pricey because its for "Aquariums". They use the fact that its for Aquariums to jack up the price.