[IndustrialDreamz]

Alright guys I will be posting my build of my 100 gallon paludarium for my baby caiman lizard.
I know its a dart frog forum but this forum has helped me discover great possibilities and tools/equipment to use.
I have been lurking around, looking at everything and everyones projects learning as much as I could to create my own.

This is not my first viv/palu. But this time I feel much more confident of my enclosures. Any feed back and support would be awesome.
Thanks guys!!

 

[frogparty]

I love caiman lizards !! Can we get some full tank shots?

Are you feeding it snails?

 

[jacobi]

I love caiman lizards !! Can we get some full tank shots?

^^^^^ That! More photos and details please!

 

[IndustrialDreamz]

This was the initial sketch I made as a vision I had for the paludarium. I wanted the build to be artistic/and natural (As I am an artistic guy).
Also wanted to make a cool center piece driftwood display with large rocks on the corners for a basking area, with a cave in between each rock structure.(looks like the mountain in The Lion King).

I also am going to plant a creaping fig on the top center so it may grown accross draping over the glass. I will not have a back ground. (I have herd of it trailing on glass but its only an idea of mine to try and achieve.) I will try to do this by using great stuff. I will be covering with drylok and black non toxic acrylic paint so it may look like a floating rock with a plant growing off of it. Just a vision of mine. I may substitute for some broms make it look like a floating crown of Bromeliads. What do you all think?

 

[IndustrialDreamz]

I love caiman lizards !! Can we get some full tank shots?

Are you feeding it snails?

Yeah sure!! I have him in a temporary 55 gallon paludarium I built a while back so now im upgrading to a 100, then in a year or two I will have to upgrade to a 6x4x6

I feed him Live, and frozen snails, live and frozen clams, some high quality cat food, pinky mice, chopped mango mix with mustard greens. Hes eats like a champ I followed zoo feeding techniques and got him hooked on all sorts of foods! I was to exited!

 

[IndustrialDreamz]

After the sketch I began searching for nice shaped rocks. I could not find any especially in the color I wanted. So what I came up with is to sandwhich two rocks to form a the structure I wanted. (They are medium sized rocks so it wouldn't be too heavy).
(The reason I did choose rocks and not to do the polystyrene method is because eventually the caiman is going to get heavy enough to rip it off and toss it around like a beach ball.)

-I used Great stuff to sandwhich them together. Let it cure.
-then I coated 3 times with drylok (non tinted)
-lastly I coated 2 more times with a mix of drylok and black acrylic paint.

 

[IndustrialDreamz]

So far I have completed the rocks I made and started on the driftwood.
I had 4 seperate parts and put them together to make one big bad ass driftwood. looks a bit evil lol

I used great stuff to glue them together then carved out the exesses.
Finally put silicone then some soil over.

This is my result what do you all think??

 

[frogparty]

looks great. Cant wait to see it done

 

[Rhac]

I like the driftwood !!

1.2.0.3 Crested Geckos
1.0 Leachianus
2.0 Gargoyle Gecko

 

[mfsidore]

This was the initial sketch I made as a vision I had for the paludarium. I wanted the build to be artistic/and natural (As I am an artistic guy).
Also wanted to make a cool center piece driftwood display with large rocks on the corners for a basking area, with a cave in between each rock structure.(looks like the mountain in The Lion King).

I also am going to plant a creaping fig on the top center so it may grown accross draping over the glass. I will not have a back ground. (I have herd of it trailing on glass but its only an idea of mine to try and achieve.) I will try to do this by using great stuff. I will be covering with drylok and black non toxic acrylic paint so it may look like a floating rock with a plant growing off of it. Just a vision of mine. I may substitute for some broms make it look like a floating crown of Bromeliads. What do you all think?

View attachment 68657

THIS IS A SKETCH?!

 

[IndustrialDreamz]

THIS IS A SKETCH?!

Haha yeah!


Thanks everyone!

 

[IndustrialDreamz]

The rocks, and driftwood have fully cured and are ready to be put in. So far I have put up a wall to seperate the substrate using great stuff. Got some bio filters and zipped tied it on the false bottom that I placed behind the wall.

I will be coating about 5 times with drylok and blackacrylic paint mix.

I put everything so far in a small video check it out

Its a bit dark sorry guys!

 

[IndustrialDreamz]

Ok so I put the black stones up and the driftwood piece and finally found the right positions that pleases me. What do you all think??

 

[IndustrialDreamz]

[/ATTACH]

^^^^^ That! More photos and details please!

Got in my new Broms
2 Neoregelia Pauciflora X Minuta
2 Neoregelia Fireball
2 Neoregelia Sara Head
2 Neoregelia Punctatissima Var. Rubra

Also got me some aquatic plants (dont have pics of yet)
baby tears
dwarf hair grass (wich I plan to plant in the aquascpae style)
Tiger Lotus
Hydro.......idk lol
and Lewedgia repens

Does anyone know of Marginal plants that have broad leaves but can be cut back to stay under a foot in height?

Also looking for a vining background cover plants that can be emersed, or epiphytical (if thats the word). and is also hardy!!
was thinking of doing creeping fig, or a pathos (pining it down).

 

[IndustrialDreamz]

^^^^^ That! More photos and details please!

Alright I got 2 new photos i took yesterday for you guys of my caiman lizard Atlas!

 

[IndustrialDreamz]

Black Mountain.

So my initial set up didnt go as I wanted due to my lack on research and how great stuff does not adhere to glass very well. I finished everything and planted it, to have it a month later all float to the top. I have started over from scratch again. This time I put a layer of silicone down first before anything else. and made a mountain themed. So I will be calling this BLACK MOUNTAIN.
This is what I got so far.


This is afther a few coat of drylok and its all dry now..


What do you guys think?

 

[jrodkinsey]

Looking good so far, man! I had a caiman lizard a few years back when they first came back on the market. Definitely a awesome lizard. Where do you get your snails?

 

[Dendro Dave]

Re: Black Mountain.

So my initial set up didnt go as I wanted due to my lack on research and how great stuff does not adhere to glass very well. I finished everything and planted it, to have it a month later all float to the top. I have started over from scratch again. This time I put a layer of silicone down first before anything else. and made a mountain themed. So I will be calling this BLACK MOUNTAIN.
This is what I got so far.
View attachment 91218

This is afther a few coat of drylok and its all dry now..
View attachment 91226

What do you guys think?

Now insert an LCD screen behind the tanks to show loops of sun/moon/stars/northern lights in those places where you left the glass showing and you will have beaten me to some of my future plans

 

[IndustrialDreamz]

Looking good so far, man! I had a caiman lizard a few years back when they first came back on the market. Definitely a awesome lizard. Where do you get your snails?

I get my snails from a Asian supermarket way across town from me, so I load up on quantity when I buy lol
And it is amazing, she is great at eating. Not like the old husbandry counterparts. One of the most hardest reptiles to keep back then, did yours manage to survive?

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[IndustrialDreamz]

Re: Black Mountain.

Now insert an LCD screen behind the tanks to show loops of sun/moon/stars/northern lights in those places where you left the glass showing and you will have beaten me to some of my future plans

Well Mr. Dave you just blew my freaking mind!!!! Wish I had that money, but I got another idea in the midst

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