my creations

13 Pins

6mo

an aquarium filled with lots of different types of fish in it's display case

Ikea Deltof Vivarium completed background.

I mainly used zoomed reptisoil for this background. I also experimented with using gorilla spray glue along with silicone to attach the substrate to the background and I don't think I'll ever go back to silicone. The gorilla glue dried way faster and it was much easier to get full coverage. It took me roughly and hour to put down the primary layer and 30-45 minutes doing patchwork the next day with the gorilla glue filling in thin spots.

an aquarium filled with lots of plants inside of a glass case next to a ladder

Ikea Deltof Vivarium

The final product took 3 hours to plant and included 35 separate species including 6 different bromeliads, 5 orchids, 6 air plants, 5 philodendrons, 4 ferns, 3 begonias, and several other species of plants.

Ikea Deltof Vivarium Hardscape

This is the first step in building my new Ikea cabinet vivarium. I used cork rounds and flats, cedar wood, and some dried sage brush wood.

a glass display case with wood and rocks in the back ground next to a wooden wall

Ikea Deltof Vivarium final carving

After approximately 5 hours of carving total I was satisfied with the look of the background. I also used spray paint and painters tape to cover up the exposed foam on the side of the enclosure.

an aquarium with plants growing out of the water and rocks in it's bottom shelf

Ikea Deltof Vivarium rough draft.

Just placed a could of orchids to kinda get a feel of what I wanted for the tank.

a glass table topped with white and brown pieces of clothing on top of carpeted flooring

Ikea Deltof Vivarium first foam layer

This is the amount of background that I was able to cover with the first 2 cans of spray foam. I then needed to go buy 2 more cans.

mourning gecko vivarium revamp

For this build I needed to remove the soil and add in more hydroballs for a deeper drainage layer. Then I added in my version of an ABG mix and some of biodudes small leaf litter. I then added some bromeliads, begonias, and an orchid.

Ikea Rudsta vivarium

a piece of art made out of driftwood sticks and paper machs on the floor

Ikea Deltof vivarium final foaming

This is what the background looked like after 4 cans of spray foam. I then let the foam settle and harden for the next 24 hours before carving.

a glass case sitting on the floor next to a couch

Ikea Deltof Vivarium glass base

This was the actual first step, I used the shelves that came with the case to waterproof the base and to make the substrate area using silicone.

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