Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Here is a picture from Ben Koper's design on www.frogworld.nl

Any ideas how they got this to look so realistic ? I'm trying to figure out what techniques they used to make it look sooooooooooooooooo good. These branches look great. I bought all the equivalents of flevopol etc and I'm ready to go to work on this project. I know how to do everything except for the branches. Any ideas how big boys in Netherlands do it ?

I am going to redo 2 of my tanks and if it looks good I'm going to do my 100 gal diamond the same way. I have to prcatice a little though. hints and ideas would be appreciated

I was looking at this a few months ago because I really loved the look as well. When I posted on this forum, someone wrote back saying that it required melting and molding the PVC a certain way. Too intricate for my skills and not enough info to figure it out. They did mention as the site did also, that it is very difficult to do and required a great deal of skill and creativity to make it look right. If you figure it out, please pass on your knowlegde! I know you possess the creativity, talent and the skill set to be the one to do it for the first time here!! We gotta catch up to those guys in the Netherlands!

Maggie

It's my understanding that these branches were made of "flevopol" not plastic pipe ... correct me if I'm wrong.

Donn

I should have said "flevopol" formed around plastic pipe. I don't think that the pipe itself was actually formed.

Well, they get the rough branch shape by melting the pipe, then they form any groves and knots with the flevopol mix. Trying the branch thing is next on my list seeing as my attempt at the background was so successful. Im going to use a blow torch to melt and bend several different diameters of pvc into twisted shapes then bond some together to make the branch structure. Another thing I want to do is get some thin hard-plastic tubing, heat it up and wrap it around one or two of the brances to make a twisted root. I might do that, well see how it goes. Im definatley using some of the thin tubing to make thin brances. After I finish molding the pipes Im just going to cover them with the paste. I might use an awl or a wire brush to make a knotted and groovy appearance. Its going to be completely experimental, so I dont expect to make them as incredible as the Dutch boys. Talk to you guys later.
-David Taylor

That's what I was thinking. Melting/bending pvc tubing to an approximate shape and then sculpting it with the compound. On the frogworld site they said that they actually painted them with acrylic paints. I used to do scale models so I have airbrush and all the equipment. If my roots don't look realistic I might just spray them and dry brush them later. I'll sure post the results once I'm done.

embedding real roots is a good idea also.

Why dont you use pieces of drift wood to create branches that jut out from the background. Just lay them in place on the back of the tank and then use the Great Stuff foam to create more texture and to hold the wood in place. After the foam has cured, coat it with your peat/coco and adhesive mixture. This is how I intend to do my next large project this winter. Also, I would coat the back of the tank as well as most of the sides with black silicone. After it dries you can go to work with the foam and wont be able to see it from the outside. The remaining silicone taht is exposed on the inside can easily be scraped away with a razorblade.

-Bill J
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2.2.6 D. azureus
1.2.24 D. ventrimaculatus 'yellow'
1.1 D. tinctorius 'cobalt' (one subadult)
0.0.3 D. tinctorius 'patricia'
1.1 D. auratus 'blue'
0.2 P. aurotaenia

embedding real roots is a good idea. That was on my list of things to do.

bill this is the method that they used at the one show out in the northwest. black jungle showed how they did it[ they show it on thier web site] and the people from tincs.com also did and have a somewhat step by step on the frognet gallery.
answer me this, whats with using the black silicon..
there was a guy, don't rememeber the name. that showed how to make "vines" out of silicon,cork bark and wire. looked pretty neat. don't remember which forum he had it on.
later
walt

The black silicone mainly serves as a coverup for the nasty look of the foam when viewed from the side.
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2.2.6 D. azureus
1.2.24 D. ventrimaculatus 'yellow'
1.1 D. tinctorius 'cobalt' (one subadult)
0.0.3 D. tinctorius 'patricia'
1.1 D. auratus 'blue'
0.2 P. aurotaenia

Black silicone is also a great way to hide false bottoms. Some silicone, tape, a putty knife and a razor blade is all that's needed. I use about a 3" strip along the bottom edges.

I really don't get why you'd spend the time and money to spread black silicone across the inside of your tank. If you're just using it as a cover-up (which is what it seems most people are using it for), then you could just buy black contact paper, cut it to size, and put it on the outside of your tank. Then, if you ever changed your mind, you can just peel it off and use a solvent to get the adhesive residue off. None of that scraping if you ever tear down the tank and decide to redo it.
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Homer W. Faucett III, esq.
Purveyor of Trivialities and Fine Nonsense