Alright already! I get it. I've waited long enough to address what has easily
been the most requested project on the channel. Meet Felix, the Bearded Dragon. More specifically, he's a Hypo
Translucent Leatherback Het for Witblit. My friend told me he needed a
larger home about 9 months back. That's when I seized the opportunity
to finally make this build happen since it's an animal I likely won't
include in my personal collection. We've been planning this for a long time
and were finally able to finish the job. Going back 14 years, I bought what was my
first large enclosure, this 90 Gallon Aquarium. Its previous owner used it as
an aquarium before I got it. I did the same at first, then it
housed my late Snapping Turtle Olivia, then an aquarium once more, and in recent
years it's been collecting dust in my garage. Needless to say, this tank shows its age. The glass is scratched and etched and
thus unsuitable for a display tank. However, with a little modification,
we can bring new life to it. I began by removing the frame
from the top of the tank. I cut through the silicone seam on the inside. Then, I used a putty knife, like a wedge,
to slightly separate the pieces at the top. This allowed me to break
the seal between the glass. Finally, I was able to dismantle the tank. I'll put the same pieces back together,
but I'll make some adjustments prior. I wanted to include side ventilation. For that, I set up a guide on
the appropriate pieces of glass. Like I've shown before, it's just a piece
of Corrugated Plastic taped to the glass. I fill the guide with water and drill
away with a Diamond Tipped Hole Saw. From there, I went on to remove all
of the excess silicone from the glass. To keep a clean aesthetic, I painted the
bottom frame with Krylon Fusion Paint. I'll reuse all of the glass, except for the front. As a replacement, I have two pieces of 1/2” Thick
Glass, which are cut to the width of the tank. I taped off the edges for
consistent silicone beads. I'll use 100% Silicone to reconstruct the tank. I applied it to the bottom frame first. I placed the bottom piece of
glass over this and clamped it together to ensure everything stays put. I ran silicone along the edges of the bottom piece
and attached the rest, starting with the back. I taped it ahead of time for clean beads. I put silicone along the edges and
secured the side pieces with tape. I repeated the process on the
bottom for the substrate tray. I went back and applied
silicone along the inside seams. I smoothed it out with my finger. I removed the tap and left the silicone to cure. Afterward, I removed the
clamps and anchoring tape. I turned the tank on its back and attached
the top piece of glass like before. Then, I applied silicone to the top
edge of the tank and secured the frame. Again, I let it cure overnight. Here's how it looks now. I still have more elements to add, but I'll
do that after constructing the background. For that we'll use XPS Insulation Foam. I had plenty of scraps and
off-cuts from other projects. We cut these up into small strips and
stacked them up the back of the tank. As we did this, we sketched out overhangs
and cut out the shapes with a Scroll Saw. We continued up the entire back of the tank and worked in driftwood as we went
to build up the base design. We ended up with something
that could work quite well. To make this look natural we added the details. I carved out the base shape with
a Wire Brush Drill Attachment, while Nate added details with a Foam Carving Tool. This took a long time, but
eventually we made it through. We finalized the pieces with
a quick pass of a Heat Gun. This tightens up the foam, makes it
stronger, and brings out the carved texture. We went on to attach these pieces to
the back of the tank with silicone. We labeled everything prior, so the
pieces could be reassembled with ease. We let the silicone cure overnight. After that, I went back with
Expanding Foam to fill in the cracks. I let it cure. Then, I carved it out to
match the rest of the foam. I carved additional details and
cracks to tie it all together. Here's how it ended up looking. I'll paint this with tinted Drylok like
I've shown in other recent projects. I started with a base layer of black. This will fill in all of the
cracks and establish the details. It's the most important layer, so I was
careful to make sure to apply it thoroughly. I let this layer dry and added the
subsequent layers with a dry brush technique. I painted on dark brown, which brings
out some of the details, but not much. The third layer I used was a terracotta color. This will add more color and
give that land down under feel. A thing you'll notice as I apply these paints
is that they're much brighter before they dry. The final layer I applied was a light
brown to bring everything full circle. After the paint dried, I removed excess
on the glass with a Razor Scraper. The background is looking really good,
which means we can add the driftwood. Initially, I tried to replicate our original
layout, but it just didn't look right. So, I scrapped it and came up
with a completely new design. I really wanted to utilize all the space within
the setup and get an aesthetically pleasing look. Here's what I ended up with. I locked all of these pieces
together with expanding foam. I carved out the foam and painted it
to match the rest of the background. With those items complete, I
can finish the tank's exterior. I applied silicone to the Glass
Tracks and taped them in place. I also added Custom Aluminum Screens to the top. I put a dab of silicone in each corner and
secured them with stainless steel pan head screws. I made the screens like I've
shown in previous builds and will link up a video outlining the process. After that, I framed in the front
of the tank with PVC Boards. I applied silicone to the edges and
clamped them down while it cured. These will make the overall
aesthetic appear cleaner. As for the ventilation holes on the sides,
I'll use Stainless Steel Sink Strainers. They might look a little silly,
but they're the perfect size. I painted them black to match
the rest of the hardware. Then, I siliconed them to the inside of the tank. For the doors, I used two pieces
of 1/8” Thick Plate Glass. I cut them out myself and as usual, I
sanded the edges, so they're safe to handle. I placed them in the tracks
and installed the lock. I marked for it on the left
pane and drilled a hole. I secured the hardware after that. I also added Stick On Handles
near the bottom of the doors. Finally, I concealed the sides
of the foam with Acrylic Paint. Another component we'll need is a water bowl. I was going to carve one from scratch, but
I decided to refurbish an old one instead. I painted it exactly the same as the
background, so everything matches. I went back and sealed the inside
with three layers of Pond Armor Epoxy, which is made for applications like this. It will help the piece hold up for years to come. Let's go behind the glass
once more to finish the setup. We started with 5” of the Base Substrate. It's a mix of Organic Top Soil,
Coco Fiber, and Play Sand. I wanted to include Excavator Clay as well, but
it's unavailable pretty much everywhere right now. Either way, the current mix will suffice. We put the water bowl in for
placement and added the plants. First up were various tillandsia. They'll add pops of texture
and color to the background. We secured them with Super Glue
Gel to ensure they stay put. We also added several Thornsless
Prickly Pear Cactus plants. I think these really add a vibe to the design. An Elephant Bush was added for
a little accent and texture. A few Haworthia Plants were included as well. From there, we added a top dressing
of Jurassic Natural Australian Sand. This stuff is awesome and
is actually gathered from the bearded dragon's native range in Australia. However, on its own, it's not ideal for bioactive
tanks and is served best as a top layer. We also sprinkled it all throughout the
rocky background to tie everything together. No bioactive tank is complete
without Leaf Litter, right? We started with a thin layer just
to get a feel for how it will look. From there, we added more plants
including Oregano and Mint. The herbs are more experimental
than the other plants. In theory they should do well, but there's
always the possibility they don't thrive. That said, there's more than enough plants
otherwise, that it's fine if they don't. Let's introduce the clean up crew. First up are Super Worms. I dug out a section in the tank and
poured in a large group of them. They'll dig throughout the substrate and
become an occasional snack for Felix. We also added a colony of Arid Springtails. Again, I dug up the substrate and
loosely buried the entire culture. Here, it can become established,
in the lower layers. I added pieces of Cork Bark to the landscape
to create areas of refuge for the micro fauna. Especially the next inclusion,
60 Powder Orange Isopods. These are prolific, blend in with the substrate,
and should thrive in this type of environment. I added the groups under the cork bark pieces, but
it didn't take long before they began exploring. I topped everything off with more leaf litter. Finally, I sprinkled in a little more desert
sand over all the components for a seamless look. A quick overview of the tank before we add Felix. Every decision made here was very deliberate. From the plants to the scape,
it's all designed with purpose. All of the plants are safe if ingested
and should thrive in this environment. Plus as they establish, they'll become an integral component of the bioactive process
as I've explained in past videos. The substrate is deep enough that the under layers stay moist for the plants and cleanup
crew, while the top stays nice and dry. You'll notice that the background and
scape are built with two purposes in mind. First is a sort of stair-like system
that leads up to the basking hot spot. Sure, Felix can just easily climb up the sticks,
but we thought this would be a nice inclusion. It also doubles as a refuge and hide. The entire space under the stairs is
quite spacious and easy to access. With that in mind, I think we did
a great job maximizing the space. There are plenty of areas to explore and provide enrichment, while also creating
gradients of heat and humidity. My guess is that every inch
of space will get used. I'll quickly mention that there is
a full length UVB T5 in the hood, a Halogen Basking Bulb, an LED Strip
Light for the plants, and other elements. I didn't want to get into the
specifics in this video because they are largely dependent
on how the tank is designed. To conclude on that, this was my take
on a bioactive bearded dragon habitat. It goes without saying to do your own research, but I think what we've
created is a great solution. Also, just because it's bioactive, that
doesn't mean this is a care free tank. Spot cleaning and general
maintenance is still required. With all of that addressed, I'd
say we're good to add Felix. I'm so happy to have finally made this build happen for those of you who
have been asking for years. I hope you all enjoyed it
and learned something new. Anyway, be sure to leave a like, comment, and subscribe for the YouTube
algorithm to help your boy out. Until next time SerpaSquad, take care and peace!
