Realistic Indoor Meandering Creek Forest Biome Vivarium

A few months ago I ended up with a fishing spider, most of you already know how my wife found Toby in our bathroom so I won't give any more details, however I mistakenly thought it was a wolf spider and designed the fium to imitate

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s around. my house where they reside, although this does exactly that, was geared towards the behaviors of a wolf spider, unlike other fishing spiders that live on the water side, dark fishers like this one prefer wooded areas in the trees because of that, This would actually work long term, but it's missing something that I know a water feature would appreciate that's not something I could add retroactively, so I embarked on a journey to create an elaborate naturalistic Creek fium for this amazing spider with a completely custom build. again seemed like the right move, however this would have to be much larger to accommodate the water feature, fortunately I already had leftover utrusta shelves from the Ikea aquarium build so I started there.

I just had to get the side pieces which were also utrusta and another piece that I could cut to size, all the custom pieces will be the same width which I took into account first I marked the glass aligned the guide I greased the toll I marked a line I turned it over and I broke the glass accordingly I repeated this process horizontally to produce the back of the cabinet on the substrate tray then I polished the sharp edges with wet sandpaper and rinsed off the residue. Now I can put this together. I cleaned the edges with rubbing alcohol to remove any oil that could hinder the silicone's ability to bond the glass.

I also added anchor tape. This is where I usually put tape. I removed all the borders, but you won't see any of this, so I didn't bother. I continued applying the silicone along the edges and assembled the pieces once together. I applied the interior bead, leveled it, and let it cure overnight. The anchor tape and cardboard can be removed the next day, since this is a frameless tank, it requires a self-leveling mat. I normally use EVA foam for this and I have plenty from other builds, but I had to cut them to fit something I'm not familiar with.

What I haven't mentioned before is that dealing with these mats if they're not in place is really annoying. A little silicone will ensure they stay in place as the setup will include water. A bomb must be taken into account after taking measurements. I cut two. pieces of glass to create a divided area, however I also needed a hole for the pumps tubing, easy enough. I glued a guide to the glass to retain water and used a diamond tipped toll saw to drill it, then taped the pieces together, applied silica and bent it. I lifted and put more silicone along the edges.

I pressed this into the right corner of the nursery, a top of a block of wood while it cured. It was time to tackle the top of the tank first. I cut a thin strip of glass from the scraps afterwards. Processing it accordingly I glued spacer boards on top of the tray to ensure the door opening remained level. I applied silicone right on top of these and placed the glass. The nursery required a vented lid and the easiest solution is usually to simply make a screen for the window. I cut the frames. I then assembled them with corners and attached a fiberglass screen that I secured with a slot.

I applied a sloppy but functional bead of silicone to the top, dropped the screen onto this, and taped it down while I cured these custom nurseries. It also requires a bevel along the front of the door. I made this one out of wood that I glued and nailed like you've seen in many of my recent projects. I finished the look with a suit and burned the entire surface of the wood with a blowtorch. and sand it off the Char, all I had to do was apply silicone to the back, remove the spacers from before and clamp it after curing.

I was able to remove the clamps and clean things up, plus I removed the excess screen over the pump dome so I could work out the details of the water source. I took measurements of the inside of the tank which I used to create a false bottom from a box light diffuser. First I took the top piece that will define the entire shape. These additional pieces created height and strength. After zipping together with the first one, these cross straps are especially important for support in the middle since the pump is exposed underneath. I had to include a thick filter sponge, this will protect the pump from debris.

With those details taken care of, I was finally able to move. Let's move on to the landscape which will consist of small pieces of slab stone. Well, I did a test landscape to see if I could achieve my vision with these Stones, once I felt confident that I could do it. I took everything out to address other details. I measured the distance between the false bottom and the top which I used to cut the cork bark to the exact height. I cut a hole in the side of this for the pump tube and this piece hid the pump dome easily.

I knew a kind of background. It would also help to add something to this. I applied dabs of silicone to the back of the cork bark sheets, which made the task easier. I also had to account for an overflow area that I didn't have enough space for. I had to place some of the stones in this area to get an idea of ​​what was appropriate and modified the false background accordingly as debris would fall through this and render it useless in no time to minimize the amount of particles. that enter the space with which I covered the upper part.

Geotextile Fabric I secured it with zip ties and added a sheet of window mesh in the same way to account for the sides I wanted to be more permeable for water flow. Now I can finally escape for real. I did my best to recreate it. the section from before and continued moving to the right I placed more cork as I did and pieces of XPS foam to build High without adding excess weight I admit this stone selection was not the best I don't know how well it translates through the footage , but it took me a long time to create something viable.

I finally did it, but unfortunately I had to dismantle it one last time so I could tackle a very important step: waterproofing the cracks between the stones with expansion. Foam, the trick was to apply as little foam as possible in the right places. It's a complicated process since I'm working on a small scale, but if done correctly it can be a viable solution anyway. I gradually increased the height and pulled areas as I went. to the right of the enclosure there was no way to test the functionality of the water flow in any of this. I had to go based solely on what I thought would happen after meticulously creating something I thought would work and adding a random elbow attachment to the pump. tube, it was finally ready for a water test.

I had an idea of ​​how it would work in my head, but you never really know what it will look like until the water is flowing, since with most setups like this, it's Mak or break it. I plugged in the pump and This happened. I had to adjust the return and there were a few leaky spots around the front, but it looked good. I knew leaks were inevitable when I built this, but I thought about the remaining design elements, first and foremost was to add more cork. Bark branches I felt would be a great defining feature since these spiders often cling to them.

I also built the rock work in the overflow area as perfectly as possible with what I already did as far as the void in the front of the false bottom. First I did a few things. I placed a filter sponge along the false bottom, then added absorbent fabric that will create a moss embankment later to create a seamless look, and fluffed it down. I added a layer of gravel due to leaks and To minimize weight, I decided Lava Rock was the best move from here after removing the debris. I was able to add some excellent topography to the background, of course, this made it possible to fill the entire Void space and it doesn't really matter how wet it is.

They gain ease of construction and absorb water upwards for plants and moss. I rehydrated sagum moss. I used this to create a permeable barrier over the rocks. It may not be as effective as fabric or mesh, but it is still a viable option in the foreground. I had to smooth out the fall around the false bottom. A piece of cork was a great option. I removed the fabric and filled most of this space with lava rock which I then hid again with spagna moss. The goal is to create an ideal surface. To grow Moss, additionally, the leaky water source will also help with this.

The trick was to make everything look as fluid and intentional as possible. If something looked boxy or rigid, it just wouldn't have been right. That was essential because of the shape of the stones. Look and I don't know about you, but I think this all made for a great base to build on, of course the details will take all of this to the next level. The roots left over from building the isopod were a great addition, especially since they are often seen. They helped in the streams, but the plants will really add some life. I started with syngonium, but I knew this would look best primarily with ferns - after all, they are probably one of the most common plants you would find in such an environment, although I would probably do fine without substrate.

I added a thin layer over the barrier inside the background area with which I was finally able to add the moss. I went out and picked up a few varieties which I rinsed to remove any residue. This incredible selection contains various textures and shades that will create a truly natural aesthetic like you have seen so far. I have designed all of this with moss in mind from the beginning, before even building the enclosure. I knew I would include a lot, so I did everything like I did in In fact, even the rocks look like water because they're sandstone, plus I wrapped fabric around the pump return to add more moss.

By taking a step back, you can really see things coming together. My goal was to capture the essence and beauty of the streams found around my area. and I think Moss was the defining feature in achieving this, however Botanical will also add to this. I made sure to leave room for them because I knew they would beautify everything. I sprinkled them randomly as would also happen in nature. It was pretty much finished at this point, so I was able to add the doors, which I made using pretty much the same techniques as before. I burned the wood, cut the glass and put silicone on everything, however once it came time to install them I noticed a serious problem.

I realized I must have cut the doors too small for the opening, needless to say I had to do them again which set everything back another day. Let's bring in the spider. Dark fishers are pretty docile and I wasn't worried about them biting me, but they did. to be careful I didn't want to scare the spider and make it run away and not be able to catch it. Another thing worth noting is that dark fishers are the largest fishing spider in the world and the second largest spider in North America with the spider safely hidden away.

I took a few things out of this setup and moved them to the new one. These additional elements took things to the next level, as you'll see shortly, all I had to do now was add the isopods, which we were happy about. to explore and of course Toby, here you can see how fast they are and why I was careful before, as expected he immediately went to the top and behind the syoni. I have done countless builds in my life and I have shared many of them on this channel, but I must admit that this is probably one of my favorites, but there are things I would change, of course, there always are.

That said, I can think of very few setups where I've been able to capture a slice of nature like this. all just because of a spider, I know it's not everyone's cup of tea nor is it the most exciting animal that could inhabit this space but that's the point, you might not see it all the time but when you do it's a pleasant surprise However, even with nothing on Mire, the design is still attractive to look at and why not go all out, plus these spiders only live a few years so I could always put something else here in the future.

I hope to have this one for at least another year, but possibly two. In a way, my goal of creating a naturalistic cre fium similar to where this animal would be found naturally exceeded my expectations in the end. I think it's a great way to illustrate what is possible in this medium and beautifully shows an animal that could easily be misunderstood.