A while back I built a turtle tank with a 3D background and ramp and some neat looking stuff for my niece because she wanted a turtle. Marty got a hold of me after that and asked if I would build his son one so I said sure I'd be happy too. So figured I'd do a little "build thread" with some pics so his boy could see his tank being built. Should be updating the pics over the next few days and hopefully have it ready for Marty to pick up early next week.
Brand new 29g Marty dropped off a couple weeks ago. In the pic I'm using the tanks weight to hold together two sheets of styro that I have bonded together with GE Silicone I. Two sheets together give enough thickness to get a nice 3d look when it is carved.
Blank background and braces for the ramp mocked up in place.
Trimming the braces to get the right angle so it's easy for the lil' turtle to climb the ramp. Still have to carve and shape the ramp itself so it will look quite different than this when it's done.
In this pic some of the carving is roughed in and been gone over with a heat gun which helps to add the texture of real rock, The ramp will be on the right so I don't carve that area since it will not show. That way I can seal the ramp to the background so no food/waste can get under the ramp to cause water issues. Also have a few added pieces attached in the pic which still need to be shaped. They will stick out a bit farther than the first layer that way it adds some depth to the background.
Should have more done tomorrow.
