Hey fellow aquarists, fish lovers, vivarium vets, and DIY mad scientists! 🐸💀
I’ve been building enclosures(of all sorts) for years—custom backgrounds, hardscape mods, full naturalistic setups—you name it. Right now I’m deep into a killer themed paludarium, and I have finished modifying, dressing up, and repainting one of those Exo Terra Primate Skulls. It looks insanely great… but now it’s time for the all-important sealer/topcoat, and I want to hear what the other experienced pros prefer and recommend.
Normally I’d go with Pond Shield epoxy, it’s solid stuff, 100% aquarium-safe, and lasts forever underwater. But here’s the catch: one skull will probably be fully submerged (gloss is fine there), and the other will sit above the water. I really don’t want that high-gloss shine on the dry one—I want to preserve that rough, organic, bone-textured look. Sanding epoxy usually ends up cloudy and kills the color/detail underneath (in my experience, been there, hated that).
I’ve seen folks swear by and use Plasti-Dip alot but I am dubious about its long-term durability. I also wonder how well it will adhere to acrylic paint, which is what I use to repaint the skull and needs to be sealed for alot of reasons I won't go into. (No its not toxic). I've also seen others use Krylon Fusion.
Durability and longevity are my #1 priorities. This build is meant to last years, at least these features.
So, experienced builders—what do you use for a tough, non-glossy topcoat on hardscape pieces? Any hidden gems I’m missing? Drop your recommendations, horror stories, and success stories below—I’m all ears and ready to learn from other pros.
On another note (totally separate but kinda related), Growing an audience organically these days is tougher than ever. I’ve watched friends go from comfortably supporting themselves through their content (some even hitting millions of followers) to struggling big time; the barrage of A.I. generated slop, algorithm changes, the monetization via paywalls for clicks/shares/likes, and not to get political, but the political and government intervention nonsense with certain platforms, has made it brutal for real creators. Some of my own friends have had to go back to the 9-5 grind at least part-time, which sucks.
I’m pouring everything into sharing my builds and adventures on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram (in that order more or less) as much as I can. If you’re into paludariums, bioactive vivariums, frogs, planted tanks, natural art, horticulture, a large variety of DIY projects, props/costumes, ecology, landscaping, gardening, off-grid living… or just cool nature-inspired stuff, I’d love to have you join the crew!
This current skull paludarium build is just one of my many unfinished and finished projects, so if you’d like to follow this build, or any of the other cool and fun things I am into, I sure would greatly appreciate it. My Link Tree is below. There is probably something for everyone there. I have ALOT of Instagrams and Youtube channels actually. Huge thanks if you check it out and hit follow; it really helps keep the dream alive! 🐸🌿
https://linktree.com/jxzjeremy
Appreciate the advice on the sealer, and extra thanks for any support on the content side!
by JXZ_
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