Any model painters here?

[Retired Viking]

I have a Penn Plax castle in my 30 gallon guppy tank. I am a fan of the hobbit and LOTR so I call it my LOTR Castle. It comes in two pieces and have good detail. My son-in-law is into warhammer games.

 

[Utar]

This one is 10.5 inches high, and looks like a much better option for you..

Penn Plax Wizards Castle - Amazon US $19.72. I have ALWAYS wanted this, but it's just a bit too large for me.

Castle walls I showed you earlier $18.99 from Amazon US.

Castle walls with airstone $20.99 Amazon US.

Just search "Aquarium castle" on amazon or google and you will see a few more.

As it happens, I am/was a model painter. I've got a small army of 28mm Anglo-Saxons that I painted a few years back, and I collected Warhammer 40k as a teenager (I had a massive Death Guard army). I get you want to experiment and mix things up, but in my opinion you want to keep your aquarium and miniature scenery separate, as much as some of it does look similar. (apparently a lot of people use aquarium scenery for tabletop games)

Thank you for the reply and the info. I don't know I have yet to make up my mind what I want to do here.

This tank is a 29 gallon and only had it setup since 11-16-2020. At first I had used Black Diamond Blasting sand as a substrate cap, but found it was to fine of a grain and to hard on plants roots to grow through this stuff because it compacts too tight. So on the 12-16-2020 I drained the tank and scooped out as much of the BDBS cap as I could and replaced it with pool filter sand. What happened was that for some reason this crashed my cycle, which I believe was at the time in its most delicate due to just getting started.

I have already changed my idea form one theme to another but still using the pewter skeleton as seen in the pics below. I know pewter is not good in aquariums, so I coated it with plasti-dip twice allowing it to dry for several days before using it in the tank. Also below the pictures I am printing the short story I wrote to create the theme. The ruined building would add a nice touch with the skeleton. I don't know yet I may just not do any of this at all, and just make this tank a shrimp tank with a good school of tetras.

I have a really bad attack of algae in this tank, but I am not concerned with that at this time, if nothing else I can temporally put one of my bristle nose plecos in the tank and let it take care of the algae.



Here is the short story setting up the theme of the tank.

Civilization's End​

The human race traveling in fleet of ten ships ventured out into the inky darkness of space leaving their home solar system behind. These brave explorers traveled for hundreds years, suffering many hardships losing most of their ships along the way. Generations where born and died until one ship finally reached its destination far on the other side of the galaxy. Here they hoped to expand the human race to new worlds, but instead found something they would have never dreamed. These brave but fragile humans found themselves in the middle of a war between five powerful races. The Shardinites living machines, the two mystical races of the Yandorians and the Vanderians where allies against the combined might of the Ordons and the Susdans. The three small but brave races where fighting for their home worlds and their right to exist. Ordons and Susdans were not allies but were invaders into this area of the galaxy fighting the brave defenders on two fronts.

The humans couldn't help or do anything at all except to watch in fascination as the war dragged on to its final conclusion. The brave three races of defenders where defeated one by one, their worlds enslaved by the more powerful forces of the invaders. Then the Ordons turned on the Susdans, defeating them and driving them from the galaxy.

It was then that the Ordons noticed a lone ship floating in the void and vacuum of space. Ever hungry for new conquests the Ordons captured the defenseless human explorers finding out where they came from. This doomed the human race, but they didn't go down without a fight. In the last final battle the humans set off every powerful neutron bomb they had covering the entire planet in deadly radiation, leaving it bare and useless to the Ordons. The invaders moved on in search for new worlds to conquer leaving a dead world behind.

But mother Earth didn't die and after a time started to recover. The waters once again sprung forth with new life and the ruins of a once proud and intelligent life that called the planet home are forever preserved in a watery grave.

 

[eatyourpeas]

Definitely more of a fortress theme than a wizard's!

On the materials front, here is what I got:
PLA is generally safe unless a toxic filament has been used. The melting temperature of PLA is lower than ABS, and PLA is more susceptible to degradation. By degradation, being subjected to corrosive environments via friction, salinity or temperature, among others. When it degrades, microparticles can be released into the environment. Off-gassing can also be a concern as this would affect the respiratory organs of the tank inhabitants, and can happen due to age.

Now, having said that, the opinion is that a fresh water aquarium with regular water changes can mitigate these potential hazards. Your ornament will deteriorate with time and you should replace it when that time comes, or before.

Make sure the paint is safe.

Can't wait to see those walls in action!