This Is My Basement: The Ultimate Animal Room (Tour)
Last year I designed and built the new animal room. Since then, I've been slowly adding things to it to fulfill my vision of a unique space dedicated to showcasing what’s possible within nature design. It’s still a work in progress, and things will change significantly in the following year, but I’m extremely excited to share it with you all today. This is the updated look at the room and all my animals as of December 2023.
Video Chapters
00:00 Intro (The Room Today)
01:15 No Filter Guppy Ecosystem Fish Tank
03:02 Hideaway Caves Mountainscape Aquarium
04:16 African Dwarf Frog Paludarium
06:09 The Low Tech Nano Fish Aquascape
06:54 The Perfect Low Tech Aquascape
07:37 Blackwater Tetra Community Riparium
09:09 Luminous Quartz Crystal Mine Fish Tank
10:35 Vintage Refurbished Meta Frame Aquarium
11:17 Rubber Ducky Isopod Dripping Cave Vivarium
12:13 Blue Death Feigning Beetle Vivarium
13:28 Samurai Betta Botanical Aquarium
14:34 Ancient Ruins Jungle Paludarium
16:04 The Play Button Paludarium
17:21 Rainbow Shiner River Aquarium
18:03 Fishing Spider Vivarium
18:55 Behind the Scenes Quarantine Room
20:35 African Bullfrog Paludarium
22:07 Hybrid Snapping Turtle Grow-Out Paludarium
23:21 Butterfly Splitfin Biotope Aquarium
24:28 Fire-Bellied Toad Paludarium
25:38 Loggerhead Musk Botanical Paludarium
26:44 Suriname Toad Aquarium
28:35 New Caledonia Gecko Bioactive Vivarium
30:20 Blotched Kingsnake Bioactive Vivarium
31:30 The Nature Design Studio
32:18 In-Wall Bathroom Aquarium
33:06 Saltwater Coral Reef Marine Aquarium
33:57 IKEA Display Case Paludarium
34:44 Bearded Dragon Bioactive Vivarium
36:23 How I Maintain All of This
37:25 Closing Thoughts (Why I Do This)
Learn More in my Blog
www.serpadesign.com/blog
Follow SerpaDesign
Instagram - / serpadesign
TikTok - / serpadesign
Second Channel - / tannerserpa
#animalroom #vivarium #serpadesign
It took nearly 200 hours to script, film, and edit this tour of the new animal room. I hope that you all enjoy the updated look of it all and the animals. I'm really pleased with how it's coming together and can't wait to show you all what I have planned for 2024. Until then, enjoy this video and enjoy the holiday weekend SerpaSquad! 💚 Also, what your favorite setup/animal in the room. Let me know! 👇🏻
Nice going Tanner!
Could of you put moss on lava rock instead of plants
the results of all your hard work are amazing.
Henry is still my favourite. But is his tail still not fully grown back yet, or am I tripping?
Thanks for sharing all of this with us!
I want to be reincarnated as one of Tanner’s animals
His isotopes are living in 100 times better condition than I am
@@user-yn1yn4qq4i😂😂😂
Yassss his animal li e so happy
Happy to hear I am not the only one who has thought about this ❤
Imagine being his bullfrog Samson that’d be awesome
I appreciate your transparency on things that go wrong. As a multi animal owner I tend to hold myself responsible for the good and the bad. But sometimes things just happen. I like how you have investigated these issues and share the knowledge. Thank you Tanner!
I'm so impressed by the biodiversity - so many species, if I added two different twigs to a bucket it would probably poison the water
I can relate to this as well. I generally blame myself as well, but things definitely do just happen sometimes.
The tall ceilings, the dark walls, the magical lighting, the sound of water and pumps, the attention to details, the varied biomes. All you need are little description plaques and you have a perfect rendition of some of my favorite childhood aquarium days.
Why not do some coral and or an octopus?
YOUR comment made me smell the clean fish tank's smell! How the heck did you do that... you a wizard? Has Hogwarts contacted you?
@@Digitalhunnyyou’re corny lady
@@adhdsymptoms64 You smell cute! 😂😂
Tanner, I’ve been here from 15k subs and just want to say how amazing it is to see your success over the years. The first terrarium I built from your how to terrarium videos is still going strong. Congrats on 1.7M subs and to many more!
Tanner, I've been here since 14,999k jk very specific
I have been here form the start I love you so much keep it up❤
Honestly, all of the zoos I've visited can't hold a candle to Tanners animal husbandry! This animal room walk through is so inspiring, beautiful and relaxing! Thank you for bringing us along! ❤❤❤❤❤
This is what I enjoy the most about the hobby. No rinse and repeat aquascapes, durable and functional designs that are best suited for their inhabitants.
While it's super easy to complement your craft-you're one of the best at it-one of the most notable changes over the years is that, at least to a camera, your charisma has definitely improved like, so much so that it's worth congratulating.
True! Tanner seems more comfortable in front of the camera, and has seriously hit his stride lately 👌
It's amazing to see the diversity within these tanks and the fact they are all so well maintained is just a testimony to how much you respect Mother Nature. You deserve way more subs and i wish you the best for the future
It’s so crazy to think that just a year ago you went from an empty basement to this, keep it up man🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
This man is truly built different
He’s amazing!
i've been watching since you were making terrariums on a dinky plastic table and it's crazy seeing where you are now. good job tanner you've done amazing
😂The good old days!
I love your dedication to create optimal conditions for animals, that - unfortunately - end up being accesories way too often. Most people can't imagine what it takes to make animals happy and contempt. It usually involves dialing down your ideas & wishes and underlining the needs of the animals. The last animals I kept were Malawi Cichlids, that I simply fell in love with, but it meant there were no plants in the tank. The Cichlids reproduced wildly and I had countless years with them, that I'm still very fond of. Unfortunately some day the heater broke down and the grandfather fish died, which broke my heart. The more time I spend with an animal, the more I appreciate it and sadly I can't have animals at home anymore, I get too attached to them. Your videos simply scatch a particular itch for me and allow me to get a glimpse into the life of these beautiful creatures, without having the need to keep any of them. I love your geckos, they are just so damn adorable... Have a nice holiday
I really love how you show long-time care for your animals and continue to do the best for them and improve where necessary. So often in this hobby there is this extreme focus on adding ever more animals instead of the long-time care of the ones one already has, and it really makes me appreciate this channel. It‘s also really lovely to get an update on past builds and your animals. A perfect video to watch to cool down while visiting the family for the holidays, thanks!
This is so relaxing. What a great talent you have, Tanner!
I would pay a million dollars to have all of this
it's skill, not talent
I’m always really happy to listen to people talk about their aquariums and terrariums because I can talk about mine at lengths too. It really speaks to a passion that I’m always happy to see.
I was a fan of this channel probably 4 or 5 years ago and eventually stumbled back upon it a year ago when trying to find ideas for scaping my turtle tanks to look as natural as possible. The amount of influence and inspiration I’ve gathered from your videos to help me with my goals cannot be understated. Thank you for everything!
12:11 PLEASE share this in a video - I want INFINITE rubber ducky isopod content
I really appreciate what a role model you are for others in terms of respecting animal lives, not glorifying the collecting of rare animals, and making brilliant and beautiful habitats for your little creatures to have their best lives. Miniature habitats and small animals are a much more sustainable hobby for Earth and for most people's pocketbooks too. Thank you for this wonderful tour! 😊
Love it. And more so, love how responsible you are. Best part was at the end when you talk about improving the conditions for your exiting animals rather than just buying new. You are single handedly inspiring a revolution in human amimal care!
My day just got a lot better! The amount of work you've put in this room and these videos is baffling. You're killing it, man.
Animal room looks awesome 😍, every year it's a treat to watch the room evolve 🙌🏾
Love the way this man loves his animals
I will never be able to make people understand how much this one KZhead channel has changed my life
Same!
I love the new animal room. You've really out done yourself. The animals all look happy with their homes. Can't wait to see what you do in 2024.
I haven't even gotten passed the intro and I don't know what I'm more excited for... to see how all the animals are doing or to see all the empty cages and wonder what will be going in there😂
What an incredible tour. The care and compassion for the animals is very unique, and this Man gets it. He is better than creative, he's phenomenal. Tanner, the future is looking good. Happy Holidays to you and yours and all the best in 2024.
Amazing setup and you can truly see the love you have for this lifestyle hobby. The plants, animals and fish really have a wonderful environment to live and thrive. You always do an exceptional job. Keep it up.
This is a breathtaking space. Fantastic work Tanner. These little souls are lucky to have you 💚
Finally!
This video is such a treat! An Early Christmas present, if you will! And none of it would be possible without all the hard work Tanner and his team has put into everything! I'm so grateful I found this channel, this is what got me interested in aquascaping and other bioactive builds. I haven't put any of my learned knowledge to use, yet... but when I do, I will ALWAYS credit Serpa Design for inspiring me.
I'm always blown away by Tanner's care of his specific animals, not just a catch em all mentality
Can't wait for the first build of 2024 ✨
Please film your build of the bigger version limestone caves for the isopods.
Your animal room is so inspiring and beautiful. Great job, Tanner! Looking forward to 2024!
I can't believe how many people keep fish in tanks with no rocks, substrate, or plants. Just a tank with an air bubbler, and they are so proud of it. Or how many people keep reptiles and just their throw their enclosures on a wire shelf, with wires all over the place and absolutely no thought on making their rooms look good. Maybe that's why I like this channel so much. You have a very good eye and create rooms and enclosures with ambiance.
This truly inspires me to improve my own animal keeping. I Love especially the turtle setups
Serious question about plants in aquariums... do you have any ferns? Ferns are massive water loving plants, so can they survive submerged underwater like Tanner's syngonium (aka: arrowhead) house plants are doing deep _in_ his "Danio tank". (Timestamp: 6:30 the bottom right plant) or do you know? Thanks a ton for just reading this. I'm super duper new to his channel but everyone here in his comments section is so nice, kind & genuine. I figured it can't hurt to ask, the worst you can say is idk, right? 😂😂
I'm excited to see what all you have in the works come to fruition, especially Toby's enclosure.
If you ever redo the glowing crystal aquarium concept, I have some recommendations. You should use a piece of transparent corrugate plastic as your weight spreader, and directly silicon your quartz points to it, using ones long enough to reach right through the substrate, in a rimmed tank. Then, you can use external lights in the void space underneath the tank, removing the need for any submerged electronics, and getting the added benefit of reducing anaerobic zones in your substrate, by exposing the entire bottom layer to light, as well as any in direct contact with the crystals. Depending on the density of the crystals, you could render even a dense mud+sand cap substrate fully aerobic.
I cant even remember how long ive been a subscriber but from the moment I watched one of your videos i was hooked, your care and respect and passion to create and give these animals the best care has never been lost no matter how big the channel got and i thank and respect you for that, thank you for all you do, for us animal and nature lovers, and more importantly the animals 💚 cant wait to see what 2024 brings, happy christmas and new year 😊
This was my favorite AC episode so far. After years of watching, this episode had the most emotional pull for me and the production quality is better than most tv shows these days. Well done man. Well done.
I'm a fairly new subscriber, and I really enjoyed this. I have two 75-gallon map turtle tanks and a 10-gallon female Betta tank, and I really enjoy maintaining them. I can't wait to see what 2024 brings for you.
Tony is so freaking cool! Didn't know reptiles could be so perceptive and particular🤣he is awesome!
I finally have the resources and ability to take care of critters after watching and craving what you have for years. Right now it's me, a baby dart frog, a rescue fire skink, and 6 bins of assorted bugs in my little apartment. I spend so much time on them and I wouldn't spend it any other way. I look forward to maybe someday having my own animal room too.
I love the glimpses that we get all the time, but going in depth into all of these is so very appreciated. I love getting the chance to see older setups that have grown out and what may not have worked too. Thank you for this!
Tanner you've inspired me so much, thanks to you I now have a saltwater nano reef aquarium with maximized habitat via extensive rockwork and I'm in the process of building a beautiful bioactive terrarium for my future rosy boa.❤ Thank you for your magnificent and respectful work and your soothingly ASMR-like narration which was very theraputic this past year with my mom dying. You unknowingly kept me company while gardening and building better environments for my animals.❤
Subscribed long ago. Always glad to see one of your videos, and this one is spectacular. Congrats on being good at what you do. I'd buy a ticket to see your stuff live before I'd go within 10 miles of Disneyland.
Best comment on here! I would totally geek out seeing this room live. You would have to drag me out of there!
Um, but, what if you could do both, see Tanner's World of Various Ecosystems _AND_ Disneyland... in the same week? (with fast pass & dining plan, of course!) 😂😂😂😂
My husband and I have been watching you for about a year now. Your uploads are a highly anticipated part of our weekends. Thank you for sharing with the world!
I've been looking forward to this video for ages! I have such respect for your commitment to providing what's best for your animals. You've inspired me to step up and provide bigger and better homes for my own reptiles. I can't wait to see the projects you have in store for us!
Lovely to see the ancient ruins and gold play button palidarijms! Everything is looking great Tanner, and you have inspired me to make terrariums and keep inverts!
It's always fascinating to follow the journey and watch the evolution of the set ups. One of your questions was the rubber duckie isopods upgrade - that would be a yes we'd love to see the upgrade and the subsequent isopod builds too!! ❤
I really really enjoy your projects and approach 👍🏽 so meticulous and dedicated, thats what the animals deserve.
All of your builds are so amazing!! I love how passionate you are about caring for your animals, I hope more people are inspired to be like you!!!
I have enjoyed 2023 on this channel so very much! Truly incredible work, Tanner! Thank you so much for taking us along on such a wonderful journey. I'm really looking forward to SerpaDesign 2024.
I loved all of this, but especially catching a glimpse of your office. What an amazing, relaxing space!
I appreciate you constantly improving your set ups as the animals grow and as you learn more about their care. You inspire me to do the same!
Nice! Love the terrariums, and watching them being built. I hope one day and I can create terrariums as great as you!
What a behemoth of a video! My favorite setup has to be the Caledonia Gecko encosures - so beautiful! I can't wait to see what you have in-store with the 150 gallon cube aquarium!
i love seeing updates like these and seeing the sheer scope of all you have accomplished, and seeing how much your animals thrive. It brings me joy to see someone working so hard to provide and advocate for better animal keeping, too.
I did not expect cookie to get THAT big holy cow 😅 amazing efforts as always, love the work you do and the knowledge your channel has brought me over the years. My animals wouldn't be thriving in naturalistic habitats without the overwhelming inspiration your channel provides 🌱💚
I hope you and your lovely wife have a very merry Christmas, and that you take a well earned break. Thank you for this wonderful update, your time and care is always appreciated since you create so much peace and beauty with your videos. Blessings from Perth Australia ❤
Love the annual animal room tour. What a year! The animals, enclosures and rooms are absolutely amazing. It was well written, narrated and presented. Stunning. Merry Christmas to you and yours Tanner.
Gosh, its so cool seeing all these project updates!! its always a treat to see cookie, too, she's one of my favs.
Thank you very much for such an indepth tour of the animal room! It is always awesome to see your setups after they've had time to mature and reach their true forms.
Truly inspiring-loved watching your evolution.Your choice to under stock is so awesome.Your love for your animals is so heart warming.Thankyou
What a gorgeous 'animal room'! Love your videos and how you keep your critters. Happy Holidays!
Love how humble and respectful you are towards the animals in your care, it is truly amazing to see. Your energy is so kind. I often watch your videos when I feel stressed, had a rough day or can't fall asleep. I am very thankful I found your channel a few years ago. Thank you! Best wishes from sweden! 🤗
Tanner, you're living the dream most of us have....BUT you have also educated us in the fact that it's A LOT OF WORK! There's no way most of us could actually do what you do. Thank you for doing it! You're awesome!
You’ve been my favorite KZheadr for quite a while now, thank you for always putting in your best effort in your videos and making them so interesting!
I would love to see more of the rubber ducky isopods and your enclosure builds for them! So much of the isopod enclosure info is just plastic bins, not display enclosures. Creating naturalistic habitats for isopods should have more representation in the hobby and I have watched your previous build for the rubber duckys several times. 😊
Yes! Exactly what I was thinking. I have a terrarium that’s perfect for that. I would love to set it up.
My elderly Florida king snake passed away due to cancer 2.5 years ago. Your builds and the care you provide the animals were part of what inspired me to get a baby king snake a few months ago and set him up with really nice habitat. I'm really enjoying bonding with him and am already planning for the time when he is big enough for an upgraded habitat. Thanks and happy holidays.
You are living the dream! Looking forward to your new projects.
omg Tanner the work you put in... amazing tanks and setups and great videos 🌿🐸🐟🦎🐠🌿
I feel like I'm visiting a virtual zoo haha, thanks for all the work that you do!
Been looking forward to this all year!
started watching your channel a few years back, now I have my very first Terrarium with Snails and it's been going amazing for over a year now. Whenever I needed inspiration on the composition of plats, rocks and soil, your channel is the first thing I pulled up.
Thank you for this lovely tour. It is so nice to follow you and see your ideas come to life. 😊
The room looks great. You always do amazing work.
Wow! This means I've been following for over 4 years. It's been great seeing your both your animal room and your channel evolve over the years. I do not keep any animals or aquariums, but your videos are always a peaceful stop for me, they're always calming and interesting. I hope you can continue doing what you love for many years to come. Thank you for hours of relaxing content, Tanner, I can't wait to see what you've got planned for 2024!
What a great comprehensive yet brief overview of the setups. My favorite would have to be the desert just because it is so stark and different from the rest. My favorite animal is Houdini the King snake. He is impressive. Actually it’s hard to choose any one without thinking well what about the? I don’t know how long I’ve been subscribed but this channel has grown so much since I started watching, which was for the terrarium builds, not knowing about all the animals. Sooo glad I stumbled across it years ago. You know, when you first started painting the new space that green color, I was like wow that’s dark. Now that I see it more built out I can see where you were going and boy was I wrong. With the wood and the plants, everything just pops. Congratulations on what you’ve accomplished so far and I can’t wait to see what you do next.
Absolutely amazing! I love your philosophy about animals and how much you care about them. Such an inspiration!
Wow It has come a long way since the move! I would like to see the new build even if it is just a bigger version of the one you have now for the rubber duckies. Even if you try to replicate it exactly it's going to be a bit different because it's bigger! LoL Thanks for all your inspiration to go above and beyond for the animals. 💜
Thank you for giving us a show of the animal room Tanner! As always I love the looks you create and I love how much you take having animals as your livelyhood serious. You always think about how much better you can make it for your animals, and I really think that they love having you as their human caretaker. They would not thrive as much as they do, if it wasn't for you. Merry chistmas to you and your wife. Thank you for letting us in your home and sharing your progress with us. We love you Tanner, don't forget that. thank you, for you! ❤
The way I actually got emotional near the end! It brings me so much joy to see the animals from previous videos again, especially the ones that have been here for a while! Every time the gecko's make an appearance in one of your video's they absolutely make my day :)
This was such an incredible video! Love the effort! ❤
The animal room is just perfect, thanks you Tanner for inspiring us everyday... Merry christmas !!
So good to see you looking truly happy.
The seasonal depression has been hitting me real hard this winter. Thank you very much for adding a touch of green and nature to my life when I need it most... videos like these are my lifeline during the cold, damp, and gloomy months of the year! The whole setup looks so warm and inviting-- heck, I'd live in there too if I could get away with it 😆. Anyways, just wanted to say thanks and best wishes to you and yours, my friend; looking forward to seeing what you've got planned for 2024! 🐸
Finally The video i've been waiting for! Also i was wondering if one day you can do a tank design based on a dragon - Asian Dragon-
What a gorgeous and zen room!! Well done!
It's wonderful to see everything, thank you for taking the time. Happy new year, Tanner!
I was convinced you must have at least one or two employees to care for all of that. I’m glad you talked about the time it takes you to maintain. It gives me hope that someday I can have a few of my own.
A Serpa a day keeps the doctor away😂
These are all stunning! Where do you get most of your materials from?
You're animal room gives me a new goal - having a space for myself to enjoy nature and my animal friends and my hobbies. A dedicated space that I can make work for me and the animals.
Absolutely fabulous. One can see that you appreciate and care for these beautiful living creatures. Your creations are so enjoyable to watch! ❤
What happened with the big/giant vivarium.
Some of the glass broke during the move, check one of his videos from about eight months ago
it got damaged during the move, unfortunately, as did the huge paludarium :/
shut up george
Blackwater is my favorite style. Stain brings it all together.
Wow!! Love the whole room, what a lovely relaxing place to chill. Aside from the optimum setups you have created for the needs of each creature, the creativity and artistry of your designs is spectacularly beautiful. True works of art.
I usually don't comment but I just wanted to tell you that beside your amazing craft at building beautiful and functional enclosures, I just love the way you care for your animals, that's what's made me stick to your channel. Thank you for your content!