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Don’t be afraid of trying new things, use more the terrain, use more plants, do weird forms with the barriers, build custom barriers
ok
watch a lot of youtube videos and lots of hours of practice
Custom barriers and buffalo grass
Sounds weird.. but you can look up Aquascaping guides on youtube.
There is a lot of knowledge in the hobby of decorating fish tanks, with people becoming famous for their skills (Amano and co).
It basically follows a few rules that can be applied to both aquariums, terrariums, zoo habitats, basically anything.
Like elevating the part of the enclosure further away from the viewer, so you can see everything, or using non-even numbers of hardscape objects (roots, stones - if you use four, it looks less natural then if you had three or five, which adds imbalance.)
Also add higher plants towards the back, while keeping lower growing plants and interesting features close. So water holes, interactive items, feeding stations etc.
Filters and tech (heaters, coolers, gates, lights and shelters, in our case), are hidden from view. You can build a natural looking cave though that suits your habitat.
Also do not use dozens of different types of plants and rocks. Stay with fewer types, as you will not find a vast variety within the tiny area you are portraiting within your enclosure.
Also, balance your space. Have open space that offer good visibility, while having covered areas that allow animals to hide and you to beautify their home.
I like to add "points of interest"-paths for my animals as well. I mean with that that I add a small path that has less or no foliage and has dirt instead of grass. Animals will often use the same path when traveling through their enclosure, and immobile enrichment items will not have tall, untouched grass surrounding them. they are the most used spots in the habitat - make them look that way.
There are also ideas like "Focal Points", "Points of interest", "Golden Ratio", "Rule of Thirds" etc..
One style that is easy to follow and is very popular is the "dutch aquarium", which you can also follow in planet zoo: large stuff in the back, small stuff in the front, with interesting plants in the mid, where they are in the spotlight.
while this is all about aquariums, zoos follow many of these rules and ideas, as they are not limited to water and fish.
strongest example would probably be polar bear enclosures. i dont think i ever saw one that didnt wasnt build higher towards the back, with the swimming area in the front, so you can easily see everything at once.