my paludarium -A work in progress

ValRasbora

Superstar Fish
May 2, 2009
1,202
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Atlantic Canada
#1
hey everyone! This is my paludarium. It looks pretty crappy now because I need to get plants- The tiny ones I have in there are just my spare clippings.

The whole thing


the left half- in desperate need of more plants- coming soon!


the right half- some sort of ludwigia, the rock pile, the bottom of the terracotta island.


This is for liltank! The lame/mini waterfall (I'll be covering up the tube better with a plant soon.)


The african violet island! It also has wild mosses and various rocks.


Sorry 'bout the crappy pics everyone. More plants, better pics, and inhabitants all coming soon!
 

Aug 16, 2009
1,318
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SW Pennsylvania
#4
Hurray!
I really love the waterfall. Did you use an air stone minus the bubble wand with a pump to create it?
You've made me really interested in this whole paludarium business. I think if I ever upgrade my 5 gallon to my friend's old 20 gallon high, I'll turn it into a paludarium. High tanks seem more challenging, but you're giving me good ideas, especially with the nice piece of driftwood.

What I've been curious about: do you need a special hood (like a glass panel) for the semi-aquatic and land species that require specific air temperatures? Or does it depend on the species? I've seen toad paludariums with regular aquarium lids.
 

ValRasbora

Superstar Fish
May 2, 2009
1,202
0
0
Atlantic Canada
#5
for the waterfall, All I used was an Aquaclear mini filter and hid the intake tube. As for the lid, I'll be making a plain old screen mesh lid- they have to be very secure so you don't have to catch your critters every morning (especially because it's in the kitchen...) there should be no problems with humidity because of all the water. High tanks are a bit more challenging but you can have deeper water, which is surely an upside. Mine is in a 16gL which I actually got out of somebody's garbage.

as for stocking, I'll have a couple FB newts (1-2), 2 adf's, my betta imbellis, a couple cories, and other than that I am stumped on fish. My betta imbellis boy is making it hard...

Thanks for the kind words everyone!
 

Aug 16, 2009
1,318
0
0
SW Pennsylvania
#6
Hmmm...I wonder if betta girls are more forgiving with paludarium stocking. I'm interested to see how my girlie does with ADFs first. She doesn't bother her snail. So, newts and bettas can coexist? Awesome.
Hmm, using the filter is a good idea. The airstone wouldn't work now that I think of it. *hits self in the face*
I've heard that certain types of reptile driftwood can work underwater. PetsMart has some great pieces of reptile driftwood.
 

ValRasbora

Superstar Fish
May 2, 2009
1,202
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Atlantic Canada
#7
I collected the driftwood, as long as you soak it for a long time beforehand it works. I was soaking mine for months with daily water changes because it had soo many tannins! I like collecting the driftwood, because it's free and you can usually get better pieces. It's just harder to find.
Newts and bettas can coexist, both are fairly peaceful and should leave each other alone. Glad I inspired you :D
 

bassbonediva

Superstar Fish
Oct 15, 2009
2,010
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Northern Arizona
#13
I did quite a bit of research when I was going to turn my 29gal into a paludarium. Don't do toads (i.e.-firebelly toads). They will eat anything that will fit in their mouths, which is most fish under about 2.5". Plus, they need more land than water. If you go with anything, go with the smaller variety of firebelly newt (there's two varieties: Chinese and Japanese...the Chinese variety is the smaller of the two). The Chinese variety (cynops orientalis) only gets to be 3-4". The Japanese variety (cynops pyrrhogaster) can get up to about 6" or so.

The biggest problem with firebelly newts and bettas being housed together is that the newts don't like temps above 68F. This is way too cool for bettas to be active and healthy. Bettas prefer the upper 70s.

Here's a great article on the cynops orientalis:
Caudata Culture Species Entry - Cynops orientalis - Chinese firebelly
 

#14

ValRasbora

Superstar Fish
May 2, 2009
1,202
0
0
Atlantic Canada
#15
quick update.
On suday I made a screen/wood lid and it seems to have worked nicely. Cost me all of 5 bucks =)
I added more terrestrial plants- moss and some weird wild viney groundcover thing. It was growing on damp rocks and wood so I figured it was worth a try in my tank- it's free right? The land/dw area is shaping up gorgeously, but the water area.... not so much... still need more plants. and stocking ideas- currently the fish I can think of that I'll have in there is my betta imbellis and corycats. No, I am not feeling creative. Suggestions very welcome!
The cycle is going slowly. I'll add more bacteria from my other tanks tonight. Nitrates are at 1ppm after 8 days.
Sorry! No more large low-quality pics tonight :(
 

Aug 16, 2009
1,318
0
0
SW Pennsylvania
#16
You could add some shrimp as long as they have a lot of moss to hide in. ADFs will not usually bother shrimp, as ADFs have poor eyesight and move slowly. As for the betta compatibility, usually shrimp and bettas are fine together. If not, at least the shrimp are not a terribly expensive fish. Ghost shrimp at the fish store are about 50 cents a piece.
 

big54bob

Superstar Fish
Dec 20, 2006
1,486
6
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29
On my office chair playing Runescape
#20
Hate to be a parade killer but The FBN will not be happy in this tank. They need cooler waters then the bettas, will eat any fish, and if they don't eat the fish they will release a toxin into the tank stunting fish growth and lifespan.

The green treefrog can drown in deap water so that is a no go.

If you insist on a land animal I would suggest vampire crabs. They live in freshwater streams and come out of the water.