I have decided to build a paludarium instead of a riparium in ym 20 gallon tank. I've drained the tank and moved all my fish to my 30 gallon. i have yet to really start on the build but mostly due to the fact i'm unsure about what plants to use. I've tried looking online but it's kinda hard to find specifics. does anyone have any ideas on what plants would work? i have decided to try some crypts for sure and also some mosses but what else to put in the tank?
paludarium
- Thread starter exhumed07
- Start date
I "Google" it and found this which has great pictures, but you have to read the comments that start on page two to get some of the details.
My paludarium construction (step by step) - Page 2 - Dendroboard
Looks like your boat is going to have to wait! lol
My paludarium construction (step by step) - Page 2 - Dendroboard
Looks like your boat is going to have to wait! lol
I'm currently waiting for my paperwork from the DNR for the boat anyway. also still looking for a motor for it and everything. I'm guessing my boat wont be ready till late this fall for walleye fishing and duck hunting. also i'm not going to rush into this paludarium. I'm testing a few plants right now to see if i can grow them out of the water. a few plants have not done well lol. I've tried koyoto and it's doing good, anubias, doing so so. compacta hygro, didn't do well at all. Peacock fern, died within hours. Aqua fern, half is still alive after a couple days. so will have to experiment a bit more lol
That is looking really cool. Any stocking plans for it yet?
Potential plants:
This site has some listed to be in water features in a vivarium (can be aquatic or just roots submerged) - they have several anubias varieties listed: Water Feature Plants | Live Terrarium Plants | Josh's Frogs
Pistia (water lettuce or Nile lettuce), papyrus, or water hyacinth (off this site: POLLYWOGS WORLD OF FROGS)
This site has some listed for fire belly toads (so most are suited to aquatic roots): ...for Fire Belly Toad Habitats
Potential plants:
This site has some listed to be in water features in a vivarium (can be aquatic or just roots submerged) - they have several anubias varieties listed: Water Feature Plants | Live Terrarium Plants | Josh's Frogs
Pistia (water lettuce or Nile lettuce), papyrus, or water hyacinth (off this site: POLLYWOGS WORLD OF FROGS)
This site has some listed for fire belly toads (so most are suited to aquatic roots): ...for Fire Belly Toad Habitats
thanks caps and I plant to just have my new apistos in there. so I'll have a trio in my 55 as well as in this tank as it's only going to have maybe 5 gallons of water in it. i built a canister filter out of pvc and from my understanding a 2 foot long 3 inch pipe is capable of handeling a 50 gallon tank so i think i should be good in those regards lol. my water feature is seeping over to where i dont want it to go so there is still some work that needs to be done for fine touches before it's ready for plants and fish. also i'm noticing mold on the wood. something i did not expect so also need to adress that issue as well.
I looked deeply into setting up a vivarium for dart frogs last year - still something that I am hoping to get into down the road. I remember reading that a lot of driftwood in moist environments like that will mold at first, and it is usually fine and resolves on its own. Check out dendroboard.com - it is for dart frogs and vivariums, but there is a lot of good construction info there that I'm sure is transferable to paludariums.
What is the difference between the vivarium and the paludarium and I think there is even another one with a similar name I've seen in one of the older threads (I'm not thinking terraruim) As near as I can tell they all look the same - a pond surrounded by terrain. I love frogs and turtles, but how would you keep the water clean - and doubt you could keep fish with turtles.
I believe in common usage, vivarium is basically a terrarium with live plants - does not have to have any sort of water feature, though it may. A paludarium has the live plants along with a water feature (pond, waterfall, stream, etc).
Per wikipedia:
"There are various forms of vivarium, including:
Aquarium, simulating a water habitat; for instance a river, lake or sea; but only the submerged area of these natural habitats. Plants in the water will use some nitrogen present within the system, and will provide areas for organisms to hide and forage.
Insectarium, containing insects and arachnids.
Formicarium, with species of ants.
Terrarium, simulating a dry habitat, for instance desert or savannah. A terrarium can also be formed to create a temperate woodland habitat, and even a jungle-like habitat. This can be created with pebbles, leaf litter and soil. By misting the terrarium, a natural water cycle occurs within the environment by condensation forming on the lid causing precipitation. Many kinds of plants are suitable for these habitats, including bromeliads, African Violets and Crassulaceae. Animals commonly held for observation include reptiles, amphibians, insects, spiders, scorpions and small birds.
Paludarium, simulating a rain forest or swamp environment. It also can be seen as an aquarium interconnected with a terrarium, having both the underwater area as well as the shore.
Riparium, a paludarium with circulating current through different-leveled pools"
Per wikipedia:
"There are various forms of vivarium, including:
Aquarium, simulating a water habitat; for instance a river, lake or sea; but only the submerged area of these natural habitats. Plants in the water will use some nitrogen present within the system, and will provide areas for organisms to hide and forage.
Insectarium, containing insects and arachnids.
Formicarium, with species of ants.
Terrarium, simulating a dry habitat, for instance desert or savannah. A terrarium can also be formed to create a temperate woodland habitat, and even a jungle-like habitat. This can be created with pebbles, leaf litter and soil. By misting the terrarium, a natural water cycle occurs within the environment by condensation forming on the lid causing precipitation. Many kinds of plants are suitable for these habitats, including bromeliads, African Violets and Crassulaceae. Animals commonly held for observation include reptiles, amphibians, insects, spiders, scorpions and small birds.
Paludarium, simulating a rain forest or swamp environment. It also can be seen as an aquarium interconnected with a terrarium, having both the underwater area as well as the shore.
Riparium, a paludarium with circulating current through different-leveled pools"
I forgot to mention thyra. to keep the water clean I've used a power head to pump water into a diy pvc canister filter. then the return line runs from the filter to the bottom of the back right corner of the tank. I used acrylic to make a 3 inch square portion of the tank to not be filled with foam. I put my heater in there and the return hose from the filter into there. so the water fills up that portion gets heated and then runs down the waterfall. that's my filter setup. also I built the filter to filter up to a 50 gallon tank and my tank only has maybe 5 gallons of water in it. perfectly over filtered lol
It sounds rather complicated. Where is the water falls? I'm impressed by what you have done and I wish I understood plumbing (and electricity) better - those two things have always been my weakness. How do you dam the water up in one place, or maybe I should say keep the water and substrate from mixing?
i took the log and siliconed it in place. then i took great stuff expanding foam to build up the background and then cut holes in it for plants. then i covered the whole expanding foam portion with silicone and placed dirt on it and pressed it in. i used organic potting soil. then i did the same thing for the water fall on the right side of the tank but instead i pressed rock and sand from a local stream into the silicone to foor a "stream bed/waterfall." there were some leaks somewhere in the silicone or expanding foam so water did get under and around the wood. also i had to fine tune the waterfall. the flow was to high and overflowed at the top so had to cut into the expanding foam and build a silicone wall to hold the water in place. i still need to cover that again. it may sound complicated but it was accually rather simple.
the plumbing is rather simple. i took 2 pieces of acrylic and siliconed them in place in the back right corner. goes from the top to the bottom of the tank. that place has absolutly no foam in it. the return hose of my filter runs all the way to the bottom of that area so the water comes out at the bottom and flows to the top going past my heater, and over flows for the water fall. the canister filter is just a 2 foot long section of 3 inch pvc with an end cap cemented on with standard pvc cement. just above that i drilled a hole and screwed in a brass connector for the flexible rubber hose return. I siliconed around it on the inside of the pipe to ensure it was water tight. on the top i cemented on a female threaded connector. then i have a removable threaded cap that screws into that for maintinance. on the top of that i drilled a hole and screwed in and siliconed another brass connector for the intake hose. the filter is mostly filled with biological media. i didn't have any store bought biological media so i used shotgun shot cups or wads. whichever u are familiar with. then the top 4 inches is mechanical filtration of filter floss. the pump that runs the whole thing is a maxi-jet 600. it says it is 160gph powerhead mode 750gph as a circulation pump. as a utility pump it says max head hight is 3.5 feet. i tested it to 6 feet. filter didn't cost much at all compaired to a standard canister filter either. $30 for the pum, $10 for the pipe and about $5 for the caps and connectors. media i already had. so about $45 for the whole filter that can filter a 50 gallon tank.
I know i may have gone off topic a bit but tried to cover most of what i did and added information. hope i was not to confusing and if there is more information that you want please let me know
the plumbing is rather simple. i took 2 pieces of acrylic and siliconed them in place in the back right corner. goes from the top to the bottom of the tank. that place has absolutly no foam in it. the return hose of my filter runs all the way to the bottom of that area so the water comes out at the bottom and flows to the top going past my heater, and over flows for the water fall. the canister filter is just a 2 foot long section of 3 inch pvc with an end cap cemented on with standard pvc cement. just above that i drilled a hole and screwed in a brass connector for the flexible rubber hose return. I siliconed around it on the inside of the pipe to ensure it was water tight. on the top i cemented on a female threaded connector. then i have a removable threaded cap that screws into that for maintinance. on the top of that i drilled a hole and screwed in and siliconed another brass connector for the intake hose. the filter is mostly filled with biological media. i didn't have any store bought biological media so i used shotgun shot cups or wads. whichever u are familiar with. then the top 4 inches is mechanical filtration of filter floss. the pump that runs the whole thing is a maxi-jet 600. it says it is 160gph powerhead mode 750gph as a circulation pump. as a utility pump it says max head hight is 3.5 feet. i tested it to 6 feet. filter didn't cost much at all compaired to a standard canister filter either. $30 for the pum, $10 for the pipe and about $5 for the caps and connectors. media i already had. so about $45 for the whole filter that can filter a 50 gallon tank.
I know i may have gone off topic a bit but tried to cover most of what i did and added information. hope i was not to confusing and if there is more information that you want please let me know