38 Gallon FBT Paludarium

[megamax42]

Good news everyone!
Found my gf's camera charger, let the pic deluge begin. First off with some pics of a hitchhiker snail that found his way up the waterfall and into the upper pool.. and the very high surface tension that's up there.




Next up, some pics of the ivy grabbing a hold of the lower platform and the ramp. Also the moss that I collected for free outside my door, which is flourishing compared to the 'frog moss' I paid $3 for. Last is the entrance to one of their caves with a moss entry rug (they wouldn't wanna get dirt on their nice dirt floor), with some of the ivy's roots creeping in from the left.












Here's a pic of a baby snail that rode on its parents back all the way up to the tiny pool next to the waterfall, at first I thought it just had a large growth.





The next project I'm starting on (out of impatience waiting for the touchscreen and sensors to get here from Hong Kong for the 5 gallon project) is the DIY fogger for the paludarium. Just bought a humidifier earlier today, I'll post some pics up tomorrow once I've finished rigging it up.

[megamax42]

Found a very large shrimp in the little pool next to the waterfall the other day. I still have no idea how he got up there but he was just chilling in the baby tears. Then I moved the light to take a picture and he darted under the ledge, so this was the best picture I could get:






The vine has been doing incredibly well. I should probably get in there and do some trimming soon.








Here's some pics to illustrate how much the sealer has changed color as it gets grown over with random life. Also it appears the shrimp are now breeding in full force.

[megamax42]

Earlier today I bought an Arduino board for the paludarium, a mega 2560 just like the one I have on the 5 gallon shrimp tank. My first goal is to implement a ventilation system that is switchable between an open and closed system, with some temperature/humidity sensors integrated into it. There's also an inexpensive flow sensor I've had my eye on for some time. Rather pointless for the 5 gallon, but with how the water feature works in the paludarium I wouldn't mind getting some feedback on the flow rate. Maybe programming a couple small LEDs to give me a green light for good flow, yellow for adequate, and red for poor flow; at least until I can get a LCD screen for this tank as well.

[IrishRonin]

This came out really good, does the pond (black) gs stay water proof after you carve it?

[megamax42]

Thanks! Unfortunately the G.S. is closed cell foam on the outside, and very waterproof; however once the outer layer has been compromised it is an open cell foam. To work around this I coated it in grout, and then coated the grout with a clear 100% non-toxic sealer. This sealer turned white when submerged, however it's been established for so long now that algae and other stuff has grown on it and the white is hardly noticeable, disappearing more every day.

[IrishRonin]

Ok few more?... How long did you let the grout dry? What kind of sealer did you use? What did you use the fluorite for?

[megamax42]

The grout dried for about a month and a half, but that was while I was waiting for the sealer. If I had the sealer on hand I would've probably given it a week or so.
This is what I used:
Waterproof Sealer for wood,masonry,roofs,metal

The fluorite is the aquatic substrate, as this tank also houses white cloud minnows and red cherry shrimp.
Although for my next project I intend on mixing the aquatic substrate in with the grout, this way the theme is consistent throughout.

[megamax42]

I also will look for a better sealer, as it would be nice to have one that didn't discolor, even if it does eventually grow over with algae.

[deranged chipmunk]

Very cool setup. I've seen this thread on another forum. Tpt maybe?