First timer...Paludarium Build in progress, need help and tips!

[deranged chipmunk]

Opens an account on photobucket (free), uoad your images there, edit (if needed), then copy the IMG link to the body of your post.


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

[Kelsio Daddy]

Let me try. So I siliconed my net pots and cork bark pieces to the exo terra foam background.


i was going to just great stuff around it all to keep sturdy but was nervous it all night fall off. So I dipped toothpicks in silicone and stuck them in the foam then clipped them to size.




then I foamed all around the bark.


here is my water fall driftwood. Drilled a hole in back. Pump will be in right back corner. Tube will be inside wood. Tested and looked perfect.


This is what I wanted to use. But it's huge! But awesome.




i have Eco earth and was going to get some Pete moss from lowes to mix in before I silicon all the foam and background. Not really looking forward to this part.

[DigitalPunk]

Looking good so far. Covering the foam is easy it just smells awful lol.

I bought a pair of rubber gloved (disk washing gloves) that I use when covering backgrounds. It lets me push the silicon deep into all the cracks without getting it all over my hands. I switch to these gloves over latex because I got tired of using 3-4 pairs of gloves per tank. With these when I am done I use some paper towels to wipe of the excess silicon and they are ready for the next use.

a few tips with silicon covering I will add is that the thicker the coat the better. You want to be able to push your covering material into the silicon. Thin spots of silicon tend to be the sections that don't cover well. Do the covering in sections. Apply some silicon then cover it, apply more silicon and cover it. This keeps the silicon form curing to a point where ti doesn't hold the covering material as good.


Thin spots can either be fixed by applying silicon so it overhangs the thin are. This will give the 2nd layer of silicon something to bite onto (silicon does not stick to cured silicon). I tend to just cover thin spots with some moss or a plant is possible.


Always remember you will always see the flaws in your tank but others rarely do. I have stopped pointing out the flaws in my tanks to others and 99% of them go unnoticed.

[Vivariums In The Mist]

Have to agree with Paul, I'm the only one who usually sees the flaws in my backgrounds. Plus plants usually grow over them in time anyway.

Looking good so far. Covering the foam is easy it just smells awful lol.

I bought a pair of rubber gloved (disk washing gloves) that I use when covering backgrounds. It lets me push the silicon deep into all the cracks without getting it all over my hands. I switch to these gloves over latex because I got tired of using 3-4 pairs of gloves per tank. With these when I am done I use some paper towels to wipe of the excess silicon and they are ready for the next use.

a few tips with silicon covering I will add is that the thicker the coat the better. You want to be able to push your covering material into the silicon. Thin spots of silicon tend to be the sections that don't cover well. Do the covering in sections. Apply some silicon then cover it, apply more silicon and cover it. This keeps the silicon form curing to a point where ti doesn't hold the covering material as good.


Thin spots can either be fixed by applying silicon so it overhangs the thin are. This will give the 2nd layer of silicon something to bite onto (silicon does not stick to cured silicon). I tend to just cover thin spots with some moss or a plant is possible.


Always remember you will always see the flaws in your tank but others rarely do. I have stopped pointing out the flaws in my tanks to others and 99% of them go unnoticed.

[Kelsio Daddy]

Looking good so far. Covering the foam is easy it just smells awful lol.

I bought a pair of rubber gloved (disk washing gloves) that I use when covering backgrounds. It lets me push the silicon deep into all the cracks without getting it all over my hands. I switch to these gloves over latex because I got tired of using 3-4 pairs of gloves per tank. With these when I am done I use some paper towels to wipe of the excess silicon and they are ready for the next use.

a few tips with silicon covering I will add is that the thicker the coat the better. You want to be able to push your covering material into the silicon. Thin spots of silicon tend to be the sections that don't cover well. Do the covering in sections. Apply some silicon then cover it, apply more silicon and cover it. This keeps the silicon form curing to a point where ti doesn't hold the covering material as good.


Thin spots can either be fixed by applying silicon so it overhangs the thin are. This will give the 2nd layer of silicon something to bite onto (silicon does not stick to cured silicon). I tend to just cover thin spots with some moss or a plant is possible.


Always remember you will always see the flaws in your tank but others rarely do. I have stopped pointing out the flaws in my tanks to others and 99% of them go unnoticed.

Thanks Paul! Im just nervous because there seems to be a lot to cover and like you mentioned, i dont want to have it cure before i cover it up. I like your idea of caulk then cover, then repeat, but im nervous with that way too, cause i see myself caulking, them covering then missing spots that look covered, but dont have silicone under the eco stuff. My other big concern is that i get a lot of caulk on the cork bark. i cant wait to get this done...but not looking forward to doing it.

One question i have is that i have tons of eco earth, but i dont think i have enough soaked and dried. so instead of doing that from the brick again, i was giong to go get some peat moss from lowes. should i use 100% eco earth coco, or mix in some peat. i also saw exp terra has some more brick stuff called forest moss. seems ok to mix that in the coco stuff....any thoughts?

lowes stuff:
Shop Fafard 3-cu ft Organic Peat Moss at Lowes.com


exo stuff:
Amazon.com : Exo Terra Forest Plume Moss, 7 Quarts, 2-Pack : Pet Terrariums : Pet Supplies

[Kelsio Daddy]

I went to lowes and bought this:
Shop Mosser Lee 0.14-cu ft Spanish Moss at Lowe's

going to try to mix it in the coco and see how it looks.

[Kelsio Daddy]

Mixed the Eco earth and moss. Looks okay I think. Siliconed in two stages and sprinkled it on. Did one touch up and it can out pretty good.


Watered down my leca balls



Ran my pump cord and a drain tube. That a clamp at the top to hold it flush. I put in leca balls to hold bottom in place and then siliconed the top to hold the background in.




Thought about making some sort of jar to put pump in. But it was too much of a hassle. So I just put a dollar store lent trap mesh with a sponge for filter. Also put a little sponge on end of drain tube.




Siliconed my pump and fog tubes then used the Eco earth to coat.


And here is what she looks like tonight. Put the drain layer. And the sand where the pond will be. That driftwood has a hole for the pump tune and the water runs down it really nice.

[Kelsio Daddy]

Quick pic update. Added screen, substrate, and spaghnum moss. And have the waterfall going with the wood and vines and stuff.