First Paludarium Build - 18x18x24

[deranged chipmunk]

I would rethink the co2. Definitely not needed and overkill. Not to mention that unless you are using pressurized with a precise needle valve, you won't have enough control over the amount going into the tank. Remember, unlike a planted tank (yup, been keeping them for about a decade now), this is a closed environment. Any co2 that doesn't get absorbed in a planted aquarium just Goes into the atmosphere. In a mostly sealed tank that is required for darts, any co2 not absorbed by the water will build up within the enclosure.

Just food for thought


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

[Synethstesia]

Alrighty, so here's a quick update - My Neos came in and I've got just about everything I wanted in there now, but I need to get some moss coverage going (Anyone have experience with NE Herps Moss Slurry?), and maybe a few low growing plants for the foreground. The Ceropegia at the top is just a cutting I got from a friend I'm acclimating, but I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it in the pal. I've got some Selaginella erythropus, Selaginella willdenowii, a philodendron"Moonlight", a tillandsia, a trailing peperomia, and the orchid is a Psychopsis hybrid. You can tell the original Neo got a little too much water while I was figuring out how to keep it dry planted directly in what is basically the waterfall, but I figured it out before too much damage could be done. The m. vacciniifolia is still hanging in there, but I'm having my doubts as to whether its going to survive. Finally got around to cutting another piece of lexan to cover the second half of the enclosure as well, and right now a computer fan against the crevices is enough to stir the air inside a little bit.


Click to Enlarge!



I'd also like to show everyone what happened four weeks after making the foam background:





Somehow, a pocket of unexpanded foam found an exit, right under my poor tillandsia! luckily, I was able to pull most of it off. Then a couple weeks later, another pocket came out from the edge of the glass... Luckily it was a smaller pocket, and didn't get to my orchid! Pretty annoying that this is happening over a six weeks after I applied the foam.

Anyhow things are going well now, next steps are figuring out the moss situation, and the internal circulation fan. I think I'm going to try and patch some of the spots where the cococoir has washed away from the silicone, if that doesn't work then hopefully the moss will eventually cover everything. Reptile exo is coming up in a couple of weeks, but I don't think things will be grown in to where I want them to stock it with critters just yet. Still need some more small plants or leaf litter or maybe a driftwood branch / rocks to break up the land area a little and provide areas to hide. May still end up revamping the waterfall.

I'm not looking to do a super precise C02 set up, but I was hoping it would help me to battle algae blooms when I need it, especially with how many watts per gallon I have over the pal. The exo terra is vented in front along the water's edge, hopefully with c02 being heavier than 02, it would let enough escape not keep from being a problem if I don't run it constantly... Truthfully, I just wanted to mess around with it ; )

[Synethstesia]

Quick update! My broms came in and I got a pilea, peperomia, tillandsias, ceropegia, psychopsis, and philodendron in there... Added a few zebra danios and a few ghost shrimp to the aquatic section.

[jarteta97]

Looking beautiful! I love the way you did the background, I'm a fan and user of cork tube hides