Paludarium planning help?

[hattori]

Hello all. Yes, I'm new here, so sorry for any "noobish" questions or anything.

I have an extremely small - 5.5gal? - tank currently housing a fire bellied newt and an eastern red eft. (Yes, I'm aware that mixing species generally isn't recommended as they are from different genus', but these two get along perfectly - they actually don't like to be apart.)

I'm trying to upgrade to a decently planned out 10gal paludarium for the next few years. Bear with me while I give you details before asking my questions...

I did some research and want to make:

styrofoam/cork background with natural "pots"
sytrofoam/cork land area for the eft
ample water space for the fb
with live plants

My "already have resources" are the tank, a "whisper series" repto filter, lots of small (but big enough to not be swallowed) pebbles, some dried organic sphagnum moss, and assorted other decorations.

I'm going to head out to the craft/hardware store tomorrow and get either styrofoam or cork - which would you suggest? What about paint and varnish? And is plumbing grade silicone instead of specialized aquarium silicone okay for using to attach the styrofoam/cork together/to the glass?

For the "pots" in the cork/styro, I was going to hollow out parts, fill them with soil, and plant them. I've seen it done before - any suggestions on how to do it, or tricks to it?

Because I have the bulky filter, I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on how to hide it. I was thinking add another layer of styrofoam to the background in one section - big enough to cover the filter - hollow it out, tuck it in, and cut a slit for the water to flow out?

Also - suggestions on moss/ferns to add?

Any help you can give me would be FANTASTIC!

Thanks!

 

[Otterwoman]

Hmmm...wait until the Noto starts choking the fire belly during mating season...

 

[Nathan050793]

Here, #23 is particularly relevant: Caudata Culture Articles - Species Mixing Disasters

As for some tank advice- I would go with cork over styrofoam. Mostly I'd be paranoid a piece of the styrofoam would break off and get eaten, but I also think cork would look better.

With a tank of that size, you really aren't going to need a filter, especially if you plan on having live aquatic plants. The CFBN is going to prefer still water anyway, as would the adult form of the Noto.

If you do paint/varnish, I'd be really careful. You'll have to look for something that's not only water-proof, but non-toxic too.There may be some threads discussing this in the tank construction section of the forum.

Definitely keep reading other threads in this topic to learn/get ideas that can help.

Good Luck!

 

[JWERNER]

The fact is not that you need a larger tank but that you need two larger tanks.

I see lots of disaster in this project.

Ok, first lets start with a 10 gallon for that CFBN.

Get some sheets of thick Styrofoam. The better stuff to use is the kind that you find at Lowes or Home Depot. You can find lots of good WIPs people have posted here. I would cut, carve, burn, do what ever to add some charecter to the foam. Take some of the left over hunks and glue it in place with some aquarium safe silicone. You can even make a ledge or some kind of outcrop. Just give it depth and some pop.If you realy wanna get some good ideas I would Google DIY background, Cichlids. Thats where I got lots of my good ideas for Terrarium backgrounds. I keep Cichlids also.

Example pic's:

Then pick up some Dry Lock from Lowes or Home Depot and some concrete dye for the base color and a can of Krylon Fusion flat black for some shading.

Paint a layer or two of the drylock on. Once its cured and dry hit it up with the Fusion making sure to get in all the cracks, holes, grooves, what ever.

Then mix what ever base color you chose ( the concrete dye - I suggest brown ) with some Drylock and paint that on lightly. Try not to get down in the cracks and grooves and what not. Obviously for depth you want those spots black.

Let that cure and you got a back ground that looks real.

Thats just a run down but if you look around like I said you could incorporate some of the ideas available on the internet in ways that suit your applinces ( ie. the filter ) best and hide teh filter and turn it into a water fall or something.

I personaly would use a air driven sponge filter but thats me.

I have already hidden the intake of a canister filter behind the background and allowed the return to flow down the background like a waterfall.


Another way is to get teh foam sheet and spray it with great stuff foam and cut and burn and carve that up after it dries instead of caulking on scrap foam.

Use your head to create what ever habitat suits the animals best implying these methods.

And keep them seperated. Trust me, they could care less.

 

[Mac Myers]

Then pick up some Dry Lock from Lowes or Home Depot and some concrete dye for the base color and a can of Krylon Fusion flat black for some shading.

I like these ideas. Are you sure (and I don't mean to sound like a jerk... just curious) that Krylon and Dry Lock are safe? :happy: I've done lots of background building for Dart Frogs and we never used any of these.

 

[hattori]

I'm actually about to be acquiring more fire-bellies (unwanted from Craigslist).

I'm going to turn the 10 gallon into just a fire belly tank, isolate them there for a week, then add in my original one.

The 5.5 gallon will then be turned into a mostly terrestrial tank for just the eastern.

I'm doing something like this:

The land is separated from the water with Plexiglas siliconed down (DAP Aquarium Sealant).

The land is going to be a layer of rocks at the bottom, and then Eco Earth.

As for a filter, I'll install it behind the large rock, so that the water will not be as disrupted.

 

[JWERNER]

I like these ideas. Are you sure (and I don't mean to sound like a jerk... just curious) that Krylon and Dry Lock are safe? :happy: I've done lots of background building for Dart Frogs and we never used any of these.

I was fisrt skeptical about the Fusion cause of a unrelated algae out break but I was reassured it was not related. I gave it another shot and been using it for a while. Lots of people use it.

The Drylock I have been using for a long time now. I been using it on fish and I used it on another aquatic terrarium. I sold some BG's on Craigslist also.

They are both 100% safe. Search around, you'll find loads of people using both for years now.

 

[singhm29]

What exactly is that piping for? Mind posting the link for that inspiration?