30 Gallon Paludarium Build

I'm jealous of you guys. It's been over 90° with super high humidity, and we even had a summer-like thunderstorm for hours yesterday.

 

Jealous!?

I love Florida weather. We were down in New Smyrna for a month or two a few years back, and I loved every day of it. The plan is actually to move down there and teach after college.

 

This is our 36 hour forecast... I wouldn't want 90's and humidity but I would be happy with 70's.

 

Ok, it's swamp looking and I had filter issues after it sat unused in the basement for about 2 years. I filled and drained it a bunch but it still looks swampy. I will have to rinse the filter media and the intake sponge a bunch over the next few days. The waterfall is working just how I hoped. The soil is capped with sand in the back and black fluorite in the front. I didn't have enough fluorite to do all of it.

I spent too many hours working on this today so the top didn't get planted. Well, I did a little. I put some ebay seeds in one of the bottom sections that is not fully submerged but is wet to the top of the substrate. And I put one piece of a plant in there just to give me an idea of how it's going to look when it's done.

In the water I have a ton of moss sewed to the supports for the platforms and I will have some above the water on the rock at the bottom of the middle waterfall. I also have a nice sword plant that I took from the big tank, some lacey java fern, and some type of anubias (spelling?!) that is red. And a piece of driftwood and 2 rocks.

I put polyfill in the planting spots and will be capping it with Fluorite. It's coming together nicely but still has a long way to go.

The lights will not be staying like that. There will be a shelf behind the tank that will have potted plants and support the lights.

 

The water is mostly cleared up and I have some terrestrial plants in. I'm really loving how it's coming together.

Somehow I finally managed to get the filter issues worked out and now the waterfall is big and I love it.

I'm having problems deciding what to plant where in the background. I'm going to have to keep arranging them until I'm happy.

Here's the next update picture

 

Fantastic!

 

Thanks!

 

This is sweet! I am looking forward to seeing more.

 

Thanks No time to work on it right now so it still looks pretty much the same

 

Thought I'd post a little update Still lots of growing to be done but it's really coming together. I can't stop looking at it.

Still no shrimp. Hopefully soon. My lfs has to order them for me but they're not on the list for them to order lately. :'(

I have the heater put in the back and I added a sponge filter as well.

There is a bit of algae growing but it's not too bad. Being right next to the window isn't helping.

I'm tempted to put my nerite snails up there.

Hopefully I'll have some shrimp next month. Until then I just get to watch the plants grow. <3

 

Another update

The spider plant didn't make it. Too much water up there. Still needing a plant for there and a plant for a cup that isn't getting any water flow. I'm thinking of an air plant for that one.

I have shrimp in there finally!! I think I need to add a few more, I hardly ever see them! Haha!

The tank is still not completely set up with lighting. We are renovating and when the walls are painted the tank will be moved a bit to the right and then we will put a floating shelf above it. I will hang the light from the shelf and get rid of the lamps. I plan to train the pothos up and over the background to help to camouflage the spray bar. There will also be plants on the shelf above the paludarium.

I seriously love this thing! And I can't wait to have everything grown. I can look at it all day long.

 

Looks great I just got mine up and running yesterday. This is a long fun project

 

Thank you! Did you start a thread with yours? I'd love to see it

 

Thank you! Did you start a thread with yours? I'd love to see it

Yes here’s the thread. Hopefully I’m linking it right:
https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfi...an-eco-terra-turtle-tank.362628/#post-3739126

 

Another update

The spider plant didn't make it. Too much water up there. Still needing a plant for there and a plant for a cup that isn't getting any water flow. I'm thinking of an air plant for that one.

I have shrimp in there finally!! I think I need to add a few more, I hardly ever see them! Haha!

The tank is still not completely set up with lighting. We are renovating and when the walls are painted the tank will be moved a bit to the right and then we will put a floating shelf above it. I will hang the light from the shelf and get rid of the lamps. I plan to train the pothos up and over the background to help to camouflage the spray bar. There will also be plants on the shelf above the paludarium.

I seriously love this thing! And I can't wait to have everything grown. I can look at it all day long.
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I was thinking of trying spider plant. What media was in its pot? I’m using clay balls that seem to be draining really well.

 

I have filter floss with flourite capping it.

Spider plants don't like to have their roots wet. I definitely learned that the hard way. Everything else is loving it. So far.

 

I have filter floss with flourite capping it.

Spider plants don't like to have their roots wet. I definitely learned that the hard way. Everything else is loving it. So far.

I’ll keep watching for a sad little one on clearance. If I find one maybe I’ll give it a shot using clay balls.

 

Good luck!

If you were close I could give you about a hundred spider babies. Haha!