# Building a 20L Newt Paludarium



## whiteblaze11 (May 23, 2010)

So I purchased a new 20L aquarium at the petco sale to build a paludarium for my 3 Neurergus Kaiseri that are currently in a 10 gallon temporary setup. 

I really want to make it close to the Zagros Mountains. So the scape of the tank will mostly bare with sand substrate with lots of rocks and some drift wood. only wanting a few live plants that can handle the cooler temps like the mosses and anubias in the water feature. 

My biggest question is how to use the great stuff i used for my dart frog vivariums background to look like rock. I heard of ppl using gorilla glue to?

Here are a few pictures i found of the idea of the scaling but just need a few ideas on how to achieve it. Any input would be great!!

I added a picture of the newts and their current setup too


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## jkooiman (May 2, 2010)

I would trade in the twenty long for a twenty nine tall. That way you have a bit of depth for "cliffs" etc. Twenty longs are kind of hard to landscape, they are so short. Judging from those awesome pics you shared, it looks like you to want to impart significant drama on the landscape. Anyways, just my two cents, I'm not as big of a fan of the 20L's as I used to be. Nice newts and good luck! JVK


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## darterfrog4774 (Apr 24, 2014)

Have you seen Universal rock backgrounds? Rainforest Junkies sells them


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## singhm29 (Jun 28, 2009)

For rock work I would check out these threads

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/94864-my-new-four-tank-display-unit.html

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/me...98-72-bowfront-show-viv-build.html#post778524

Still need to try the methods out myself but they look like great results.
I like your taste in scapes too those tanks look great. Keep us updated with your attempt to replciate the ideas.


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## whiteblaze11 (May 23, 2010)

Thx for all the help guys!

I think I'm going to stick with a 20L but not going to have so much of a land portion.

I will be getting to it soon when i complete the construction of my 24X18X18 and use most of the leftover products from that build.


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## whiteblaze11 (May 23, 2010)

I decided to make a background with mostly cork bark and found a great build to help with my build.Now i just have to pick what what substrate i would like to use. I want a darker substrate since i think the kaiseri colors will pop more but stuck on which one. The 3 options i am looking at are Fluval Stratum, Carib Sea Kon Tiki or Carib Sea Blue Ridge. I will attach some pics of each.

Here is also some pics of my frogs and the temporary enclosure for my green sips while im building their exo terra. Sadly the tadpole on the back of my imi didnt make it because they are new parents and still learning the ropes.


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## Peekskillfrogger (Jul 10, 2011)

It looks like you have some nice moss covered stone to work with already so thats good! Achieving a sense of depth in an aquascape really boils down to a question of scale. If the scale of the components is correct for the tank, it looks natural, if not, it looks very contrived. Do some reading on the Iwagumi style of aquascaping, or at a minimum just google iwagumi, and look at the images that come up. Although it wont coincide exactly with what you are trying to do, the principles are the same. 

The other thing you can do is go and look at a cliff somewhere. Take notes on what you see. Are the smaller rocks at the base the same color as the cliff face? how does the rubble and break-off pile up at the base of the cliff? At what point do plants start/stop growing up the wall? 

Its these kind of details that will make or break it. Good look!


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## whiteblaze11 (May 23, 2010)

Would Quikcrete playsand be ok? I rinsed it a lot till clean but worried about the bigger grains?


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## KineticUrchin (Jun 19, 2014)

The setup in the 2nd/3rd pic looks stunning. But, I'm not sure how an animal would make it from the water to the cliff-life land portion.


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