# 47 gallon column paludarium



## Lunar Gecko (May 7, 2010)

Wanted to make a build journal for the paludarium I'm just starting. Just picked up the tank from an awesome friend. TY Thistles. 

Its 47 gallons and about 5 1/2 foot tall with stand. This is how its looking now. Has a full glass lid on now but you cant really see it in the photo.









*Photo being squished by forum. Click to see true shape.

So far I have a few things on order that I have to wait to get before I really get going on it.

1. Exo Terra Reptile Repti-Clear F250 Compact Water Filter
2. 7 pieces of ghost wood. 12''
3. fans
4. hoods (Plan on two)

Still need to get the egg crate and weed sheets. I have never done a false bottom before but I think thats the only way that will really work for this tank.

Plan on about 3/4 of the floor space being water and about 6'' deep. Wall will be a mix of clay and GS. Never done clay before so this will be lots of new stuff for me.

Suggestions welcome and appreciated.


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## Lunar Gecko (May 7, 2010)

Question - anyone know what the best soil/gravel for iwagumi style fish tanks? Im wondering if I can do this for the water area.


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## Morgan Freeman (Feb 26, 2009)

Lunar Gecko said:


> Question - anyone know what the best soil/gravel for iwagumi style fish tanks? Im wondering if I can do this for the water area.


I use Eco Complete, but others swear by the ADA stuff. The fact it's Iwagumi won't make a difference.

You may need to add CO2 to the water column, not sure how practical this would be.


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## Lunar Gecko (May 7, 2010)

I ordered a nano glass CO2 diffuser and I think I'll just do the DIY method. 

Im having the hardest time finding plastic egg crate here in town.


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## Arpeggio (Jan 15, 2011)

Iwagumi! Awright! Have fun with it, I'm working on a scape right now, and soon a nano.


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## Lunar Gecko (May 7, 2010)

I have been looking around and I really like the way the dark Eco Complete and the ADA stuff looks. Im gonna have to look local for it because shipping is gonna be crazy.


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## Lunar Gecko (May 7, 2010)

Most of my ghost wood arrived... most being the key word. As did my filter & kyoto moss spores. 








Rest of the wood order is being reshipped and should be here Thursday. *fingers crossed*

So I'm having a bit of a delay with getting the egg crate so while I'm trying to find it I decided to make some stone ledges for the water feature. Figured I can get that part done and get them in the vinegar bath while I track down egg crate and get my false bottom done.

This one is a hard one to explain. I took a deli bottom (kind for ff cultures) and poked a hole in the bottom of it. The hole fits the tubing for my filter/waterfall. I hate splash drops and allowing this to fill then overflow should reduce any I may have gotten from the pump.










Next came the fun part. Cutting the foam and figuring out how the water was gonna move. I cute the foam and ran it under water a few times hoping it would work. Seems to do the trick.










The water will run from the long foam (above) to the round one in the pic bellow with about a 6'' drop. Hope the splash is not to major.










As you can see I also made a few planters with some fake rocks on the lip as well as some fake ones for sticking into the clay and GS. Just for decoration and filling in any holes I may have.

Thats it for now. Hope I can get them into a bath in the next few days.


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## jacc1234 (Feb 19, 2011)

Looking good! Where are you getting your wood? Are you setting up a sump?


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## Lunar Gecko (May 7, 2010)

Thanks. 

Depends on what you mean by sump. Its going to be all water on the bottom up to the blue tape line. So about 7'' deep. I have a power head filter that will pump the water up to the fountain/waterfall and then it will come back down. The 'ground level' will only be about 1/4-1/3 of the tank with a false bottom (above the water line).

I'm getting the ghost wood from Save-on-crafts.com great prices and nice quality. They did short my first order but they are making up for it.


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## ryan10517 (Oct 23, 2010)

lookin good! what kind of lighting are you using? If you are going with an iwagumi scape for the water portion, it might be difficult getting enough light to your aquatic plants because of how tall the tank is.
What plants are you considering? Seeing that it will be a small amount of water and presumably not a ton of light, some small growing undemanding plants would work well. I think just some eleocharis acicularis or e. parvula would work nicely as a background with some anubias nana "petite" in between some nice looking stones. If you had enough light, a riccia foreground would look cool as well. Good luck!

Ryan


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## Lunar Gecko (May 7, 2010)

thanks I was thinking the lighting maybe a problem as well. I plan on 2 bar hoods that will each hold 56k. Fingers crossed it works but the tank is facing a window that does get some sun and is also next to my kitchen that is very well lit.

I'll reference your plant suggestions when I start ordering plants. I googled the ones I did not know and I like them. Thanks so much.


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## Lunar Gecko (May 7, 2010)

Found the egg crate and got the moss on some peat today. Should have update pics tomorrow.

Question. How may layers of mortar do you suggest for a water feature?


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## Lunar Gecko (May 7, 2010)

The false bottom is almost done. Really wanted this part to not standout as unfinished or unnatural. Had a bit of a time getting the cork into the sizes I would need to fit it properly.



















After the GS was dry and trimmed down to my satisfaction I covered the parts that would be showing through the water and above the water with gorilla glue. Stuck on some small natural aquarium rocks, dusted with gray sand then dusted with peat.










Forgive the crap paint job but I wanted to show the place the water line will be. Its hard to tell in the photo but its 9.5'' tall over all w/ 7'' from the ground to the waterline.










I'm sure I'll be messing with it over the next few days. I have some time before it will get placed in the tank. Any input or suggestions? I was thinking black silicone to affix it to the tank so it wont float. *fingers crossed*


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## jacc1234 (Feb 19, 2011)

Whoa, looks really good! Is that made out of GS and cork bark? How are you filtering your water?


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## Lunar Gecko (May 7, 2010)

Yes. Its just a egg crate false bottom with screen as the base. Then cork bark and the pond black great stuff. I think I listed the filter before but its a exo 250 filter. Basically a power-head filter made for herps.


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## Lunar Gecko (May 7, 2010)

some progress...

siliconed the sides so the wall material and the back wall would not be visible. Also did the bottom so the false bottom would attach better... when I do it.










Just placed it in when the silicone was mostly dry to see how well I did for the areas. Have some touch up to do but mostly good. 









also got a few more coats of mortar on the ledges. I think one more and they will be ready to go in the bath.


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## pet-teez (Oct 3, 2007)

Sorry if I missed this (I read through again but I don't know), if that neat land mass looking object is sealed off to the water portion how will the water cycle with the front, under the land portion and your waterfall thing?
I like how you did the land mass wall and also the waterfall bits.


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## Lunar Gecko (May 7, 2010)

I can see how people would read my post and be confused. Its not going to be sealed off. I will have areas the water will be able to go under and out of the false bottom. I just have to affix it to the ground because of the amount of cork and foam attached to the egg crate. If I dont attach it to the bottom it will float. Because its going to be attached to the ground and I also want to be able to get at my filter with out having to take the whole thing apart the filter will be on that back wall I just put the silicone on. The filter will also work as the pump for the waterfall. I plan on hiding the filter behind plants and rocks.


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## ryan10517 (Oct 23, 2010)

definitely coming along nicely! if your water portion doesn't end up getting enough light when everything is all said and done, one of these would be a great addition The EarthLED Store - LED Light Bulbs and more! — EarthLED ValuLux
Dendro Dave was the one who i got the link from so thank him. They have a more concentrated stream of light, so if you just had one pointing down into your water part, you would get better plant growth than say a regular cfl, t5, t8, or t5ho using the same wattage. you would want to go with the 6000k one


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## jacc1234 (Feb 19, 2011)

Where do you plan on placing the filter so thats its out of the way and can still be serviced? Also, do you think it will be strong enough to pump up to the waterfall?


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## Lunar Gecko (May 7, 2010)

Ryan - thanx for the link (and Dave). I'll look into that.

Jacc - I tested the filter in my sink when I first got it. Just to make sure its strong enough to pump the water that far. I was also worried about this. Actually I was surprised it was too strong. One of the reasons I'm making the water reservoir in the base of the waterfall area. The filter I got can be dialed down a bit too so once its all set up I'll mess with it to get it flowing the way I want. The filter will be located where the arrow is pointing.


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## Lunar Gecko (May 7, 2010)

So BIG update and the fun parts are starting....

Sorry for the glare and the random stick with GS on it. The tank is also on its back so the angels of the shots are a little funny.

The false bottom got attached. Here's hoping it does not pull away. I only attached it a little because I want the water to flow below it.









As you can see I finished the stone work. They soaked for about a week and the PH seemed good but I wanted to make sure so I also covered the water flow areas with 100% silicone. All the rock work was sealed after the paint. I also dusted with sand to give it more texture and less shine.









I siliconed the bottom of the area were the plastic cup and the tubing meet on the outside. I plan to silicone the inside before I cute the tube down. next picture shows more detail of what Im talking about....

















This is the bottom ledge that the water will flow into.

Next step is trimming down the GS and then doing more GS to attach the sticks. I was having a hard time working with such a deep tank so I decided to do this part in steps.

 What do you guys think?


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## amnesia (Jan 23, 2011)

Looks great so far. Keep going!

Cheers,
Scott


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## Lunar Gecko (May 7, 2010)

GS is trimmed up. Now I just need to attach the sticks.









Made a post requesting plant suggestions for this tank. Please check it out if you have any ideas.
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/plants/65486-specific-plant-needs.html#post571947


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## Lunar Gecko (May 7, 2010)

Just ordered this...

20" Aquarium Light Hood Strip T5 36W Freshwater Marine - eBay (item 110657350507 end time Apr-03-11 17:54:13 PDT)

Hope the lights it come with will work. Or should I get others?


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## 31drew31 (Nov 14, 2010)

You will want to get rid of the actinic bulb, it puts off an ugly color IMO and not much use to plants. The 10000K bulb should be ok though, just depends on what you like. Replace the actinic with a 6700K bulb.

Your build is looking really good!


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## Lunar Gecko (May 7, 2010)

The 67K's are the ones with the pinkish color correct? I really hate that color. I prefer the way the GE 65's look. Anyone have any idea what size bulb I will need for that hood? Im having a hard time finding the bulbs.


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## 31drew31 (Nov 14, 2010)

Lunar Gecko said:


> The 67K's are the ones with the pinkish color correct? I really hate that color. I prefer the way the GE 65's look. Anyone have any idea what size bulb I will need for that hood? Im having a hard time finding the bulbs.


6700K is a nice white/yellow light, it's what most people use in their vivs. You wouldnt notice a difference in the color between 6500 and 6700. The lower the Kelvin the pinker the light. So a pinkish light will be in the 2000-3000 range. The 10000K bulb you are getting will be a very white bulb maybe a hint of blue. Here's a wiki link that shows the color spectrum. Look at the curved line. 

Color temperature

You will be wanting a 20" bulb that's 18 watts. The actual length of the bulb will be slightly less ( I think about 17" ) most pet stores that sell fish will have those bulbs, but there are online places. I'm on my phone so it's little hard to look so somebody else may have better reccomendations for an online store. The person you bought the fixture off of may also carry the bulbs you need. 

Andrew


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## Lunar Gecko (May 7, 2010)

Ive been reading up on the clay methoids and I plan to really trim down the GS and press clay over it. I was planing on using the kitty litter from petsmart but on a last min whim I ordered 10lbs powdered Redart clay and one lb of Bentonite. Should be here early next week. What organics should I mix in? I have organic sphagnum peat mix.


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## EvilLost (Jan 10, 2011)

THe redart+bentonite is all you need. I was stupid and went out and found litter afterwards.....kitty litter is just bentonite. however, i use a closer to 1:1 ratio of redart:bentonite in my mix and it still comes out relatively reddish...something to consider.

As for the recipe, there are a bunch of threads...but this is what I've used recently that works (However, I water ONCE a day and it is starting to crack in places!! I am going to start misting less but more often probably twice a day)


-2 part RedArt
-2 part Bentonite
-1 part peat moss
-1 part coco fibre (the fine DRIED dirt, not coco husks)
-1/2 part shredded longfiber sphagnum moss


recently I have been considering adding 1/8part shredded charcoal as well but I have not tried this yet. also for certain parts of my wall i do add in varying amounts of orchid bark/ coco husks just to mix it up but most of the time I don't think it looks very natural (only place I use it sometimes is near the place where the ground meets the clay wall)


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## Lunar Gecko (May 7, 2010)

Well I was just going to do the mix and add the organic material but now that you brought up the issue with it being RED I think I may add in some of the kitty litter as well. The litter is gray so it should tone it down.

I'm looking at a mix of something like...

3 parts kitty litter
3 parts redart
2 parts Bentonite
some sphagnum/peat mix, ground charcoal and a dash of Calcium.

For application I'm going to have to heavily mist the GS down with water as I'm doing it to keep it from drying out the clay from behind.

Only places I'm worried about the wall cracking would be near the lights and the fan. I plan on shoving sphagnum moss into the top areas and keeping it wet as well as misting 2x a day. That with the fact that it will have a waterfall and 7'' of water at the bottom & the only ventilation being the fan I would HOPE it will not crack. But only time will tell.


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## Lunar Gecko (May 7, 2010)

Oh I'm so happy just now. I only ordered my clay yesterday and its here now.


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## whatamithinking02 (Mar 14, 2011)

looks good so far


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## Lunar Gecko (May 7, 2010)

I was thinking of putting in a slight drainage layer in the false bottom. Just to make sure my water does not touch the soil and keep my plants too wet. If I make the clay drainage layer (Clay balls) do I need to PH balance the clay or does baking it take care of that part? Really dont want to have to do this stage again so I may just do charcoal if I would still have to do the soak/bath.

Please let me know if I do.


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## Lunar Gecko (May 7, 2010)

Sticks placed. I know it seems like a lot of sticks but this tank is for tree frogs so I needed more climbing space for them as well as places for broms and air plants.

Sorry about the glare!









Some shots from inside the tank so no glare. 









The above shot is of the area in the top corner were the water will be flowing to the first waterfall.









the last shot is of the first waterfall area.

So what do you guys think? Honest opinions.

Also my lights came in today. Yes the atactinic light is very blue. I will be replacing it ASAP. Over all I love the hood.


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## Averhoeven (Jul 11, 2010)

So glad you posted this. Literally JUST bought this same tank and stand because a local shop had a special on it which seemed too good to pass up and I literally had the same idea for it; told the fish Guy I was gonna set up a paludarium for tree frogs. Looks great so far. Would you mind PMing me what you paid for it out of curiosity? Figured sharing in public might be poor form.
Definitely gonna tag along while I plan my own. Thanks.


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## Lunar Gecko (May 7, 2010)

Uhh...actually, I got in trade for geckos I produced. Great deal, very happy.


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## Averhoeven (Jul 11, 2010)

Ah, even better deal then  I was wondering if you'd thought of trying to incorporate more land. I was thinking of elevating a false bottom eggcrate on some PVC pipes instead then having some thin shale type rocks trimming it slightly underwater to give easy back on to dry land access. Would give a little more best of both worlds. Figured this could let me cover about ½ to 2/3 with land and still have a large cave type area for the fish to swim in. My reefing years have taught me more water volume is always better.


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## Lunar Gecko (May 7, 2010)

Thought of doing more land but I wanted to have a hidden/shadowed area I could hide the water heater/ pump and CO2 diffuser but still be able to get at them for maintenance. If I had done the land all at the back wall I would have had a harder time hiding them without putting them under the false bottom. The water will cycle under the land area as well giving more water exchange. At least thats the hope.  Wont know till I try and run it. LOL

As far as deeper water, if thats what you mean, then I would have been giving up frog area. The frogs are the main thing for this tank and Im doing large frog sp. Milk Frogs. They need more area to 'play'. I dont expect they will be using the water area much at all.


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## Averhoeven (Jul 11, 2010)

Oh, didn't mean deeper water. I guess I was envisioning your area under the land being kind of "off-limits" to the fish because there's a solid wall preventing them from getting there. I'm more just kind of fleshing out my own ideas by talking out loud  I don't plan on having a terribly deep area either and 100% agree the frogs are what it's for.


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## Lunar Gecko (May 7, 2010)

Kinda of hard to tell but the land area comes out from the wall about 7-8'' and is about 12'' wide. Its fairly big. I'm planing on 2-3 large plants in that area.


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## Lunar Gecko (May 7, 2010)

I got some of the clay done today. I plan on going back over it with some more in some areas after it sets up. Also set some of the air plants in to get them attached. The broms are not attached just in so I can figure out placement.



















yes the water feature is working! WOOT! 
... I seemed to have got some of the clay in the water though. Oops. 










More fun stuff to come!


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## Lunar Gecko (May 7, 2010)

some more plants in today and put the light on the tank.


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## ryan10517 (Oct 23, 2010)

coming along very nicely! i may have missed this, but what are you going to have as far as inhabitants? Anything going in the water portion?


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## Lunar Gecko (May 7, 2010)

Well thats the problem... I was going to do milk frogs but Im worried the plants I put in the tank may get trampled. So I am now thinking something like clown frogs. For the water area I was thinking 3 glass cats or something that will school and a betta. I wish I could so some sort of newts or salamanders but they are all illegal here in OR.


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## Averhoeven (Jul 11, 2010)

That was my idea  Small schooling fish, a betta and one or 2 fire-bellied Chinese newts! The upper area will be traversed by 4 or so red eyed tree frogs.


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## ryan10517 (Oct 23, 2010)

keep in mind that betta's are very aggressive. I worked at a local fish store for a while and you wouldn't believe some of the horror stories i heard about aggressive bettas (some of them being my own experiences). Its really hit and miss about which ones will tolerate other tank mates, and in my opinion not worth the hassle. 

Glass cats on the other hand are awesome! i have a few in my planted 30 gallon. They can be picky eaters though. They prefer frozen or live food. I feed bloodworms, daphania, cyclops, brine shrimp, and just about everything else i can get frozen. They seem to prefer frozen brine shrimp over everything else, but will eat all of the above. 

Some rasbora species are also well suited for a smaller tank. I think a couple glass cats and a small school of harlequin rasboras, neon tetras, or cardinal tetras would look great in this tank. 

Throw some small foreground plants in there, add some indian almond leaves or blackwater extract, and you have yourself a legit slice of the amazon river! 

By the way, do you know how many gallons the water portion holds? If it is anything under 5 or 6, i wouldn't bother with the glass cats because they like a lot of hiding spaces and can get easily stressed out in a small tank. 

Keep us updated!


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## Averhoeven (Jul 11, 2010)

I did the math on my tank (exactly the same tank and similar depth) and it works out to about 11g.
The betta I was planning on putting in is currently sharing a tank with some neon tetras and they get along fine.


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## pnwpdf (Nov 9, 2010)

Lunar Gecko said:


> Well thats the problem... I was going to do milk frogs but Im worried the plants I put in the tank may get trampled. So I am now thinking something like clown frogs. For the water area I was thinking 3 glass cats or something that will school and a betta. I wish I could so some sort of newts or salamanders but they are all illegal here in OR.


What kind of newts or salamanders were you wanting to get? I've seen plenty of them for sale at pet stores, were you thinking of native species or pet store varieties?


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## Lunar Gecko (May 7, 2010)

pnwpdf said:


> What kind of newts or salamanders were you wanting to get? I've seen plenty of them for sale at pet stores, were you thinking of native species or pet store varieties?


I have only lived in OR for a little over a year and I was told just about ALL of them are illegal in OR because we have some many types of climates that most could live and reproduce here if they got out. I was just thinking something of the sort would be cool. Ive only ever dealt with padel tails, tigers and fire bellies myself and I know they are all illegal.

If you could suggest something that would be great. TY


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## pnwpdf (Nov 9, 2010)

Ah, I see. There is a list of restricted species on the Oregon Dept of Fish and Wildlife. This is not a list of all the species that OR prohibits people from owning, but just the amphibians. Get ready to read...

*
Prohibited Species: Except as otherwise provided in these rules or other rules of the commission, live wildlife listed below may not be imported, possessed, sold, purchased, exchanged or transported in the state:*

(i) Tiger salamander -- Ambystomatidae -- Ambystoma tigrinum All nonnative sub-species; 
(ii) Amphiumas -- Amphiumidae -- All species and hybrids; 
(iii) Giant salamanders and Hellbenders -- Cryptobranchidae -- All species and hybrids; 
(iv) American giant salamanders -- Dicamptodontidae -- All nonnative species and hybrids; 
(v) Asian salamanders -- Hynobiidae -- Ranodon All species and hybrids; 
(vi) Shovel-nosed salamander -- Plethodontidae -- Leurognathus marmoratus; 
(vii) Waterdogs -- Proteidae -- Necturus All species and hybrids; 
(viii) Firebelly newts -- Salamandridae -- Cynops All species and hybrids; 
(ix) European Mountain or Brook salamanders -- Salamandridae -- Euproctus All species and hybrids; 
(x) Caucasus or Spine-tailed salamanders -- Salamandridae -- Mertensiella All species and hybrids; 
(xi) Red-spotted or Eastern newt -- Salamandridae -- Notophthalmus viridescens; 
(xii) Chinese newts -- Salamandridae -- Pachytriton All species and hybrids; 
(xiii) Warty newts -- Salamandridae -- Paramesotriton All species and hybrids; 
(xiv) Ribbed newts -- Salamandridae -- Pleurodeles All species and hybrids; 
(xv) Fire salamanders -- Salamandridae -- Salamandra All species and hybrids; 
(xvi) Roughskin newts -- Salamandridae -- Taricha rivularis and T. torosa; 
(xvii) Alpine newts -- Salamandridae -- Triturus All species and hybrids; 
(xviii) Crocodile newts -- Salamandridae -- Tylotriton All species and hybrids; 
(xix) Sirens -- Sirenidae -- All species and hybrids. 

(B) Order Anura 
(i) Fire-bellied toads -- Bombinatoridae -- Bombina All species and hybrids; 
(ii) True toads -- Bufonidae -- Bufo All nonnative species and hybrids except Bufo marinus; 
(iii) Midwife toads -- Discoglossidae -- Alytes All species and hybrids; 
(iv) Painted frogs -- Discoglossidae -- Discoglossus All species and hybrids; 
(v) Cricket frog -- Hylidae -- Acris All species and hybrids; 
(vi) European tree frog -- Hylidae -- Hyla arborea; 
(vii) Cope’s gray tree frog -- Hylidae -- Hyla chrysoscelis; 
(viii) Green tree frog -- Hylidae -- Hyla cinerea; 
(ix) Mediterranean tree frog -- Hylidae -- Hyla meridionalis; 
(x) Gray tree frog -- Hylidae -- Hyla versicolor; 
(xi) Chorus frog -- Hylidae -- Pseudacris All nonnative species and hybrids; 
(xii) Australian froglets -- Myobatrachidae -- Crinia All species and hybrids; 
(xiii) Australian swamp frogs — Myobatrachidae — Limnodynastes All species and hybrids; 
(xiv) Barred frogs -- Myobatrachidae -- Mixophyes All species and hybrids; 
(xv) Spadefoot toads -- Pelobatidae -- All nonnative species and hybrids; 
(xvi) African clawed frog -- Pipidae -- Xenopus All species and hybrids; 
(xvii) African bull frog -- Ranidae -- Pyxicephalus All species and hybrids; 
(xviii) Siberian frog -- Ranidae -- Rana altaica; 
(xix) Khabarovsk frog -- Ranidae -- Rana amurensis; 
(xx) Crawfish frog -- Ranidae -- Rana areolata; 
(xxi) Swedish swamp frog -- Ranidae -- Rana arvalis; 
(xxii) Asian frog -- Ranidae -- Rana asiatica; 
(xxiii) Rio Grande leopard frog -- Ranidae -- Rana berlandieri; 
(xxiv) Plains leopard frog -- Ranidae -- Rana blairi; 
(xxv) Caucasus frog -- Ranidae -- Rana camerani; 
(xxvi) Inkiapo frog -- Ranidae -- Rana chensinensis; 
(xxvii) Toudaohe frog -- Ranidae -- Rana chevronta; 
(xxviii) Green frog -- Ranidae -- Rana clamitans; 
(xxix) Spring frog -- Ranidae -- Rana dalmatina; 
(xxx) Dybowski’s frog -- Ranidae -- Rana dybowskii; 
(xxxi) Stream frog -- Ranidae -- Rana graeca; 
(xxxii) Pig frog -- Ranidae -- Rana grylio; 
(xxxiii) River frog -- Ranidae -- Rana heckscheri; 
(xxxiv) Turkish frog -- Ranidae -- Rana holtzi; 
(xxxv) Iberian frog -- Ranidae -- Rana iberica; 
(xxxvi) Agile frog -- Ranidae -- Rana japonica; 
(xxxvii) Italian agile frog -- Ranidae -- Rana latastei; 
(xxxviii) Kokarit or Taipa frog -- Ranidae -- Rana longicrus; 
(xxxix) Brusa frog -- Ranidae -- Rana macrocnemis; 
(xl) Nikko frog -- Ranidae -- Rana ornativentris; 
(xli) Pickeral frog -- Ranidae -- Rana palustris; 
(xlii) Mink frog -- Ranidae -- Rana septentrionalis; 
(xliii) Wood frog -- Ranidae -- Rana sylvatica; 
(xliv) Tago frog -- Ranidae -- Rana tagoe; 
(xlv) European common frog -- Ranidae -- Rana temporaria; 
(xlvi) Tsushima frog -- Ranidae -- Rana tsushimensis; 
(xlvi) Carpenter frog -- Ranidae -- Rana virgatipes.​


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## pnwpdf (Nov 9, 2010)

While I'm at it, I might as well post Washington's restricted amphibian species. This is a long one too.

(i) In the family Hylidae: Cricket frog, in the genus Hyla species in the group Arborea including: Hyla annectans, Hyla arborea, Hyla chinensis, Hyla hallowellii, Hyla immaculata, Hyla japonica, Hyla meridionalis, Hyla sanchiangensis, Hyla simplex, Hyla suweonensis, Hyla tsinlingensis, Hyla ussuriensis, and Hyla zhaopingensis.

(ii) In the family Pelobatidae, spadefoots, all species of the genus Pelobates including P. cultripes, P. fuscus, P. syriacus, and P. varaldii. All species of the genus Scaphiopus including: S. couchii, S. holbrookii, and S. hurterii. All species of the genus Spea including: S. hurterii, S. bombifrons, S. hammondii, and S. multiplicata with the exception of the native species: Spea intermontana the great basin spadefoot.

(iii) In the family Pipidae: African clawed frog, all members of the genera Silurana, and Xenopus.

(iv) In the family Ranidae:
(A) Bull frog, Rana catesbeiana.
(B) Holoarctic brown frogs and Palearctic green frogs of the genus Rana, including the following: Rana arvalis group (R. arvalis, R. chaochiaoensis, R. chevronta); Rana chensinensis group (R. altaica, R. chensinensis, R. dybowskii, R. kukunoris, R. kunyuensis, R. ornativentris, R. pirica); Rana graeca group (R. graeca, R. italica); Rana japonica group (R. amurensis, R. aragonensis, R. japonica, R. omeimontis, R. zhenhaiensis); the subgenus Rugosa (Rana rugosa, Rana emeljanovi, Rana tientaiensis); Rana tagoi group (R. sakuraii, R. tagoi); Rana temporaria group (R. asiatica, R. dalmatina, R. honnorate, R. huanrenensis, R. iberica, R. latastei, R. macrocnemis, R. okinavana, R. pyrenaica, R. tsushimensis, R. zhengi); and in the Rana Pelophylax section, the subgenus Pelophylax (R. bedriagae, R. bergeri, R. cerigensis, R. chosenica, R. cretensis, R. demarchii, R. epeirotica, R. fukienensis, R. grafti, R. hubeiensis, R. lateralis, R. lessonae, R. nigrolineata, R. nigromaculata, R. perezi, R. plancyi, R. porosa, R. ridibunda, R. saharica, R. shqiperica, R. shuchinae, R. terentievi, R. tenggerensis); and the Rana ridibunda-Rana lessonae hybridogenetic complex species R. esculenta and R. hispanica.

(v) In the family Ambystomatidae: Mole salamanders. In the genus Ambystomata: A. californiense, A. laterale, A. opacum, A. rosaceum, A. tigrinum, except for the native species A. tigrinum mavortium Western tiger salamander, and A. tigrinum melanostictum Tiger salamander.

(vi) In the family Amphiumidae one, two, and three toed salamanders or congo eels: All members of the genus Amphiuma.

(vii) In the family Cryptobranchidae: Giant salamanders and hellbenders, all members of the genera Andrias and Cryptobranchus.

(viii) In the family Dicamptodontidae, American giant salamanders, all members of the genus Dicamptodon, except for the native species: Dicamptodon tenebrosus, Pacific giant salamander, and Dicamptodon copei, Cope's giant salamander.

(ix) In the family Hynobiidae: Mountain salamanders, all members of the genera Batrachuperus, Hynobius, Liua, Onychodactylus, Pachyhynobius, Pseudohynobius, Ranodon, and Salamandrella.

(x) In the family Plethodontidae, subfamily Desmognathinae: All members of the genus Desmognathus, dusky salamander.

(xi) In the family Plethodontidae, subfamily Plethodontinae: All members of the genera Aneides (climbing salamanders); Batrachoseps (slender salamanders); Eurycea (American brook salamanders); Gyrinophilus (cave salamanders); Hemidactylium (four-toed salamanders); Hydromantes (web-toed salamanders); Plethodon (woodland and slimy salamanders); Pseudotriton (mud or red salamanders), and Speleomantes (European salamanders).

(xii) In the family Proteidae, mudpuppies, all members of the genus Necturus and Proteus.

(xiii) In the family Salamandridae: Newts, all members of the genera Chioglossa; Eichinotriton (mountain newts); Euproctus (European mt. salamander); Neurergus (Kurdistan newts); Notophthalmus (red-spotted newts); Pachytriton (Chinese newts); Paramesotriton (warty newts); Salamandrina (speckled salamander); Taricha except for the native species Taricha granulosa granulosa the Northern rough-skinned newt, and Triturus (alpine newts).

(xiv) In the family Sirenidae, sirens, all species of the genera Pseudobranchus and Siren.​


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## Lunar Gecko (May 7, 2010)

thanks I had the older copy of that list and it seems fire belly toads made their way onto the list too. *eyeroll* Because I have a business license for all the animals I breed I have to keep in compliance with fish and game.


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## Lunar Gecko (May 7, 2010)

more on the tank. Added the fluorite gravel to the tank one more brom and some stones to the water area. Still have to track down 2-3 more plants for the land/air area and then plant the water area. 

Waterfall is running this the photos. 

Top river/waterfall area.









Middle waterfall area.









Bottom waterfall area.









Left side view.









Fount view.









please tell me what you think? I want a vine for the lower planter, something unique and wont have a problem running/climbing up the clay wall area. Any suggestions?


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## Averhoeven (Jul 11, 2010)

Looks good... wish mine was even close to that done


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## Lunar Gecko (May 7, 2010)

I ordered some plants for the water area. Hope they work out. Tried my hardest to find ones that the description said are med to easy care and fit what I hope the requirements for my tank will fill. 

My order is....
x2 Riccia Fluitans 3"x2" portion
CRYPTOCORYNE WENDTII 'RED'
x3 DWARF SAGITTARIA SUBULATA
RED TIGER LOTUS, NYMPHAEA (ZENKERI) 'RED'


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## Lunar Gecko (May 7, 2010)

The water is almost running clear at this point... well better than it was anyways.  Plants for the water are in the mail so 2-3 days and I'll have them going. Need to pick up some form of fertilizer for the water I think. Any suggestions? Also I still need a vine for the bottom wall planter. Suggestions please. I keep drawing a blank on this one.


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## Lunar Gecko (May 7, 2010)

Some progress. 

The water was running much clearer but then I had to mess with the soil to get the plants into the water. Grrr!










Also have to share a picture of my helper. Gibbs. 








thats the top of a 4 step ladder hes sitting on. Gives a better idea how tall this thing is.


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## Averhoeven (Jul 11, 2010)

Looks good... just added my frogs today.


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## leuc11 (Nov 1, 2010)

Lunar Gecko said:


> Some progress.
> 
> The water was running much clearer but then I had to mess with the soil to get the plants into the water. Grrr!
> 
> ...


wow thats an outstanding viv I like the merky water it makes it look more like a marsh great job and any idea's on what lucky animal will be going in there? and nice choice of plants its gonna look good when it grows in


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## freaky_tah (Jan 21, 2009)

That looks awesome!! Your dwarf sag will go from 3 plants to 30 in no time, trust me! That whole bed will be carpeted with it in 6 months. You'll want to watch it as it creeps closer to your red crypt and make sure to pull the plants that get too close. Crypt's don't really like root disturbance, and the dwarf sag tends to overcrowd it and kill it. I have both in one of my aquariums and they both thrive as long as the sag stays on it's side of the tank 

Oh and if you haven't chosen fish yet, I'm gonna toss out one of my favorite small schooling fish, the ember tetra. Pics don't really do them justice, but as they mature they get a very bright, iridescent color similar to a burning ember (hence the name). They're small, maybe an inch at maximum, and tend to school together very well. They do best in groups of around 6 or higher.


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## Lunar Gecko (May 7, 2010)

Thanks all. Im really upset about this tank. It ran for about 2 weeks and then the pump died because of the clay making its way into the water. I was doing water changes almost every day and it was just really frustrating.  So I took out the old pump and am making it into a land only tank. Filling in the waterfall ledges with dirt and plants. Once it looks better I'll update.


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