# Best filter for paludarium



## SushiRice (Jan 3, 2013)

I have a 40 gallon tank I want to use for a paludarium. I thought about putting in a background and find a way to separate the water and land and all that, but I decided to go simple. I'm just going to buy a giant piece of driftwood and some large rocks and place them in the center and fill the tank half way. Just enough for the rocks and the log to poke out the water then I'm going to put some moss and plants on top of them like little islands. 

I want to do something similar to this concept:
http://sa.uploads.ru/7DOPq.jpg

I never messed with aquariums or filters before so I need some suggestions. The water will only be filled maybe about a quarter to half the tank. I plan on keeping neon tertas, guppies, or shrimp in there and maybe a newt or vampire crabs or something.

Thanks for looking


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## Darrell S (Jan 9, 2011)

I bought a Eheim ecco 300 for a shrimp tank and used a sponge filter on the intake. It was expensive but it has been very quiet and reliable for 3 yrs. now.


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## Encyclia (Aug 23, 2013)

I think the suggestion of a canister filter is a good one, as long as your tank isn't going to be on the floor like the one in the picture. Most canisters need to be under the tank where they can gravity feed. I tried an Eheim in a cabinet on the side of my tank and it didn't work well at all. A canister will let you configure the inputs and outputs however you want them. 

Eheims are excellent filters but they are usually underpowered compared to the tank size they say they will work with. The are quiet and reliable for many years in most cases, but you pay for that quality. There are other options that aren't so expensive (Fluval, Rena, etc.) and those will work, too, but you won't get as many years out of them. 

Enjoy the tank!

Mark


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## SushiRice (Jan 3, 2013)

Would it be overkill to use an Eheim 2213 which filters 66 gal of water for maybe about 20 gallons of water? Since you said they aren't as powerful.


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## gope (Jun 26, 2014)

Volume wise you'd be fine. I have a 2215 on a 30 gal aquarium that works well with mild flow. How are you going to work the intake and outflow?


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## SushiRice (Jan 3, 2013)

gope said:


> How are you going to work the intake and outflow?


I'm going to see if the intake can hang on the back reach just beneath the surface of the water. I don't want anything to crawl up it. As for outflow I might have it hanging above a rock and have it splash down on it. Not the greatest waterfall haha, but I'm not looking for that right now. I'm kind of using this as a prototype paludarium for when I decide to make a bigger, better one in the future.


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## gope (Jun 26, 2014)

I use sponge prefilters on most of my intakes. Good for several reasons. The outflow from just the tube will be pretty strong. I use the spraybar that it comes with to diffuse the flow. Not sure how you'd incorporate that in your design? I'm a fish aquarium guy so hopefully someone will chime in that has experience with what you're doing.


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