# Amphibian Or Terrestrial For Open Top Paludarium?



## Florian (Mar 30, 2017)

Hello everyone,

I'm setting up a paludarium with an open top. Just to give you an idea of the climatic conditions it offers: it has misting and fogging on a relay that allows me to raise the humidity very frequently (currently every 4 minutes, experimenting with different timings). For now I can grow aquarium plants in their submerged form as well as various plants I collected outside.

I was wondering what animals I could house that would take advantage (at least partly) of the land portion of this tank. However I am NOT prepared to close it so it will remain an open-top setup.

For now all I've seen are Geosesarma crabs (which I love).

Thanks for the suggestions


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## kimcmich (Jan 17, 2016)

Greetings,

An open top is mainly a problem for keeping critters inside the viv. With that in mind, I'm not sure Geosesarma are a good choice. They are able climbers. You need to insure 4+ inches of smooth glass (and no silicone and no cords for heaters etc) between the highest point they can reach and the opening of the top (which means no plants that tall either) to keep them from escaping.

You need a non-climbing, non-jumping critter than can't (like frogs, most geckos or snails) climb glass. That leaves you with 1) small turtle (most species are too big for vivs), 2) short myriopods (millepede or centipedes) and... not much else. 

The open top is a serious constraint unless you keep everything - rocks, wood and plants - growing very low in the tank - and then you still couldn't keep a glass climber.


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## Florian (Mar 30, 2017)

Thanks, this is exactly the kind of answer I was looking for. A millipede sounds cool! I have never seen any in the pet stores around me though...

What if the terrestrial part is an "island" in the middle of the tank. Are there animals that could live on there and not escape?

What about newts or salamanders or green anoles? I'd assume they're in the same category as frogs but I'm not sure.

And isn't there something you can put on the edges to prevent critters from escaping? For example, I saw on youtube that for ant farms, there's some sort of paste that you can apply to edges that the ants don't like and won't try crossing.


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## kimcmich (Jan 17, 2016)

In an "island" setup, newts and salamanders are an option (but both can climb plants and cords). They would be well-suited to a paludarium setup. As long as the highest viv element is more than newt's length from the top of the walls, your newt/salamander won't be able to climb out (they don't climb glass like frogs).

You can buy millipedes online and have them shipped to you. In your case, you'd want a tropical millipede species (dryland species are more commonly available).


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## hp192 (Feb 28, 2016)

As someone who's kept a variety of animals for many years, I'm just going to chime in and say that with an open top, almost any terrestrial animal stands a chance of getting out. (I've had salamanders that climb glass.) It's amazing how the strangest chain of events can occur (a plant leaning over a little too far, a cord slipping down the side of the tank, etc...) and provide an animal with an escape route. Not saying it's impossible to find animals that can't get out (aside from crabs), but I think it's darn difficult. I've often reflected that it's amazing how it seems everything from the lowliest little insect all the way up to **** sapiens has an instinctive drive for freedom and wide open spaces. Just my .02. Good luck.


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## Esmi (Oct 28, 2017)

I can confirm that salamanders, small newt species and even fire belly toads (at least in the corners) can climb glass 90°. You have to install an horizonal edge to prevent them climbing out. Found him in the kitchen (male firebelly toad - he found the way after 8 years), luckely ok - just dusty


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## Deltagraphic (Sep 29, 2017)

*Amphibian Or Terrestrial For Open Top Paludarium?as*

I’ve found that millipedes can climb glass pretty well if it has water deposits built up over time. I do however have some open top vivs with isopods and ‘freerange’ snails that are doing quite nicely (one has even produced a 4-foot mystery tree). The snails do not ever venture onto the wall or down from the wooden shelf these tanks sit on but they do go from tank to tank and onto potted plants. Its Enjoyable to know that they could escape but instead prefer to enjoy their little planted shelf. Sure, snails arent as exciting as a vertebrate to most people but with a wide selection of plants and soil fauna, it could still be a fun build when you consider the benefits it will have for plant keeping. Sealed enviroments pose a lot of obstacles to optimum plant growth and if you can manage to keep moisture/humidity up with an open top im sure many sensitive tropical plants would thrive with the additional circulation. You could also plant taller foilage than what could typically be Grown in a vivarium while still maintaining finer control than you could with a simple pot. Additionally, if you have enough water volume within, you could house various shrimp, small fish, or even an aquatic frog adding to the overall interest. All in all, I’d say an open top vivarium is a great project in its own right but isnt suitable for keeping a terrestrial vertebrate. I hope that whatever you decide on, you upload some nice pictures


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