# My 1st attempt at a Paludarium - 65 gal



## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

I've always been into glass enclosures that house tiny environments and their creatures that call them home. I've done reef keeping for a long time and decided to try out the terrestrial/freshwater aquatic glass box. I'm not too sure as to what I'll house in it, but I've been doing a lot of research on plants and aquatic animals. Additionally, I've been doing a lot of thinking as to how I might build what I'd like to build. 


I decided to start with a 65 gallon reef ready aquarium and I'll use a 40 gallon sump as an additional planted aquarium.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

I "mapped" out a general shape to the scape and drew up an idea of what I wanted to do.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

I found a piece of mopani wood that looks like it'll fit the bill and used a towel to raise it up as I'll want it on the land portion.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

I used some pond spray foam to make part of the background.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

To separate the land objects from the water ones I used some eggcrate and pvc to make a level land portion.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

I then cut the eggcrate to shape and added some spray foam to fill in the spaces btw the eggcrate.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

I then cut the foam to make it all flat. I also added some foam to the background. I'm attempting to make it look like there are mountains in the background


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

I also sprayed the bottom with black pond foam because I'll be using some lava rock for the water portion.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

I then got the land portion level using the pvc piping, and also began carving the mountains into the foam.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

Then the lava rock that I ordered came in. I knew this was going to be a challenge to make it look natural given what I had built so far.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)




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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

I then decided to put the pvc pipe through the rock rather than try and stack it around the pipe. So, I bought a masonry drill bit and began drilling.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)




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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

after a lot of drilling I began to piece the rocks together in an attempt to make them look a bit more natural.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)




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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

I then mocked it up outside the tank to see how it would look.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)




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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

I then braved putting it into the tank. Used a lot of cardboard to protect the glass from the very sharp rocks.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

I then began carving planting holes in the foam.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

I also wanted to add a stream... I know it might be a mistake, but I really wanted to take a stab at it.










I used some foam to begin mocking it up. I also collected some slate rocks to use in the stream.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

Using the foam, I finally was happy with the look...I was using what I had to work with.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

Like the lava rock (which I didn't mention or show), I used water weld to attach the rocks together.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

I then used a grey version of the putty to add the finishing touches.










Bottom is done. I'll be checking the water tightness soon.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

I then needed to make a reservoir and an attachment to for the tube that will supply the water. I decided that an old fish food container would work just fine.










after cutting the bottom off, I mocked it up to see what else needed to be done.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

I added a hole for the water pass through and attached it to the rest of the stream. I also tested the integrity of the water weld. It held up nicely = no drops.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

I have more photos, but can't figure out how to get them off the icloud and into photobucket...


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## Jungle_John (Feb 19, 2007)

That's looking great man! Following this.


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## mysticdragon72 (Feb 21, 2016)

Hmm not sure if it's just on my phone or not but none of the pics show up for me. ..just a bunch of placeholders and links....


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## ruairidh_ (Feb 9, 2016)

Subscribed this looks amazing so far I can't wait to see the rest, great job already!!

Sent from my D5503 using Tapatalk


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## pako (Apr 30, 2015)

Oh, you 've got the touch!! Way to go! Looking forward to see the rest.


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## Mork (Mar 14, 2016)

More pictures please. This looks very promising. I really like the composition.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

Okay, finally figured out how to get the other photos into photobucket...

Thanks for the compliments. I'm hoping posting on here keeps me a bit more motivated. 

At any rate, after I figured out the stream (or at least partially figured it out), I moved onto the "mountain" area. 

I decided to link the stream to the background using the same slate I found.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)




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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

I also began refining the mountains = added foam here and removing it there...


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)




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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

Although I don't have a picture of the bare foam shapes I settled on, I do have pics after I added the spyra sheets (I think they're called that).










I was skeptical about this stuff, but I did a wick test and it holds a lot of water and traveled pretty far vertically up in the sample I used.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

I bought a fairly large sheet of it, not knowing how far it would go.










And then proceeded to cut it up into oddly-shaped pieces that I would later silicone onto the mountains.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

Initially I used paper to make templates for the mountain peaks, but I quickly realized it would be a lot faster if I just used aluminum foil. I just formed the foil to the shape I wanted to cut out, and I repeated that many, many times.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

I then began to silicone the pieces onto the mountain peaks and valleys.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

forgot to mention...after I was okay with the shape of the mountains (only so much foaming and carving, and foaming and carving one can take), I again reduced the size of each peak/valley to accommodate the thickness of the spyra sheet.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

after a few hours of fitting, cutting, attaching and huffing silicone, I was finally done with the top portion of the mountains.


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## ruairidh_ (Feb 9, 2016)

Looks absolutely amazing, did you just use a sharp knife for the scaping?

Sent from my D5503 using Tapatalk


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## Mork (Mar 14, 2016)

I'm very keen to see your waterfall feature in action. It looks like you'll get some great growth with the Spyra attached. 

I'm a few weeks behind you. Mine too will be entirely flooded on the bottom, around 5 inches deep. I'm planning on doing a waterfall feature down a twisted trunk of a tree into a smaller pool suspended above the main body of water and then dripping down. 

Yours has been great inspiration.


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## moore40 (Jan 29, 2008)

mysticdragon72 said:


> Hmm not sure if it's just on my phone or not but none of the pics show up for me. ..just a bunch of placeholders and links....




Nope. Me too just a bunch of dead links.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

ruairidh_ said:


> Looks absolutely amazing, did you just use a sharp knife for the scaping?
> 
> Sent from my D5503 using Tapatalk


I used some wood carving tools.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

Mork said:


> I'm very keen to see your waterfall feature in action. It looks like you'll get some great growth with the Spyra attached.
> 
> I'm a few weeks behind you. Mine too will be entirely flooded on the bottom, around 5 inches deep. I'm planning on doing a waterfall feature down a twisted trunk of a tree into a smaller pool suspended above the main body of water and then dripping down.
> 
> Yours has been great inspiration.


Yeah, the waterfall is going to be the most tricky I think. I give mine a 50/50 chance of coming out halfway decent. 

Yours sounds pretty cool. Can't wait to see it in action. I'd also be interested in how you scape the water portion.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

After I got the rocks back in the tank with the foam platform, I decided to silicone the rocks and the platform to each other. I also began adding foam to the top of the platform in an attempt to make some planting beds.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

after the foam dried, I began to carve away the foam to fit some of the features I was adding.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)




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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

Once I was satisfied with the shape of the planting beds, I decided to add a liner to the beds. Now, I know that I'm not going to stop all the water draining from the land portion into the water portion. This is just an attempt to lower the possible nutrient load into the water portion by catching some of the water/nutrients that drain from the planting media. I'll be installing a drain for the planting beds as well. We'll see how this goes... I'm not too convinced I can pull it off. 










To get the rough shape of the liner needed, I again utilized the aluminum foil technique.










After I rough cut the liner, I shoved it in place to see what I was actually dealing with.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

What I ended up doing was coating the foam interior of the planting bed with silicone and applying the liner on top. I did this in stages so that I could "form" the liner to the shape of the planting bed. Sorry, no pics of this.

Then, where the liner needed folding, I used silicone and a binder clip (to temporarily secure the fold). Once the silicone was dry, I removed the binder clip and went on to the next fold.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

In order to allow for perpetual drainage from the misting system I will eventually install, I added a drain to the liner area.

I used RO water compression fittings to create what will hopefully be a water tight seal between fitting and rubber liner. We'll see...










I did add the drain hole to the overflow prior to attaching the liner.










I then pierced the liner (a small hole), pushed the threaded portion to the fitting through the liner and tightly threaded on the other compression fitting.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

Again, the drain goes into the overflow area and will eventually go down through the durso and into a collection cup of some sorts.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

Speaking of overflows, I made use of it a different way. Rather than be an "overflow", It was made into more of a separation between the main water area and area where the water goes to, and comes from, the sump. 

I used some fittings that would keep critters out while allowing water in.



















I then drilled holes in the overflow and threaded them in. At this time I also added a return line in the form of lockline. This will hopefully provide enough flow into the main water display area.










This is all hidden by the rockwork/cave area.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

A little bit of an update. Progress has been slow due to work and how I'm building this thing. I've been using the silicone to attach/stretch the liner in place. 

started working on the stream...deciding on the correct spot










and attaching it to the base with some more silicone.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

I've also been working on the drains to the liner areas. Haven't quite figured it out yet as far as where they'll exactly go, but I do have a rough idea. We'll see how that goes. For now, both liner area drain tubes go into the overflow area. 










The right liner area's drain tube will be under the stream. It actually did a nice job of elevating the back of the stream.


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## Wy Renegade (Feb 15, 2012)

You've obviously put a lot of time and thought into this one, tagging in to see where it goes. Looking forward to seeing that stream in action.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

Here's an update on the project. I've been carving and adding more foam, as well as attaching more spyra to the foam. Additionally, I've been playing around a bit this some manzanita branches to use as roots/driftwood in the water section. I need to add more and play around with them a bit more to see if I even want to add them. I want to be really careful as to not overload the tank with too much stuff visually...or so I think. I'll be working on it a bit more today during my day off. Hopefully, I can tackle the stream supply tube today and maybe the drains too. Anyway, here's a pic of the progress.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

Don't know why that photo went away... Here it is again,


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

I was able to get a little bit done yesterday. I added the stream supply tube & pump. I also added a bit more sprya but it's not noticeable in a pic.

I added a 90 degree john guest fitting to the top of the lid by drilling a hole that was just big enough to allow the fitting to slide in and not be too snug. 











Reason being, I centered the fitting, which allows for the lid to unscrew while the fitting & tubing remain stationary. 











supply tubing was then routed to the overflow with the drain tubes and where the pump for the stream will reside.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

I've also started propagating some plants for the project. Some successes and some failures. All-in-all a worthwhile activity.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

Progress has been slow. Work has been keeping me busy, and the heat has been kickin' my butt. Too tired when I get home to work on the paludarium. 

Well, despite my fatigue yesterday, I was able to start on fly proofing the oveflow area. I just used some fiberglass screen and a bit of silicone...I think I'm up to 3 full tubes at this point for the whole project...dumb...

Don't want flies to get back here where all the "mechanics" are. And...obviously, the frogs won't be able to eat them back here.












So, I needed to find a way to cover it up while still allowing air movement to pass through. I plan on adding the fogger to this area. I think it'll look cool coming from the "mountains".












I used this fiberglass screen...












And installed it here...with some silicone, which is not pictured. It's drying at the moment. I'l post the very exciting picture of the screen/silicone when it dries and is trimmed up.


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## moore40 (Jan 29, 2008)

I have been following this hoping something would be be fixed but it hasn't. I can't see any of the pictures from start to finish. I'm using the tapatalk app if anyone can help.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

moore40 said:


> I have been following this hoping something would be be fixed but it hasn't. I can't see any of the pictures from start to finish. I'm using the tapatalk app if anyone can help.


I'm not too sure... Have you tried to view the forum on a computer. I'm assuming tapatalk is an app for a phone. Every picture I have uploaded is from photobucket, and I've posted every photo the same way I always have on evry forum I've belonged to. I'm guessing it's a tapatalk thing? Sorry I can't be of more help.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

Here's a really bad pic of the dried silicone-screen fly barrier on the overflow. I'm hoping it'll keep the flies out of the overflow area...


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

I've also completed a quick mod on an ultrasonic humidifier for the paludarium. After looking at the reviews for store-bought foggers, I decided to just "build" my own. It was a real quick endeavor using parts I had around the house.

I used a Crane Ultrasonic Humidifier - the teardrop shaped one. Picked it up on craigslist for $10.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

Basically, I did what I've seen others do on this forum and the internet. I found a humidifier where I could attach an array of pvc fittings, a hose barb and a hose to the humidifier. 



First, I made a gasket out of some of the leftover pond liner scraps I had.












Then I had to carve out a portion of the built-in handle that was at the top of the humidifier reservoir. I then wrapped the pond liner around a threaded pvc union (threaded on one side, smooth on the other) and placed it in the tapered outlet of the humidifier.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

After that, I threaded in the rest of the pvc parts I had and the barb fitting. Again, this was just stuff I had around the house leftover from aquarium projects.











Here you can see that the outlet is tapered so choosing an exact pvc size was not too crucial. I just had to get it close and the pond liner gasket filled in any areas that the water vapor might escape.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

Everything made it past the handle.












After that I hooked up a temporary plastic hose to the barb to see how it worked. It worked as planned...


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## chillplants (Jul 14, 2008)

These humidifier mods are quite easy. I don't think you need the pond liner though. My coupler sits flush with the top of the humidifier and there are no leaks. It makes it much easier to pull out and refill.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

The fitting on hand had nubs on it where one would use a wrench to tighten it. I didn't feel like carving the nubs off. When I placed the nubby pvc fitting into the tapered humidifier outlet, it left many gaps between the fitting and the reservoir outlet. In this instance, I had the pieces so I used them, but I do agree that given a round fitting there would be no need for the liner gasket.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

A little update...

Tried to hide the exposed liner near the stream area. I used silicone and coco coir on top of that. I taped off the areas that I did not want silicone on. I think it hides the liner well.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

I also added some hydroton (a hydroponic media) to the bottom of my planting areas. 












I was a bit concerned about the drain becoming plugged by a small piece of hydroton or the media itself. To convince myself that the likelihood of that happening would stay low, I added some of the fiberglass screening to the drain. I secured it with a rubberband I had on hand.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

After the drain was taken care of, I filled the planting area with hydroton up to the top of the drain.










And...then placed some fiberglass screen on top of the hydroton in an attempt to keep most of the planting media out of the drainage area. I repeated this process in the other planting bed as well.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

A small update. After thinking about the drainage for a bit, I decided to remove the screening from the drain holes in the liner. My worry was that they would plug up over time given the small size of the mesh. My initial concern with the the drain was to keep the hydroton from blocking it. So, I ditched the screening and added a length of tube with several holes drilled on two sides. This should keep any hydroton from blocking all the holes, ultimately keeping the drain functioning as it should. The holes should also allow any smaller debris to be swept down to the collection cup at the end of the drain.



















I plugged them into each drain and turned the tubing so the holes were on the sides of the installed tube.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

I've also added some manzanita branches and more spyra to the tank. I've ordered some aquatic plant substrate and hope to be done with the spyra and sticks by early this week. Once I get the planted substrate, I hope to add that and my terrestrial substrate (ABG mix) to the tank and begin planting some of it. We'll see how that goes...


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## chillplants (Jul 14, 2008)

Keep the updates coming. I'm real interested to see how this turns out.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

Okay, here are a few more updates. I'm still waiting on my panted tank substrate. Hopefully, it'll be here tomorrow at some point. Again, once I get it, I'll be adding it to the tank and its sump. 

What I've done since the last update:

I've added more spyra to the wood stump centerpiece and also added a few more manzanita branches.

Again, using the tinfoil method I added spyra sheets to where I thought moss would look cool. At times, attaching the spyra took several steps when I encountered a sharp turn on the thing I was attaching the spyra to.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

I've also added a separation between my aquatic plant substrate and the lighter colored sand that I'll be placing in the cave area. I wanted to add a light colored sand to the cave area in an attempt to avoid it being so dark, while adding a bit of depth with the contrast between the dark rocks and the light sand. We'll see how that goes as well. 

I used leftover foam and attached it with silicone. I move the foam wall just beyond the land portion so that any plants would grow past the separation and hopefully hide the fact that there's a separation at all.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

some of the manzanita branches needed to be a bit longer to provide a bit more stability when I pushed them into the foam. I used more waterweld to shape/add material to what needed adjustment.










I also added waterweld to the manzanita branches in the aquatic area so that there was a stable base to them to keep them where I wanted them.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

And...just to avoid too many small pores collect too much junk, I added a layer of silicone to some of the exposed foam under the centerpiece stump. No idea if this was actually needed, but I've already used an ungodly amount of silicone on this project anyway. So, I figured why stop adding any now.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

I've added some more waterweld to the waterfall collection cup. Hopefully this will match the stone enough to hide what isn't covered by actual rock. I'm still working on the exposed white portion of the stream. I seem to have misplaced my miniature river rock I had set aside...


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

Overall pic of what it looks like right now.










I'm really looking forward to actually adding some living things to this project. I'm also looking forward to taking back my craft room. This project has hijacked that room. More later...


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

A small update... Finally got the tank in place. It was a bit heavier than I anticipated, but not too bad.


The tank will go onto Lowes shelving unit that fits the footprint of the 40 breeder & 65 gallon perfectly. Obviously, there will be a 40 breeder "sump" below the paludarium. Beside the paludarium setup is my reef quarantine setup.













The girlfriend & I used fish shipping boxes to incrementally lift the tank to the height of the stand. Thank you, girlfriend!





















And...tank finally in place...


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

A bit of an update. 

Finally got the plumbing squared away and some water in the tank. I have all the drains (both terrestrial and sump) put together. I'll take a pic of the return line at a later time.












The stream is working as planned...surprisingly. The water from the stream gently enters the water area of the paludarium = no splashing.






















Pic from below the water looking up at stream. Very little surface disturbance.












Final water level for the display.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

I will also be back lighting the cave area to give a better sense of depth to the underwater area. It'll be more subtle than what's depicted in this picture.


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## PlantDaddyPHL (Jan 27, 2015)

WOW... Can't wait to see it planted


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

Okay, I added some Aquatic plant substrate along with some fertilizer for the plants that I'll eventually have in here.

Before:











After:










I directly added some slow-release fert to the bottom of the tank. I've also made up some root tabs for later on when things get growing a bit more.











I also added a few small chunks of I believe to be a riccia sp.. I'm not too sure as it just showed up in one of my emersed plantings. Hopefully it'll get enough water via the spyra to proliferate where I put it. It's pretty cool looking stuff!


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## Leuklover (Jul 18, 2016)

What livestock are you going to put in this tank? I love your idea of using aluminum foil to cut the spyra to exact measurements! Your tank looks amazing!


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

A bit of an update. I've kind of neglected the build & plants lately. I've added a few plants - both terrestrial & aquatic. I'll add more once I get the tank dialed in.










Added a Neoregelia wee willy along with some moss and a few orchids. The orchids look really back because I left their temporary container open and they dried a bit. I live in AZ, and it's a bit dry here... I then proceeded to overwater them...unintentionally. I'm hoping they'll bound back.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)




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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

I finally got a mist king. Needed it to keep the plants wet as they were drying out a bit. I mocked up the system with some 1/4" tubing I had prior to using the black tubing the kit provided. That is also a test reservoir. I will be using something a bit larger to avoid having to fill it 4 times a day .










I placed the misters in the center of the plastic aquarium brace but had to modify the misters a bit as they were a hair too large to fit inside the channel on the interior of the tank.










I removed a small portion of the misted base to accommodate the channel.


















It was pretty tight, but there was enough room to tighten them all the way down.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

After the first misting. On a side note, anyone have a suggestion on a watering schedule? How often should it go off and for what duration? I'm monitoring the plants right now and know that it depends on a few things, but I was just wondering what has worked for others is all.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

I added a betta to the sump area to get the tank cycled a bit. He's been in there for a few months now. Please excuse the super crappy pic...










I also added a few shrimp to the top tank. I've been leaving the lights on because I was too lazy to stop and get a timer. I now have an algae problem, but the shrimp seem to be doing a pretty good job given they've only been in the tank a few days. I bought a timer as well. Again, excuse the subpar photography.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

Leuklover said:


> What livestock are you going to put in this tank? I love your idea of using aluminum foil to cut the spyra to exact measurements! Your tank looks amazing!


Thanks for the compliment. Not too sure as to what I'll put in it. For now I'll just stick to plants and aquatic creatures.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

Added a few more plants & a bit of moss to the tank. Some things are growing a little bit.










I'm hoping the moss will grow in... I added some manzanita branches to give a bit more scale & a to add some perspective. I'm hoping the pepperomia (I think that's what it is) will grow long enough so that it hangs off the branches.















The amano shrimp are doing a good job of eating the hair algae.










The floating plants have been growing like mad. I've had to toss some in the compost already.











That's all for now...


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## xxohmycaptainxx (Dec 10, 2010)

Looking good so far, can't wait to see it planted and grown in! What's that aquatic plant that looks like a mini lily pad?


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## sminarski (Oct 21, 2014)

Ambitious build, nice job!


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## Encyclia (Aug 23, 2013)

I like where this is going. I missed this thread when it first came out and I was kinda bummed it wasn't older so I could see the grown out version now! Now I have to wait!

I think this holds great potential.

Keep up the good work!

Mark


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## DunderBear (Feb 5, 2016)

xxohmycaptainxx said:


> Looking good so far, can't wait to see it planted and grown in! What's that aquatic plant that looks like a mini lily pad?




Amazon Frogbit


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## WZDesigns (Feb 20, 2014)

WOW, impressive build. 
Lots of creative ideas, and some unique construction techniques that I will try to remember for my next build. I particularly like the layers and depth you managed to create with the underwater portion. 
I’m interested to see how the some of the smaller details of the BG come through once the tank has grown in a bit. 
Any updates?


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

A really quick update before I head to bed...got an early day tomorrow. Anyway, I purchased a few miniature neoregelia (dungsiana, chiquita linda, lilliputiana) and needed a way to attach them to the foam/spyra. So, I purchased some painted/coated aluminum wire to attach the plants to the foam background. I thought that aluminum was the safest route outside plastic as far as limited corrosion. I just cut the wire on an angle and bent to shape.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

I believe this one is dungsiana. I may have to move it down a bit if it gets too big. From what I've read they're supposed to stay small, but we'll see what time does. I'm hoping the neoregelia out in front of the "mountains" will give the illusion of foreground...or at least the illusion of distance to the mountains. We'll see.










chiquita linda










lilliputiana - to the left of the large stump in the center.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

And...my attempt at making a dead manzanita branch look alive. This is feeling like a failed attempt already, but I'm going to give it a chance to see what it does. I basically cut out spyra to act as the foundation for the riccia (at least I think that's what it is) to take hold and hopefully look like miniature foliage. this was a tedious venture that may have limited reward. Again, we'll see what it does. Looks a bit ridiculous right now.


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## jdub93800 (Sep 6, 2016)

This puts new meaning to the phrase "Pic Heavy". More build threads should be like this. It looks great though keep up the good work. 

J


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

Update...more pics!

Got a few new plant species in over the past week. Haven't really decided on where I'm planting most of them, but i did get a few in their permanent homes. Tank looks a bit disheveled...haven't really got around to scaping it fully yet. It's an ongoing process for sure...

Bolbitis heteroclita




















Lemmaphyllum microphyllum 'Shishi'











Davallia parvula


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

Utricularia bisquamata










Utricularia sandersonii












bucephalandra:
Giant Catherinae
Copi Susu
Sherry 
Blue Sea 
Mini Coin











Sherry










Mini Coin











Also did a little aquascaping in the rear right corner. 
eleocharis parvula & bucephalandra Copi Susu


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

And...for all the new plants, I got a new light - Finnex Ray 2. I might get a second one for the rear of the tank. I like the light a lot. The plants seem to like it as well.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

Bit of an update. Haven't really done much with the tank except observe and let it grow. In doing so, I've paid close attention to what's doing what where = trying to find the optimal location for each species of plant while attempting to keep the aesthetics in mind. I've been focusing on the more touchy plants and their placement...and work out the design from there. 

I've had to add another mister...and may add another...still watching to see what gets too dry and where.










Some things are growing in nicely, some have been moved and some have left this planet...


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

aquatic section is doing well. The shrimp seem to be doing their job and keeping the algae at bay.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

some blooms & blooms to be...


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)




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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

It bloomed...Sinningia muscicola...









I also added some Anubias nana 'Petite' to the terrestrial portion.


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## KommentBox (Aug 26, 2016)

marblesojecki said:


> Bit of an update. Haven't really done much with the tank except observe and let it grow. In doing so, I've paid close attention to what's doing what where = trying to find the optimal location for each species of plant while attempting to keep the aesthetics in mind. I've been focusing on the more touchy plants and their placement...and work out the design from there.
> 
> I've had to add another mister...and may add another...still watching to see what gets too dry and where.
> 
> ...




Looking great! Where do you buy 1-off nozzles? It seems silly to pay $13 shipping for a $14 nozzle direct from mistking...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

I got them from big al's. I joined their mailing list and got 20% off and I'm pretty sure the shipping wasn't that high. I just waited for a sale to pick them up online. Hope that helps.


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## KommentBox (Aug 26, 2016)

Awesome! I just found the site. I'll keep an eye on it.

Thanks!


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

A little update. Haven't spent much time on the tank. Really just watching it slowly grow in. I need to do some trimming/replanting of things. I'm waiting for the weather to get a bit warmer so I can get a few more plants and actually begin to design the planting layout a bit better. I've found that no matter what you've read about a given plant species, you don't know what it's going to do until you put it in a given location...and observe...and move it if it looks like it's going to die...

Wood stump is filling in nicely. I ditched the spyra on the trunk...the mosses actually seem to be doing better without it. My guess is that the silicone used to attach it to the wood prevented it from absorbing enough water from the wood. Things always looked a bit dry. The wood seems to do a much better job of holding the water.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

I added some liverworts that popped up out of nowhere in some of my growout containers. Didn't really think they'd survive but they seem to be doing okay...actually propagating. 










The paludarium as a whole is looking a bit more green. The spyra mountain seems to be a bit of a failure. That's okay because I had a backup plan. Just need to get the time to implement it...


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

The emersed monte carlo at the base of the waterfall is growing well.










As I had hopped, it has started to form a cascading wall of green in the water portion of the paludarium. Looks pretty darn cool if you ask me.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

waterfall is looking good. The Bolbitis has grown a bunch and has even sent up a sporophyll. Pretty neat...


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

water section is growing okay. I'm in the middle of trying to add a few plants/re-aquascape...and I have f'in snails despite my attempts to avoid them.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

Trying to get a bit of buce going on the rock ledge along with some monte carlo. 










I'm hoping it'll drape over the "cliff" in the water section.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

Finally added a few fish to the paludarium. It's really difficult to capture a picture of these little guys. So, please excuse the really bad pics.


Clown Killifish (Epiplatys annulatus)









Gertrude's Blue-eye Rainbowfish (Pseudomugil gertrudae)









I've also added about 20 Celestial Pearl Danio (Celestichthys margaritatus), but I have not been able to get a photo yet. They're still adjusting to their new surroundings = hiding in the rocks.


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## WZDesigns (Feb 20, 2014)

That’s been growing in really nicely, it looks great.

Love the fish selection too. Those miniatures always add a sense of scale that makes the rest of the tank look bigger. 

Keep the updates coming


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## Sardinia (Apr 23, 2017)

thats becoming amazing, i love it


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## Lothar (Oct 27, 2016)

Looks great. Do you have any updates? Things you would do differently if you built it again?

Thanks


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

Lothar said:


> Looks great. Do you have any updates? Things you would do differently if you built it again?
> 
> Thanks


There are a few things I would do differently.

1. Different light selection. What I have now is the Ray 2 by Finnex. It's a bit too intense for the plants I have. Works great for the aquatic plants though. Currently, I'm thinking of a solution for both above and below water plants.

2. I made the inlet for the overflow a bit too low. It's not terrible, but in the event of a power outage, the water is at about 3 inches...enough to sustain live for quite a bit, but I would like a great buffer to just be super safe.

3. Spyra - not too sold on it. right now things seem to be doing better on rocks/wood than they are on the Spyra...but that might be due to over saturation = too much misting and not enough evaporation...or I have a soluble salt issue going on from the very minimal fertilizers I've added to the water portion. I'm not sold on the soluble salts as there's very little humidity being lost to the room the paludarium is in. I'm going to tweak one variable at a time and observe what happens...

4. along the lines of 3...I think I need to add a fan to get water off of leaves. I think water is sitting on leaves too long and causing issues.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head at the moment. I'm sure there's a lot more...


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

A few pic updates. Some things are doing great while others are struggling. I'm rethinking my light choice, thinking about adding a fan, misting a lot less often, and possibly adding CO2 to the aquatic portion if I have to go with a lower light level.










Fern is doing great and some of the Buce is growing well and even flowering. One note on the Buce...either it's fully submerged or grown emersed on a rock and not Syra (it doesn't like spyra at all = rots...)


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

Spyra walls are taking a bit longer to grow in than I thought they would. Mini broms are doing well on it. 












Added some begonia prismatocarpa. It took a little hit acclimating to the setup, but it has bounced back and is no growing.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

Added some more Monte Carlo in an attempt to get that cascading effect over more of the lava rock near the water surface.












I've tried some Hemianthus callitrichoides to some of the foreground lava rock "shore" because it has smaller leaves and would work better with scale. But...I'm not liking the effect it's giving with all of the roots. So, I'll keep it in the tank but won't use it as I had anticipated. The Monte Carla works great for the cascading effect.


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## marblesojecki (Feb 16, 2015)

Mosses & lungworts seem to be doing well...growing pretty fast. One note oon the Utricularia (I have 2 species), they seem to do better when some other plant (mosses in this case) colonize and area prior to their arrival. Just something that I've noticed in this setup. Both species seemed to grow a lot better once the moss grew in and they grew on top of the moss.


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