# Rainforest paludarium



## Hornet (Sep 29, 2010)

I'm interesting in making a rocky rainforest creek style paludarium, something to replicate this kind of shallow rocky creek









It will house a couple of freshwater crabs and probably some small native fish but not sure how i would go about building something like that. Doesnt anyone know how you would do this, what would you make the background out of?


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

You're building that..... in a tank? How large it this tank? Or is it a walk in room? The picture really confuses me.


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## Hornet (Sep 29, 2010)

no i mean thats the general creek style i want to replicate in a viv, a shallow rocky rainforest creek. Tank size it currently undetermined, need to work out how much room the inhabitants will need


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Hornet said:


> no i mean thats the general creek style i want to replicate in a viv, a shallow rocky rainforest creek. Tank size it currently undetermined, need to work out how much room the inhabitants will need


I can't help much as I've never made a stream in a viv but check this build out:

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/49708-new-wooden-hill-stream-tank-constr-jrnl.html


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## ryan10517 (Oct 23, 2010)

for a tank you will need something with a fair amount of depth to play around with. Something like a 40 breeder would work good. Might need to be bigger than that though. You will definitely want to have the water portion up front and maybe go half the way back w/ the land portion sloping out of the water. Maybe have some emersed crypts growin at the water line too. That would be sweet.


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## Okapi (Oct 12, 2007)

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/pa...paludarium-cement-waterfall-construction.html

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/members-frogs-vivariums/22002-60-gallon-construction.html

225 Gallon Office Setup


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## Hornet (Sep 29, 2010)

ryan10517 said:


> for a tank you will need something with a fair amount of depth to play around with. Something like a 40 breeder would work good. Might need to be bigger than that though. You will definitely want to have the water portion up front and maybe go half the way back w/ the land portion sloping out of the water. Maybe have some emersed crypts growin at the water line too. That would be sweet.


being in australia i'm not sure how big a 40 breeder is (apart from its a 40gal tank) What are the dimensions for a 40 breeder?


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## Saviorself (Jun 29, 2010)

36 x 18 x 16



Hornet said:


> being in australia i'm not sure how big a 40 breeder is (apart from its a 40gal tank) What are the dimensions for a 40 breeder?


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## Morgan Freeman (Feb 26, 2009)

You wouldn't need anything complicated or elaborate for a background, as the creek would be the focal point.

What size tank are you look at?


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## Saviorself (Jun 29, 2010)

Mitch said:


> You're building that..... in a tank? How large it this tank? Or is it a walk in room? The picture really confuses me.


How cool would that be to have as a walk in room


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## Viv (Mar 5, 2006)

i would suggest making a plywood aquarium w/ front glass viewing pannel if you are semi handy.
google DIY plywood aquarium,,
this way you can get the custom width and depth you would need while maintaing a budget. fix up the walls with a foam background or what-have you and it would look great


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## Saviorself (Jun 29, 2010)

Viv said:


> i would suggest making a plywood aquarium w/ front glass viewing pannel if you are semi handy.
> google DIY plywood aquarium,,
> this way you can get the custom width and depth you would need while maintaing a budget. fix up the walls with a foam background or what-have you and it would look great


Theres some great build threads on plantedtank.net for plywood tanks.


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## the_deeb (Apr 21, 2008)

I would think that you could use similar design ideas as I did in my build (see the link in my sig). I had considered carving rocky boulders before deciding on my tree root design. You could easily use the same technique to make a rocky stream bank (assuming that a product like Drylok is available in Australia). I think a shallow water feature would be much easier to deal with from both a structural and design perspective.


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## Groundhog (Dec 17, 2006)

Some thoughts:

1) Scale: Ryan is right, depth is most important. 

2) Plant Selection: Try to anicipate the mature size of plants, and realize there are some plants that simply do not grow well with constantly moist roots. This is not the tank for jewel orchids or cryptanthus, e.g.

Bear in mind, some great emersed plants, such as crypts and Anubias, prefer more heat than some amphibians or invertebrates. 

3) Substrate: A standard coir-based or ABG substrate is not the best long-term. Rather, a mix of chunky coir, leaves and aqarium sand is better for this type of root growth.

4) The hardware: What will ultimately make this kind of tank work is the rght kind of fliter system. Not just a pump, but a fliter that can do circulation, mechanical and biological filtration. I know Eheim is good, but I have very good success with submersed Fluvals. This can easily be hidden towards the back and fitted with an extension tube. Of course, this does require periodic removal and cleaning. But I have found, as have others, that this works better than relying solely on the biological filtration one gets with a circulating pump. An alternative is a Filtration sponge powered by an 
airstone; this can also be fitted with a tube for water flow.

See Des Vosjoli, P. _Popular Amphibians_

or any of several articles by Rex Lee Searcy that have appeared in _Reptiles _Magazine. I shall dig some out to get the exact dates; you should be able to track these down at a Reptile Expo. 

Done right, this tank will $%#@$%# rule.....


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