# My First Paludarium Build



## AGENT69 (Jul 30, 2013)

Hey guys after doing tons of research and going through many journal posts I've finally gathered enough info to feel comfortable enough to build my own paludarium  I will be having a waterfall cascading down to the water section powered by an external canister filter. I want it to be heavily planted as well. Keep in mind this is my first build so please guys constructive criticism is welcome here. I'm new here so I will need help picking out plants, substrates, etc. if you guys have any tips please feel free to chime in. Lets get started!!


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## AGENT69 (Jul 30, 2013)

Petco was having the dollar per gallon sale so I picked up this 20 gallon high. 

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## AGENT69 (Jul 30, 2013)

Went to home depot and bought egg crate and pvc couplers. I started building the land section and so far im content with the design I chose.

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## AGENT69 (Jul 30, 2013)

I drilled the pvc support beams to prevent stagnant water. 

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## AGENT69 (Jul 30, 2013)

I built an access column where I will house my filter intake, pump, water heater, etc. This is where I will also begin building the waterfall 

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## AGENT69 (Jul 30, 2013)

Picked up some nice pcs of manzanita and malaysian driftwood. I put them in a bucket to leech out tannins.

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## AGENT69 (Jul 30, 2013)

I covered the false bottom with the exo terra bio drain mesh I picked up for a dollar at my local reptile shop. I also began building the skeleton for my waterfall.

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## AGENT69 (Jul 30, 2013)

I foamed the waterfall with great stuff. Honestly this is my first time using great stuff and I had no idea how much this stuff actually expands 
I gotta do alot of trimming and also more foaming but I think its coming along pretty good 
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## AGENT69 (Jul 30, 2013)

Okay guys im ready to start building the background and I really dont want to see that ugly yellow foam from the backside. Any suggestions please?!?!? 
Should I silicone the glass black, spray paint, contact paper etc. Im leaning to sillicone since I heard it also provides a good adhesive texture for the great stuff. 
Also for silicone I dont know if you guys have ever used the zoo med silicone I got it cheap at my reptile shop 

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## JonRich (Oct 19, 2012)

AGENT69 said:


> Okay guys im ready to start building the background and I really dont want to see that ugly yellow foam from the backside. Any suggestions please?!?!?
> Should I silicone the glass black, spray paint, contact paper etc. Im leaning to sillicone since I heard it also provides a good adhesive texture for the great stuff.
> Also for silicone I dont know if you guys have ever used the zoo med silicone I got it cheap at my reptile shop
> 
> Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 2


Looking good. But ohhhh man your hands will be killing you while trying to squeeze the silicone out of those tubes. I now get the tubes that go into the "gun"..


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## AGENT69 (Jul 30, 2013)

Well since noone decided to reply to my question I decided to silicone black the back and sides. There was alot of skepticism about great stuff peeling off silicone much easier but ive seen several members do this without a problem so I went for it. I left the back false bottom exposed and my access column so in case of any problem I can see whats going on down there  

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## AGENT69 (Jul 30, 2013)

Just a quick shot of the back and side view of the tank. Guys please feel free to give me any tips I will gladly appreciate it. This is my very first attempt at constructing something like this so any input will be greatly put to use 

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## AGENT69 (Jul 30, 2013)

So today me and my girlfriend took a trip to a new fish and reptile shop. I browsed around picked up a few more supplies for my palu including an eheim 2211 canister filter which is whats gonna filter my water and power the waterfall. I rushed home and set this little beast up  Im still perfecting the waterfall but as soon as its ready ill perform a test and post more updates. Let me know what you guys think

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## epiphytes etc. (Nov 22, 2010)

Wow! Great job so far.


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## AGENT69 (Jul 30, 2013)

epiphytes etc. said:


> Wow! Great job so far.


Thanks!!!


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## AGENT69 (Jul 30, 2013)

Went to my local hardware store today and picked up some drylok and a few more supplies  im going to apply a few coats of drylock to cover and seal the great stuff and then probably go over a few areas with silicone and peat moss or some other substrate. What do you guys use for your background? 

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## AGENT69 (Jul 30, 2013)

I tested the waterfall guys it was a success :thumbup: now I applied my first coat of drylok. Im pretty excited guys im getting closer and closer to planting the tank. So far I have the filtration ready and the currently working on the hardscape. Im still wondering what lighting to use, I see alot of people here use leds I was thinking of using t5HO but what do you guys think would be better?? Please guys help a new guy out!

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## AGENT69 (Jul 30, 2013)

I picked up some 2" net cups. These things were harder to find than I had expected. Literally nobody caries these I had to go across town to a hydroponic store.

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## AGENT69 (Jul 30, 2013)

Ive been playing around with how to set up the wood in the tank I ziptied these two pcs of manzanita wood together until the silicone cures. I think they look good like this 

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## AGENT69 (Jul 30, 2013)

Some quick shots of my progress 

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## AGENT69 (Jul 30, 2013)

Plummed the waterfall today. Just a few more touches and its ready to go! Guys I still need advice with the lighting keep in mind temps in my area are 95!!! Im leaning alot towards led from jungle dawn since I have a spare exo terra hood what do you giys think I should go with??

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## frogmanchu (Feb 18, 2011)

AGENT69 said:


> Plummed the waterfall today. Just a few more touches and its ready to go! Guys I still need advice with the lighting keep in mind temps in my area are 95!!! Im leaning alot towards led from jungle dawn since I have a spare exo terra hood what do you giys think I should go with??
> 
> Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 2


 Agent I'm working on one myself. Didnt go that detailed. Yours looks great. I say use jungle dawn led

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## Trickishleaf (Jun 29, 2012)

If you struggle with warm temperatures in your frog room, go LED. 
If not, T5's will work just fine


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## SpaceMan (Aug 25, 2013)

I'm going LED in my build, but I can't comment too much on their heat output as they haven't arrived yet. They're 3W LEDs and I'll probably drive them at 1.5W or less. I suspect it will get warm, and with an unairconditioned building, I'll also be fighting the heat.

I plan on borrowing the idea of peltier cooling as I already have everything I need and it's at least worth a try.


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## AGENT69 (Jul 30, 2013)

Ok guys today im gonna finish foaming the rest of the background and start applying the peat moss. I searched through home depot and all I could find was miracle grow peat moss (which upon research found it was unsafe to use in a viv). I went to lowes and found this spagnum peat moss which I was told was the most organic stuff they carried. I also picked up 2 bottles of titebond3 (expensive stuff) but I decided to go this route because ive been seeing lots of members use this and say its better than silicone. Im gonna tint the titebond3 with black quickcrete paint and mix it with the peat moss and some eco earth what do you guys think please feel free to let me know your opinions???? 

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## JohnVI (May 1, 2013)

To make your TB go further when mixing with the peat I added some water (I used distilled but that's my craziness), but only maybe a few tablespoons to thin it out just a bit. You probably wont need to add dye as the peat moss will naturally darken the mix. Also I used a mixture of the compressed coco fiber and peat to allow the attachment of the tiny feet (forgot the name) from the plants. Also check to ensure the peat doesnt have any added "stuff" to help with growth like MG has. ..hope this helps

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## AGENT69 (Jul 30, 2013)

JohnVI said:


> To make your TB go further when mixing with the peat I added some water (I used distilled but that's my craziness), but only maybe a few tablespoons to thin it out just a bit. You probably wont need to add dye as the peat moss will naturally darken the mix. Also I used a mixture of the compressed coco fiber and peat to allow the attachment of the tiny feet (forgot the name) from the plants. Also check to ensure the peat doesnt have any added "stuff" to help with growth like MG has. ..hope this helps
> 
> Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2


Thanks John for the tips I will add a few tablespoons to the mix I was wondering also because I've heard members say that the titebond leaves a glossy look to the background when cured is that true?? I'm doing some finishing touches to the palu but pics of the progress will be up soon!!


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## AGENT69 (Jul 30, 2013)

SpaceMan said:


> I'm going LED in my build, but I can't comment too much on their heat output as they haven't arrived yet. They're 3W LEDs and I'll probably drive them at 1.5W or less. I suspect it will get warm, and with an unairconditioned building, I'll also be fighting the heat.
> 
> I plan on borrowing the idea of peltier cooling as I already have everything I need and it's at least worth a try.


Looks like we're on the same boat with fighting the heat. I really wanted t5s because I've used them before in my freshwater planted tanks but I've never used LEDs although I hear many good thing about them. Maybe it's time to try something new


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## Agrippa (Jul 4, 2006)

The silicone job on the back of your tank looks very clean- nicely done. 

Did you end up drilling the tank, or will your input/output lines from the filter be going up and through your lid? While it's a bit of a pain to drill, I've always found that it really pays off in the long term. 

The tank looks to be coming along well. What do you intend to cover the fronts of the false-bottom with? Perhaps some stones or aquatic plants will help to disguise it without decreasing flow significantly. 

With how affordable LED lighting is now, that's the option I would go with. Just in terms of the decreased energy consumption, it'll pay itself off eventually.

Good luck.


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## AGENT69 (Jul 30, 2013)

Agrippa said:


> The silicone job on the back of your tank looks very clean- nicely done.
> 
> Did you end up drilling the tank, or will your input/output lines from the filter be going up and through your lid? While it's a bit of a pain to drill, I've always found that it really pays off in the long term.
> 
> ...


 Thanks!! I do plan to disguise the false bottom perhaps with some river stones or heavily plant the water portion. I didn't drill the tank because I feel for the life of me I would not be able to do it correctly and would end up breaking the tank and nobody in town wants to attempt to drill the tank because according to them "all manufactured aquariums are tempered"  what I'm gonna do is use the filter as a means to maintain water quality and perform water changes with a syphon. You know I've been doing tons of research too on the LEDs I might try it  I actually picked up more hours at work to fund my little project so that decreases the time I have to work on my palu but don't worry guys I won't abandon this thread  picture updates are coming soon guys I actually picked up this new piece of driftwood so I had to tear the background apart to make space


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## AGENT69 (Jul 30, 2013)

Sorry guys for the late update im trying to work on this build as much as I can. So far I tore the old background because I wanted to put in this awesome piece of malaysian driftwood. Im sorry its turning into a slow build but Ive been busy with work and life lol. My green tree pythons recently got mites so I had to bomb their enclosures and treat them as well its an ongoing battle but im sure we can win wish me luck  im apologizing for the slow progress on my gtp's behalf. Last picture is my cagles map watching me post this update haha I love these guys 

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## AGENT69 (Jul 30, 2013)

Ok guys I got back to work on the palu. I recently got a better job with more hours so Ive been really busy but thats not gonna stop me from completing my project and actually guys im already on the process of starting a 55g paludarium for my cagles map turtle (which I just found out he's a male lol) so he will stay small and a 55g with 75% water and 25% will suit him just fine last picture is proof he's a male .... anyways guys I started and finished the background today just gonna wait for it to cure and next will be my lighting and planting. I used the titebond3 method and peat moss mixed with eco earth. I like it so far let me know what you guys think pls and feel free to give me some plant suggestions 

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## frogmanchu (Feb 18, 2011)

Nice work sir. Love the tank. Congrats on the cagle male.

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## AGENT69 (Jul 30, 2013)

The t5s came in today!!!! im so stoked I got this fixture for $40 on ebay with shipping I was waiting for a good deal to come my way and it finally did. 

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## AGENT69 (Jul 30, 2013)

A quick shot of the paludarium with the lights in. Next step is planting the water portion and building the lid 
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## AGENT69 (Jul 30, 2013)

Guys please im getting close to planting the tank I already ordered the abg substrate from joshsfrogs please some suggestions on plants and if I forgot any detail on the tank feel free to let me know. Constructive criticism is welcome here. As for the water section I might use eco complete and plant it with dwarf hairgrass and other misc plants. The lid im planning to make a 3' screen on the back for my filter to work abd have access to the waterfall and order a piece of glass from my local glass shop.

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## Sammie (Oct 12, 2009)

The tank looks really good, the design is simple and yet interesting.
In fact it made it into my "inspiration folder".
I like the branch in particular, if covered in moss and mini orchids it will look totally awesome.


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## EverettC (Mar 9, 2004)

Very nice tank! I'm a little late to the thread - what, if any, filtration are you using?

As far as plants go... For aquatic plants:
- Anubias (can be grown without being fully submerged)
- Glossostigma (might need CO2)
- Riccia
- Javafern (can be grown without being fully submerged)

Terrestrial plants:
- Microgramma
- Miniature bromeliads (Particularly neoregelia)
- Miniature orchids (bulbophyllum, pleurothallis, masdevallia, dracula, etc)
- Begonia are great, they flower and have really nice foliage

Hope this helps!
-Everett


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