# Could anyone please help with this? Paludarium build



## atticus22 (Feb 14, 2010)

Hi guys, I was wondering if anyone could help me. I would love to construct something like this but have a couple of questions surrounding how to go about it:



















The main area I am not sure about is how to go about building the 'Island area', what would you recommend to use as an initial base? It obviously has to be waterproof, and sturdy enough to hold whatever bits of wood/plants etc I put on top of it, but also be made to look natural (obviously I can place rocks and plants etc in front of most of it).

Also I am unsure as to how to attach the various bits of driftwood to the island so that they are sturdy enough for anything climbing on them (I am thinking about including a chameleon, as seen in the pictures), as well as how to attach the plants. I intend to use mostly artificial plants so the 'planting' aspects of this such as soil etc I am not too worried about.

Any suggestions of what materials/techniques you would use for any part of this, and where to get them, would be very much appreciated

Thanks very much

Chris


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

It looks to me like the "islands" are just mounds of rock or driftwood arranged to come up and out of the water. The emmersed plants are attached to those.


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## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

Here is one method, done by a friend. He created a paludarium that was about 1/3 filled with water, and a rock wall like a cliff with plants tucked into the rocks and growing over the edge of the cliff. The cliff is a dam that keeps soil on the 'land' side, and water on the 'water' side:

Divide the tank with some glass, at whatever ratio you want, but keep the glass on the 'land' side of the structure. Silicone the glass in place. The glass needs to be as high as the water level. You can build onto it to make the cliff higher, or simply make the glass that tall to begin with. This works well if you divide off one end of the tank at an angle. You might include a few inches of the front glass but a foot or more of the back wall. Exact measurements would vary with the tank size, and how you want it to look. Generally will not look so nice if perfectly divided in half. I suppose it would also work to use 2 or more pieces of glass and make an island in the middle-back of the tank. 

Test fit some rocks and wood that will be placed vertically on the glass (on the water side). Somewhat larger, more supporting rocks on the bottom. Add to the water side some of the black expanding foam filler that is sold for ponds. A thin layer more or less over most of the glass. Place the rocks and driftwood in the wet foam filler. Add more foam between the rocks and driftwood. Caution: this foam can get quite messy. Be very careful not to get it on the part of the rock that you will be seeing. It can come off, but not too easy when it is fresh. After it dries it can come off pretty well. This material will also stick to your skin. You may want to wear gloves. 
Allow the foam to set up, (overnight is good) then trim away whatever does not look good. A razor or sharp knife will give you a cleaner, smooth cut, but you can even pinch off small amounts with fingernails. 

Add house plant substrate with added sand on the land side, and aquarium plant substrate on the water side. On the land side, fill it about 3/4 of the way to the top of your rocks. Leave about an inch or so, maybe a bit more. After you plant it you can add more rocks, or driftwood to hide the soil.
On the water side add some of the same kind of rocks you used to make the wall, or driftwood. Larger tanks can use multiple materials. Smaller tanks will look better with just one, maybe 2 materials. 

When you set up the filter make sure all the water ends up on the water side of the barrier. The plants on the land side will get plenty of water from the humidity. The soil on that side would get water logged without circulation. You can add mist systems, too.


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## endgin33 (Jun 10, 2008)

Diana K,
I don't know you, but you are pretty much the bomb...


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## wet (Nov 24, 2008)

Those tanks are gorgeous. Where'd you find them? Got species, too?

If I were to try an island layout in a paludarium, I think I'd build up the island from some container of a good shape for the land area by coating with walls of styrofoam and cement. I'd try to keep a lot of the submerged area with a false bottom so I could use that space (maybe entries on the back corners of the island) to hide stuff like the heater, fogger and the filtration. So like Diana is suggesting but instead of glass some bucket or something sitting on and enclosed by some foam structure that hides a false bottom.

Check out HX67's tank in the paludarium aquascaping forum for an inspirational work where he made very realistic driftwood and rocks.


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## atticus22 (Feb 14, 2010)

Hi mate, Theyre made by a company called Aquarium Design Group:

http://www.aquariumdesigngroup.com/

Theyve done some amazing stuff, unfortunately theyre based in Texas (if youre in the UK), and theyre useless at replying to emails for anyone wanting to know a bit more about their designs


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## atticus22 (Feb 14, 2010)

Thanks for the replies guys, any ideas as to how id securely fit all the bits of wood to the land area, if Im using the dividers/one half filled with soil method?


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## bratyboy2 (Feb 5, 2008)

if u look super close the above plants are fake


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## ddavila06 (Jan 31, 2009)

bratyboy2 said:


> if u look super close the above plants are fake


thats pretty dissapointing but i have no doubts someone can point out what the fake ones are and find them on APC...tank looks pretty regardless!


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