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Wy Renegade's 30gal Paludarium

26K views 132 replies 21 participants last post by  Wy Renegade 
#1 · (Edited)
After getting some input and doing a fair amount of research, I've started putting together what I hope will be an excellent home for my pair of Wyoming Tiger Salamanders. I've had them for about 2 years now, and their current home is a getto tank created from an old motor home bath tub. It is way too big, and the whole thing is ugly as sin, so it has to go. Based on my research, it appears that the salamanders should have a predominately terrestrial environment, but that in and of itself is rather boring, and I've been wanting to try a paludarium style tank, so this was the perfect opportunity. Unlike the bog, I'm going for looks on this one rather than native, so it will be a evolving mix of terrestrial and aquatic species. The goal is a low humidity/low tech riparium which will be unheated.

Tank:
The tank is a standard 30gal AGA aquarium (36"x12"x18"). Since my goal is a riparium setting, the tank will be only about 1/3 full of water, so I drilled the tank for two bulkheads.

Equipment:
Filter: ZooMed 501 canister filter
Lighting: Aqueon strip light w/ standard aquarium bulb and an Aqueon twin tube strip light w/ one standard aquarium bulb and one Floraxam plant bulb
Top: standard Zilla center-hinged screen top

Scape:
The tanks scape will be created using a combination of silicone, Great Stuff Pond Foam, River rock, and cottonwood driftwood.

Substrate:
Aquatic: predominately Ion Brick plant gravel, with a few pockets of aragonite sand to help maintain a higher pH.
Terrestrial; potting soil covered with cottonwood leaves and dried spagnum moss

Fauna:
Invertes:
daphnia, freshwater mussels, hydra, planaria, rotifers, scuds, tubifex worms to start, additional varieties will be added as they are aquired
Vertebrates:
Western Chorus Frogs x2
Fish will most likely be some type of shiner (possibly Emerald shiners) if I can get my hands on some.

Flora:
Emergent: Forget-Me-Nots and Mint to start, will add others as I get a chance
Floating: Duckweed to start, hope to add some type of lily as well
Submergent: hornwort, maybe some bladderwort if I can find some
Terrestrial: bonsai plant, moss, native fern, going to try some different orchids, mainly minitures and a lady slipper to start

Set-up:
Started out by drilling the tank with a bit from gl@ss-holes.com. I drilled two holes, one slightly lower for the overflow and one a little higher for the return. Basically my intent is a closed loop system with the ZooMed canister driving the closed loop. The following day was beautiful so I hiked a few riparian areas looking for some driftwood for the tank, came up with several very nice cottonwood pieces. To create the scape, I placed a few stones, used permanant marker to mark their position and layed down a thin layer of black GE Type II 100% silicone. Once it started to harden, I added the foam and placed my first layer of rock. As the foam hardened I worked my way up, bracing the various stones in place. Once the foam had hardened over night I recoated the edges with the black silicone as my goal is a 100% water tight boundary. Once the silicone begins to skin, I'll add some black aquarium sand to texture it. Then its on to the first water test. Hope to paint the back of the tank black as well to offset the color/texture of the various plants.

So since I know everyone likes photos, here are a few shots of the build getting underway.

The scape begins;


The left side, which will be one of the aragonite holding areas;


The retaining wall/boundary on the right side;


The cottonwood driftwood piece which will become a cave for the salamanders. I've already done some modifying with my skill saw, but appears I have a little more to do;


A piece of cottonwood bark which I hope to incorperate to provide a spot for mounting some miniture orchids;


And a piece of Ponderosa pine that was removed from one of my terrariums that maybe will get added as well;


This is my first fully scaped attempt at a paludarium tank, and I'm open to any and all suggestions on design, fauna, flora, ect, so feel free to jump in and give suggestions or pointers.
 
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#5 · (Edited)
Sanding and Leak Testing

Got some time early this afternoon to go ahead and throw some sand on the silicone;




Also got a chance to leak test - WAHOO! So far so good - can't go all the way yet, cause I still need to get the second bulkhead in and get both of them sealed up;


Pretty stoked that I got it first try!
 
#7 ·
Thanks, I'm pretty pleased so far. Tomorrow I plan to get the bulkheads in place and try out the pump - make sure it works the way I want. Then I'll remove some excess pond foam, and get started on the terrestrial side while I wait for the substrate to arrive.
 
#8 ·
Bulkheads are installed and leak proof - had to make a couple adjustments along the way. Pump works like a charm, creating a nice ripple effect at the top of the water. Overall water level is a little lower than I wanted because of the gap between the top two rocks, so I'll be siliconing in another small rock between the two which should gain me about an inch of water level. I did find when I was able to fill it all the way up that I did have a leak, so I have some holes to plug to get everything water-tight. Redrained and waiting for it to dry out so I can seal holes and add the rock.

Pump is a bit loud on start-up, but quiets down nicely once it gets going. Overall volume of water is about 5 to 6 gallons - and the pump moves about 70 gallons of water per hour. So the turnover should be pretty good. Overall movement isn't quite as much as I'd hoped for however, so I may have to look at some other fish options. Anybody have thoughts on a type that does well at room temperature - maybe White Mountain minnows?

Anybody know anything about ripple tubes? I've seen some people saying they work great and others saying they don't work at all. Curious if anybody has any thoughts.

Terrestrial side should begin going together this afternoon, although I can't really add any dirt till the wall is 100% water-tight, so that will slow me up a little.

I'm figuring on a base of small rock, covered with a sheet of landscape fabric with potting soil on top. I'm still torn between the potting soil or a sand/peatmoss mix as that might allow for incorperation of some carnivours plants. With the salamanders being such diggers though, I'm leaning more heavily toward the potting soil. I'll also be burying a clay pot which will later be filled with bark and provide a spot for the Lady Slipper orchid. I hope to get the terrestrial part covered in moss, anybody have suggestions on type?
 
#9 ·
Well I didn't get a chance to work on the terrestrial scape this afternoon. Didn't get have a chance to finish sealing the wall though, so its going to have to wait a bit.

Been working a bit with this aquascaping article below;
http://www.freshwateraquariumplants.com/aquascapingprinc/aquascaping101.html

Some others have been kind enough to recommend some other plants and fish, so I'll be checking those out as well.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Water System in Action

Ok, finally got all the leaks stopped (knock on wood). Had the system up and running to make sure it was going to perform the way I wanted, so here are a few pictures.


Flow is pretty good - I had to add a rock on the left, as the water was going directly from the inflow to the overflow.


You get a little better sense of the movement from this top down - its coming in on the right, going out on the left, but has to move out to the front and around the end on the left to get to the overflow.


And here's a picture of the canister filter set-up on the back just to give you an idea of what I did. I'll be adding some shut off valves to the tubing when I tear down the tank to paint the back and I'll probably shorten the tubing up a bit as well. Anybody have thoughts on how short I want to go?
 
#11 · (Edited)
Painting the Tank

I used Krylon indoor/outdoor Satin Black to paint both the back wall and the right end wall of the tank. I'm hoping to cover the right hand wall with my bark piece, so didn't want the back side of that visible on the end. I started by setting the tank on cardboard, taping off the plastic rims, and covering parts I didn't want painted with newspaper (sorry about the quality of this shot, didn't realize how hard it is to take and infocus picture of a painted tank, and I only took the one);


The final coat;


I layered quite a few coats on in order to completely cover the glass, but was pleasently surprised by how easily it covered. Being patient and giving plenty of time between coats was key, to getting a nice smooth finish.

And the final product;


If you try this on your own, the only other advice I would give is be careful in taping to keep the tape completely off the glass and when removing the tape be very careful as it may peal the paint. I lost a little around the upper end and then had a really hard time getting it to recover - unfortunately I got a bit of a run on that end as a result.

Now that its painted, I do notice that the paint really makes the scratches and dirtiness really stand out. I don't think I'd paint another one unless it was brand new. I really want to jump in and get the bulkheads back in place and start scaping, but I'm sure I'd mess something up, so I'm going to make myself walk away and wait till later in the weekend or Monday before I do any more.
 
#13 ·
Thank you! So I'm now debating on the terrestrial side as to the soil to use; potting soil or a sand/peat moss mix. I see you are a member of the fraternity of dirt, any thoughts on advantages or disadvantages of soil? Not quite the same, as it won't actually be in the water, but it will be close enough that there is some risk of cross-contamination.
 
#17 ·
Yeah, that is what I read on line and what all my research showed as well. Mine after two years are only about 6" and for some reason they spend all their time in the water side rather then in the terrestrial side of the existing tank. I'm not sure that I have a large enough land area for them, but if it doesn't work out I'll do something different for them, and use this one for something else.
Great work, can't wait to see the final product
Thanks - me either. Hopefully hydrophyte gets the Ion Brick shipped out soon.
 
#16 ·
I like where you are going with this and I have a few comments.

I would be a bit hesitant to use the Ponderosa pine chunk ... I don't know how long you've had it, whether its been kiln dried, sealed, etc. but pines and cedars tend to exhude oils toxic to animals (plants too). Short of sealing the wood, I think it's safer just to steer clear of these woods.

As for substrate, have you considered ABG (Atlanta Botanical Gardens) mix? Many amphibian breeders, especially those who specialize in dart frogs, use ABG as the substrate of choice. It contains a lot of "chunky" material to prevent the substrate from getting compacted and promoting anaerobic decomposition. For a high humidity environment, I would suggest a layer of hydroton or leca, a sheet of weed block or fine mesh, then layered with ABG, and finished with a smattering of dead leaves. I would strongly discourage premixed potting soils unless you get some without added fertilizer, and definitely avoid perlite as it will stick to amphibians and causes impaction if ingested.
 
#18 · (Edited)
I like where you are going with this and I have a few comments.

I would be a bit hesitant to use the Ponderosa pine chunk ... I don't know how long you've had it, whether its been kiln dried, sealed, etc. but pines and cedars tend to exhude oils toxic to animals (plants too). Short of sealing the wood, I think it's safer just to steer clear of these woods.

As for substrate, have you considered ABG (Atlanta Botanical Gardens) mix? Many amphibian breeders, especially those who specialize in dart frogs, use ABG as the substrate of choice. It contains a lot of "chunky" material to prevent the substrate from getting compacted and promoting anaerobic decomposition. For a high humidity environment, I would suggest a layer of hydroton or leca, a sheet of weed block or fine mesh, then layered with ABG, and finished with a smattering of dead leaves. I would strongly discourage premixed potting soils unless you get some without added fertilizer, and definitely avoid perlite as it will stick to amphibians and causes impaction if ingested.
Thanks so much for taking the time to look, but especially for the comments!Appreciate the feedback on the Ponderosa - based on your input I believe I'll pass on that, since it has been treated in none of those ways. Really appreciate the comments on the substrate. I'm off to check on those items now. Everything I read said not to add any thing with added chemicals, so I was assuming that meant all those slow release fertilizers, but wasn't sure. Also very good to know on the perlite as well.Thanks again.
 
#19 · (Edited)
Hardscaping

Well its been so long, I bet you all thought I had given up on this one LOL. Actually the last two months have been spent filling, finding leaks, draining and trying to get them stopped. Finally go the last one sealed off last week and ran the tank for a full 24 hours with no leaks. Here it is after I drained it for what I hope will be the final time, so I could add the hardscape portion of the aquascape. My wet/dry shop vac proved to be a huge asset on this project!


Saturday I was finally able to spend some serious time putting things together. In the initial build stage, I created two pockets in the aquatic portion of the rockwork to provide pockets for aragonite sand.

The right hand pocket near the barrier wall;


And the left hand pocket in the left rear corner;


I used hydrophyte's Ion brick substrate as my base throughout the rest of the aquatic area, sloping it up from the front to the back and from left to right to create a deeper pool in the front left corner. I placed two large pieces of lava rock that contain Rabbits Foot ferns, a piece of driftwood and several larger pieces of larger black river rock into the Ion Brick substrate, and then planted a Ruella plant that I also aquired from Hydrophyte that has outgrown the smaller tank I was keeping it in.


I then covered the remaining ion brick with polished river rock to create a stream bottom look. Here's a shot just after it started to clear-up;


I decided the polished river rock was too uniform in color and size, so I had to make a quick trip to the local hardware store to pick up some additional polished rock of different sized and markings. Removed all the original polished river rock and then added the new and finished with a scattering of the original. Here's a picture of the new look when the water started clearing up;
 
#23 ·
Looks good. Can't wait to see this finished.
Thanks, I'm looking forward to it myself, especially since it means that monstrosity I'm currently using can go away.

Looks fantastic! I have always wanted to build one like that. Hate to say it but what you have there is a Paludarium not a Riparium tho... Ripariums have no land, but regardless of names it looks amazing!
Thank you - yeah that whole name thing LOL, I waivered considerably on that from a vivarium to paludarium to riparium to vivaquarium. Finally I just picked one. After spending some more time researching, I reached pretty much the same conclusion you did, in that paludarium is most likely the correct name. But alas, a little too late for my title.

It does look fantastic! You're going to have a great home for your salamanders. Have you decided on what mix you will be using on the right side?

Looking forward to seeing your updates!
Thanks - the current mix plan on the right is Earth-Gro topsoil and reconstituted coco fiber in a 50/50 mix. I looked for the ABL, but nobody in the area carries it. On the Caudata site they indicated the Earth-Gro (available at Home Depot) will also work.
 
#27 ·
Looks fantastic! I have always wanted to build one like that. Hate to say it but what you have there is a Paludarium not a Riparium tho... Ripariums have no land, but regardless of names it looks amazing!
Interesting! I tried to change the title, and while it shows in the editer that it is changed, it doesn't change it on the site. Oh well, not the end of the world.
 
#26 ·
Is GE II safe for riparium animals? I know some report having issues with fish when using it.
Personally, I think this is one of those topics that will be debated till the end of time LOL, but here is my personal take on it. All GE type II is not created equal. I have tubes of GE II that say 100% silicon and say nothing about mold or mildew resistence in clear, white, and black. I also have tubes of GE II that say mold and mildew resistant on them (usually labeled as indoor/outdoor). I also have tubes of aquarium silicon and GE type I (in the same colors) that say 100% silicon and nothing about mold or mildew resistance. So long as its 100% silicon, it should be aquarium safe although if you read the tubes, they all say not aquarium safe (except the aquarium silicon). I've never had any issues with type I or type II so long as its the 100% silicon and not the mold or mildew resistant version.
 
#25 · (Edited)
Filtration

With the tank in its final placement, I was able to complete the plumbing on the filtration system. All the attachments to the bulkheads are plastic and the hose attachments to the bulkheads are locked in place with plastic locks. Here's what it looks like top-down;


I seeded the ZooMed 501 with a sponge and material from the aquaclear filter on my bog tank. Even with the added filter materials, the filter still pushes a pretty good current;


The overflow is hidden behind the permant rock structure in the back left corner, and both the overflow elbow and the overflow strainer is black so without looking very carefully, you can't even see it. The return on the other hand as you can see in the above picture is very visible, so I had to hid it under a rock;


After running for two days, the pH is testing a just above 6.5, which while in the range of the acceptable is still lower than I prefer, so I won't be adding anything living beyond those few plants for a bit yet.
 
#28 ·
awesome build so far!
i'd very much like to see your current "ghetto setup" for the salamanders- sounds intriguing xD
are your salamanders wild-caught?

only one problem i saw-
on the initial post, under "vertebrates," you had crayfish...
crayfish are inverts too :p

but really, this is something i'd like to do in the future... subscribing!

EDIT: why not add something to raise the pH (not chemical, natural... something calcium? limestone, maybe?) to the water?
 
#30 · (Edited)
awesome build so far!
i'd very much like to see your current "ghetto setup" for the salamanders- sounds intriguing xD
are your salamanders wild-caught?

only one problem i saw-
on the initial post, under "vertebrates," you had crayfish...
crayfish are inverts too :p

but really, this is something i'd like to do in the future... subscribing!

EDIT: why not add something to raise the pH (not chemical, natural... something calcium? limestone, maybe?) to the water?
Thats easy enough. Here's a picture of the old ghetto set-up from the exterior;


And here's a shot of the interior;


Good catch on the crayfish LOL - I fixed it (I think).

In regards to the pH, I'm hoping the two pockets of aragonite sand will accomplish just that. Under low pH, the aragonite should dissolve and raise the pH. Devin indicated that the Ion brick will cause the pH to lower for the first week or so, so I'm hoping the effect is only temperary.
 
#29 ·
very unique build, lookin forward to seein it progress :)

I do have a couple questions. how do you intend on maintaining water level with your inflow there? just seems like a couple days evap and you could be suckin air, but maybe you've added something I'm not seein or maybe I'm just seein it wrong. Also, what's your main water source? I've been tryin to figure out ways to lower my pH since I live in a hard water area..

You mentioned orchids earlier, sounds sweet! still plannin on that?

Good luck with the rest, I'll be watchin :hihi:
 
#31 ·
very unique build, lookin forward to seein it progress :)

I do have a couple questions. how do you intend on maintaining water level with your inflow there? just seems like a couple days evap and you could be suckin air, but maybe you've added something I'm not seein or maybe I'm just seein it wrong. Also, what's your main water source? I've been tryin to figure out ways to lower my pH since I live in a hard water area..

You mentioned orchids earlier, sounds sweet! still plannin on that?

Good luck with the rest, I'll be watchin :hihi:
Thank you for looking and for your comments.

Right now my current plan is to install a misting system using a pump and 1/4" tubing. I'm currently monitoring water evap to get some idea of how often that pump will have to kick on in order to maintain the water level. What I'm not sure of is if I can balance the tanks need for water with that of the terrestrial side to dry out and not be water-logged. It may end up having to be dual system of some sort.

My main water source is tap water, which around here typically has a pH of 7. You might want to consider purchasing bottled water or installing a RO system. Personally I would not use RO/DI in a freshwater system.

As far as the orchids, they are definitely still in the plan. There will be a Lady Slipper orchid in the terrestrial portion and I hope to place several miniture hanging varieties as well. That large hole in the top of my piece of driftwood is hopefully going to work well for one placement and I hope to get a couple of others on the piece of cottonwood bark.
 
#32 · (Edited)
The soon to be Inhabitants

My two Tiger Salamanders, I believed one to be Ambystoma tigrinum melanostictum or the Blotched Tiger salamander and the other to be Ambystoma tigrinum tigrinum or the Eastern Tiger salamander. Both are females, so at some time in the future if I hope to breed, I would have to aquire a male. That is not currently in the plans.


Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum)
Tiger salamanders are a large, robust salamander that is a member of the mole salamander family. Adults average 6 to 8 inches in length, although individuals up to 12 inches have been found. Distrubuted nearly coast to coast in North America, it is the only salamander native to the state of Wyoming. There are currently 6 recognized subspecies found throughout its range. Adults have distinct bars or splotches on a black, brown, or olive green background (although all black individuals also occur), while the larva lack the yellow bars and are a brown, grey or olive color. The larval form which is gilled is sometimes referred to as a waterdog or mudpuppy.

Habitat: Tiger salamanders require a moist environment in order to prevent desiccation. The adult form is primarily terrestrial and are found in forests, grasslands or marshes. They typically inhabit burrows or reside under leaf litter, but are also good swimmers. During the breeding season (late May to August), they return to shallow water to breed. Eggs adhere to submerged vegetation singly or in clusers up to 20. Larva are aquatic and have gills on their head which appear feathery in the water. Transformation from larva to adult can take anywhere from two months to two years.

Niche: Strict carnivores, the adults feeds primarily on insects and worms, although they may also occassionally consume small frogs or baby mice. the larve form feeds on aquatic invertebrates when small, but can become predacious and sometimes even cannibalistic when larger.

Breeding: Breeding occurs in the water in late May to August, with the male nudging a willing female to initiate mating. Females deposite an egg or egg sack during a mating dance, and the male then deposites a spermatophore. The female picks up the fertilized pack and adheres it to the underside of submerged vegetation.

Disease: Tiger salamanders typically carry both the Ambystoma tigrinum and the Regina ranavirus viruses, and both have been implicated in large scale die-offs of these animals. Batrachochytrium dendrobatides infections can also occur, but are typically not lethal. They can also carry salmonella bacteria, so care should be exercised after handling these animals.

Here is a link to a great care sheet write-up that was done for these if anyone is interested;
Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) Care Sheet

And here is a link to a great video series on identifying, buying, keeping, sexing, and building habitats for tiger salamanders for anyone who is interested;
Video: Types of Salamanders | eHow.com
 
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