[Bananableps]

Hey guys.

What could comfortably live in a setup like this:

I started the sketch because I thought it would be really nice to keep a shallow pool of Ludwigia sedioides (pictured below) by a window. Then I threw in a little shore, but I didn't know what to do with the false bottom, so I made it a bookshelf. I plan on making this, or something like this, after I move to a new place.

I'm a city dweller: efficient use of space is essential for me. Also, windows aren't very plentiful. That's why this habitat is so shallow: it can't block the window.

As for inhabitants, all I've been able to think of so far are freshwater crabs. I would love for this to be brackish water, but then I couldn't keep the Ludwigia sedioides. The greatest limitation here is the tank height: no escape artists! I have no interest in putting a cover over this thing. It has to be open to the room.


EDIT: For your convenience, I have added some photos of Ludwigia sedioides, also known as the mosaic plant, below.

 

[scapegoat]

That is awesome.

No real fauna recommendations... Just a sweet idea

 

[Aplomado]

Shrimp would be great... most terrestrial critters would probably easily escape.

Great idea! Looks challenging.

 

[jmf3460]

ive never even heard of Ludwigia sedioides I just googled it and wow it is beautiful. you would have to keep it trimmed am I right so that it doesn't shade out your undergrowth.

I agree with Aplomado, a huge colony of CRS would look amazing in there.

 

[Bananableps]

That is awesome.

No real fauna recommendations... Just a sweet idea

Hey thanks! I appreciate it.

Shrimp would be great... most terrestrial critters would probably easily escape.

Great idea! Looks challenging.

Thank you! Oh I will certainly add shrimp in addition to any other inhabitants. They're very entertaining, and they make a great cleanup crew.

ive never even heard of Ludwigia sedioides I just googled it and wow it is beautiful. you would have to keep it trimmed am I right so that it doesn't shade out your undergrowth.

I agree with Aplomado, a huge colony of CRS would look amazing in there.

Isn't it? And meh, I sort of pictured the carpet fading from the edges, until it disappeared completely under the shade of the floating plants in the center. I might have to leave the center unplanted, or maybe only stocked with low light plants. It depends on whether there is a backing to the tank in order to allow sunlight from the sides.

Not a big CRS fan. Not very natural looking. I'm all about the ghost shrimp.

 

[ChadRamsey]

great idea.

i suggest crabs. like vampires.

or amphibians

 

[AshNeon93]

This space is for oats, only oats can go here.

 

[jmf3460]

if you like ghost shrimp, try some amanos. they will help clean algae and look really cool. that and some ottos maybe one or two cool plecos would be nice, because with no co2 and that much sunlight (depending on which direction your window faces) you are going to run into algae problems if you don't have plenty of algae eaters.

 

[Tyrone]

I love the idea! I would really like to see this come to life!

I'd say some nice species of CRS would be nice. But not sure if the water parameters for the ludwigia sedioides would agree.

 

[Bananableps]

great idea.
i suggest crabs. like vampires.
or amphibians

I was thinking crabs, but they're supposed to be very good at escaping. I suppose if I was very careful about not having anything too close to the glass for them to climb on, I could make this an open top crab tank.

Amphibians are a maybe. They're sort of delicate, and many of them are "escape artists" (see above). I don't know if it would be good to have amphibians in an open top tank in my living room. I believe the humidity and temperature of a residence changes too frequently to allow this.

This space is for oats, only oats can go here.

This.

if you like ghost shrimp, try some amanos. they will help clean algae and look really cool. that and some ottos maybe one or two cool plecos would be nice, because with no co2 and that much sunlight (depending on which direction your window faces) you are going to run into algae problems if you don't have plenty of algae eaters.

As I understand it, sunlight tanks don't have out of control algae if you have the right plants and no additional lighting. This would effectively be an indoor pond.

I would get amano shrimp if I found a captive bred source. I'm not too hot on reducing wild stocks. They would certainly be a great addition if I gave up on having Ludwigia sedioides and committed to brackish water.

 

[Fishumms]

Crabs are very good at escaping. Have you thought about African Dwarf Frogs? Kind of un-exotic, but if they have a lot of places to hide I think they are more active in shallower enclosures with a larger footprint. In the wild they spend the dry season in basically small sandy puddles or pools so they enjoy wider shallower areas. I would also suggest some snails like Apple Snails. In a set up like that they will actually come out of the water and forage in the shore areas and a little on land. They aren't as good at climbing out of the water so they probably wouldn't escape but you will find them all over the land area. Also, they sometimes dig in to the terrestrial soil and disappear for a few months, I guess hibernating. I had a similar set up on a balcony. For awhile I had apple snails and a Betta in it, but eventually I put in Firebelly toads and I had to add a screen.

 

[jmf3460]

[/QUOTE]They would certainly be a great addition if I gave up on having Ludwigia sedioides and committed to brackish water.[/QUOTE]

Why do you say this?

 

[denske]

Amano shrimp only breed in brackish water.

 

[CAPSLOK]

What about fire belly newts? Depending on the temps involved.

 

[Bananableps]

Crabs are very good at escaping. Have you thought about African Dwarf Frogs?... I would also suggest some snails like Apple Snails.

Do you think they could survive in an open top setup? Does their land area need high humidity?

What about fire belly newts? Depending on the temps involved.

Yeah, again, this thing is open top in a living room. I'll most likely be living in a pre-war building, so temperature fluctuations in the terrestrial component of this setup are to be expected.

 

[Gnomecatcher]

As long as there are areas of moisture, newts should be fine. Just make sure the sides of the tank are a sufficient height because they can climb a little. This would be a cool set up for them! Don't heat the water, though. They are cold water amphibians.

 

[Michael M]

I would do fire bellied toads but add something to prevent them from getting out. They can certainly escape tanks without lids, if you had a lip to prevent them from climbing out it could work though. Most amphibians will try to leave the tank at some point given half a chance, even newts, as will crabs.

 

[Fishumms]

I have both fire belly toads and newts and I think without a top you are asking for escape. African dwarf frogs do not require a heater and will be fine with indoor temps even if they fluctuate a little, I would think below 60F would not be good for them though, but they will not leave the water, at least I never experienced that in the 4-5 years I kept them. The snails don't seem to need any humidity, they survive fine in my outdoor pond.

 

[Aplomado]

I think any amphibian will climb out pretty quick.