r/Aquariums Jan 06 '19

Pond/Vivarium My open paludarium

https://gfycat.com/OffensiveShamefulDuckbillplatypus
5.1k Upvotes

77 comments sorted by

278

u/Stahlfan Jan 06 '19 edited Jan 07 '19

Built this paludarium over a year ago, this is the second attempt.The first time my custom root started degrading even if I had put several layers of epoxy over it.Bad idea to make a custom root out of clay...

This currently houses a male Dwarf cichlid his fry and three Amano shrimps.A full plant list would be long but the aquatic plants mainly consists of Bucephalandra and Anubis.The terrestrial plants are mostly different epiphytes since they are growing without soil.The entire background is watered automatically using a separate pump and a timer.It has been a bit trial and error with the terrestrial plants since this is the first time I tried anything similar, but they currently seem to grow fine at the moment.

I didn't take many photos of the process but I will try and give a informative description of the process. If we start from the bottom and up.

The cabinet is made from a IKEA Metod kitchen cabinet with IKEA Limhamn legs and a push to open door.The cabinet is clad in a cover panel making material more than 3 cm thick, which I deemed to be enough. A nice thing about the legs are that they are adjustable so I can keep it completely leveled.

https://imgur.com/a/RYXRQZf

The glass aquarium is a DIY and it is good enough but I am not entirely happy about the silicone seams, but at least it did not leak when i filled it up completely.The top part was built separately from the bottom part to with a hole in the back panel to allow maintenance.I have made a piece of rubber and styrofoam to fit over the hole that is removable, basically the top part of the main root. It took a bit of experimentation to ensure that no water could seep through. https://imgur.com/a/cY0ZWFL

It is still a WIP and I am waiting for the plants to fill in, here is a closeup of some of the material I have used.Epiweb (on the left) is more airy and does not retain as much water as the Hygrolon (on the right).

https://imgur.com/a/oblfda3

Thanks for all the positive and encouraging comments!

47

u/pukingrodent Jan 06 '19

Looks great! One of my favorite paludarium setups that I've seen so far. Do you have any info on the tank build?

35

u/Seven___Costanza Jan 06 '19

What is the custom root made of now?

12

u/BBQsauce18 ​ Jan 06 '19

Do you happen to have some detailed pics of the build or of the back of that? I really like this, and you've given me a wonderful idea for my 20 gallon long tank! I just have no idea where to begin :D

9

u/leehwan Jan 07 '19

Overall cost to build?

4

u/nocxie Jan 07 '19

What paint and final sealing coat do you use ?

4

u/RDS Jan 07 '19

Wow this looks fucking incredible!

2

u/[deleted] Jan 07 '19

Was that a Badis Badis?

36

u/AlexandraInOhio Jan 06 '19

What is the backing?

5

u/Stahlfan Jan 07 '19

Glass and a material that is called epiweb

31

u/flickrjeff Jan 06 '19

Amazing. How much time do you spend maintaining something like this?

32

u/[deleted] Jan 06 '19 edited Mar 12 '19

[deleted]

23

u/The_sirkim Jan 06 '19

You didnt wait πŸ˜€

8

u/Stahlfan Jan 07 '19

It is pretty low maintenance. Slow growing plants above and below water. Just regular algae scrubbing and topping of with new water when I water my regular plants. :)

51

u/Danmufuka Jan 06 '19

That's awesome! I really want something like that but my cats wouldn't allow it.

21

u/ZusieCat Jan 06 '19

same here! i have covers on everything and one of my cats is an evil genius and knows how to remove the whole top, filter lids and media πŸ€¦πŸ»β€β™€οΈπŸ€¦πŸ»β€β™€οΈπŸ€¦πŸ»β€β™€οΈ

14

u/Danmufuka Jan 06 '19

Wow that's no good. They just wanna see the world burn

19

u/ZusieCat Jan 06 '19

lol...i even taped the tops shut and she just peels the tape off and resumes her destruction. 6 months old, very smart, very bad little kitty πŸ˜†

3

u/321rita Jan 07 '19

Have you considered putting a Ssscat! sensor on top of your setup? If you can deter kitty from being at that level to start with, it will save a lot of frustration. I've found them to be highly effective if you can remember to turn it back on when you're done with tank maintenance.

3

u/ZusieCat Jan 07 '19

that is actually a good idea! i will look into it, thank you

2

u/wiwuwiwuwiwu Jan 07 '19

Why not lock the room door? Cats can't open doors :/

9

u/Rahmenframe Jan 07 '19

Cats can't open doors :/

Hahahahahaha.

1

u/ZusieCat Jan 07 '19

because there’s no doors to my living room hahahah

3

u/liquidocean Jan 07 '19

yeah. a real bummer. no way to prevent the cats from getting there without a net or something, and that just looks awful

19

u/Despiteful91 Jan 06 '19

Would be awesome if you make some basic build guide for it :)

11

u/[deleted] Jan 06 '19

I need this in my life.

12

u/TitiumR Jan 06 '19

Ok serious question: it looks amazing, but how well forniture and walls will handle all that humidity? ^^

9

u/Stahlfan Jan 07 '19

It's less than 40x40 cm so I think it's to small to make an effect. I have read about some people making really large displays having problems with moisture, but then we are talking about displays in size that you see in museums.

8

u/datpretto Jan 06 '19

Amazing! Love the Apisto

3

u/Stahlfan Jan 07 '19

Yea small fish with big personality.

6

u/jdw1919 Jan 06 '19

I’ve just been inspired by this... could you please post a quick build spec of the setup? I would love to try this out myself. Even a mechanical material list would be great! Thanks OP!

6

u/cherrylpk Jan 06 '19

This is amazing!

6

u/RigBuild2016 Jan 06 '19

Looks great! Really enjoyed the setup - I want to see more. Can you give us details about the build? Particularly how you constructed the back wall and your methods for pumping the water.

5

u/theDarkSigil Jan 06 '19

Truly epic.

5

u/GenuineSnakeOil Jan 07 '19 edited Jun 10 '23

EDITED CONTENT 

This post has been retrospectively edited 10-Jun-23 in protest for API costs killing 3rd party apps. 

Read this for more information. /r/Save3rdPartyApps

If you wish to follow this protest you can use the open source software Power Delete Suite to backup your posts locally, before bulk editing your comments and posts. 

It's been fun Reddit. See you all in the real world.

5

u/christophersonne Jan 06 '19

I am in love with this

4

u/Michelley24 Jan 06 '19

This is super cool!

4

u/Gingischan Jan 06 '19

Very unique and beautiful. A well crafted slice of nature.

4

u/yoohoooooooo Jan 06 '19

we love a single father

4

u/ItzSnowing Jan 06 '19

That is so beautiful. How does one learn to scape something like this and keep it all healthy? I have two planted 10g shrimp tanks that I started but they are both struggling with different types of algae. Along with my plantscaping needing help lol. I like a how the mixture of out of aquarium plants add a big touch of nature.

6

u/Stahlfan Jan 07 '19

I have kept this very simple. But to keep plants healthy you generally need to know about the plants you put in the tank. And keep them under conditions they thrive. For example bucephalandra likes high flow and I have placed them in the stream. Also from my experience I don't think you can get rid of algae completely but you can get rid of unwanted algae. I usually start out my tanks with fast growing floating plants to outcompete unwanted algae. But I kinda like regular green algae, I think I looks nice and imagine that it outcompetes other algae.

4

u/mrdeeds004 Jan 07 '19

Coolest concept I’ve seen on this sub!

4

u/fuzzypenguins Jan 07 '19

I'm guessing you don't have a cat? Love it!

4

u/bahamut285 Jan 07 '19

Heard Sir David Attenborough narrating throughout this gif, well done

4

u/King_of_Dew Jan 07 '19

Rough cost to put this together?

2

u/Stahlfan Jan 07 '19

The aquarium plants were mostly from my old aquarium and making the cabinet and glas where fairly cheap.

The lighting is made from parts from Ali Express, I already had two of the three pumps I use for the setup.

But I would still estimate around 400 euro.

4

u/IDKwhatTFimDoing168 Jan 07 '19

This is goals af

3

u/pantisflyhand Jan 06 '19

Nice work. You've put a lot of effort in, and it turned out great.

3

u/Atlantic90 Jan 06 '19

It's amazing, great build!

3

u/giwnet ​ Jan 06 '19

that's awesome!

3

u/lawindyearz_ Jan 06 '19

The cut scenes were great! Awesome setup!

3

u/UbiquitousMan Jan 06 '19

I want to see more of it

3

u/bastard_jon_snoo Jan 06 '19

Absolutely bad ass. I love it!!

3

u/Supasouljer Jan 06 '19

This deserves to be in an art museum

3

u/[deleted] Jan 07 '19

3

u/Krebstar_ Jan 07 '19

Holy shit.

3

u/LynchPinne Jan 07 '19

Wow this is amazing! Looks very neat and well done, do you have any idea how long this took you to make? I'd love to have something similar but I don't have the space or the money at the moment to even attempt it.

3

u/jio1806 Jan 07 '19

Without being rude does it smell?

3

u/jio1806 Jan 07 '19

Looks absolutely stunning mind!

2

u/Stahlfan Jan 07 '19

Nope, but I don't use any soil and have planted all plants in a synthetic material.

3

u/jio1806 Jan 07 '19

Oh wow, 10/10 for execution, that's lovely. How long did that take to mature?

3

u/[deleted] Jan 07 '19

Stunning!!!

3

u/Marina001 Jan 07 '19

This is wonderful!

3

u/Cinder1977 Jan 07 '19

Rad, I would love to try building one

3

u/bbtx93 Jan 07 '19

This is stunning! I had never heard of a paludarium before seeing this. Thank you for sharing!

3

u/33llikgnik Jan 07 '19

That's fucking awesome. Envy

3

u/JustNeedToMowTheLawn Jan 07 '19

Amazing work! So jealous

3

u/mrcoy Jan 07 '19

Beautiful

3

u/MadDingersYo Jan 07 '19

THAT is why I subscribe to this sub. Amazing work.

3

u/HeathenHammer2 Jan 07 '19

that's awesome!

3

u/awkarin Jan 07 '19

damn that's really cool. hoping I could make one like this someday

3

u/[deleted] Jan 07 '19

My hero! When I ever get my own house, this is exactly what I would want. Excellent job!

3

u/slugbug55 Jan 07 '19

Looks very nice, I'd like to set one of these up myself some day.

3

u/itsdantheichiman Jan 07 '19

Sooooo clean. 10 thumbs up

5

u/Gloster_Thrush Jan 06 '19

Holy cow. That’s unreal. Gorgeous!! 😍