Anyone ever try a Half water- half Terrarium...

[foxtrot1027]

I turned my spare 10 gallon into a half water half land setup. So far so good. Upstairs I put a pair of fire belly toads and downstairs(under water) 4 cherry barbs and some tetras. Everyone seems happy. Threw in some anacharis and Red Ludwigia under water. Up top I planted some philodendrum in sphagum moss. Did have to seal up the hood with some plastic strips after one Toad took a trip to the carpet. Anyone else have similar luck with this setup?

[Enki]

There have been a few threads about these, this one has some nice pics:

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=13931

It is one of the many tank types I would love to try. My [acronym:766664ca6e="Local Fish Store"]LFS[/acronym:766664ca6e] has one that is BEAUTIFUL! has been going for 6-7 years they said, really nice.

[jratuszn]

I've got a mostly water paludarium setup with africans and fiddler crabs. I planted philodendrons, an umbrella tree, and some random bromeliads up top, and I barely need to change my water. There are some (outdated) pics in my gallery.

Good luck-

-J

[Capt.Gorilla]

My [acronym:01378ffaa1="Local Fish Store"]lfs[/acronym:01378ffaa1] is full of half anf half set ups, some even have newts/fish.


I used to have a paddle tailed salamander with my goldies (he got to about 2 inches of body and 3 of tail), he looked exactly like a firebelly newt but bigger.

unfortunatly he made under the old [acronym:01378ffaa1="Under Gravel Filter"]UGF[/acronym:01378ffaa1] his home (yuck) then after a few years he dissappeared (climbed out).

[Madame_X]

I'd love to try something like this for some fiddler crabs. Every time I get a [acronym:0a8d022a6d="quarantine or quart depending on context"]QT[/acronym:0a8d022a6d] tank set aside, it drives me crazy to have it just sit!

Next thing ya know, I'll be in the double-digits (number of tanks).

[Bluefrog]

Bearfan, your paludarium is great. I have an extra 10 gallon that I'm thinking about doing something similar with. I have two 1 gallon betta bowls, and I'm thinking about getting rid of one, and putting one of the bettas in the water, and getting one or two anoles for the land. I used to live in Florida, and as a kid, I had two anoles in a terrarium. They laid eggs and we had a couple babies! It was fun. I was trying to think if anything could be substituted for the major part of rocks that would keep down the weight on the thing. I guess I need to do some research, I have too many questions....

[foxtrot1027]

I tried the fiddler crab idea. My wife found him dried up on the bathroom floor. No more escape artist's for me. Thank goodness I found the fire belly toad next to the cats water bowl before she did( the wife or the cat for that matter).

[Bearfan]

Originally Posted by Bluefrog

Bearfan, your paludarium is great. I have an extra 10 gallon that I'm thinking about doing something similar with.

Thank You!

Originally Posted by Bluefrog

I have two 1 gallon betta bowls, and I'm thinking about getting rid of one, and putting one of the bettas in the water, and getting one or two anoles for the land.

One thing to think about is how the fish will react to the natural waste and other "Slime" from the other critters. I have Fire Bellied Toads, so I had to make sure that whatever fish I got (SAEs, Pristella Tetras) would be hardy enough to survive.

Originally Posted by Bluefrog

I used to live in Florida, and as a kid, I had two anoles in a terrarium. They laid eggs and we had a couple babies! It was fun.

My toads keep trying, but I think they are all male.

Originally Posted by Bluefrog

I was trying to think if anything could be substituted for the major part of rocks that would keep down the weight on the thing.

What you can do (as opposed to my method of filling it up with gravel) would be to buy a tupperware container, or manufacture something similar, that could be coated with silicone and then covered with sand or rock to take up most of the space. This would cut down on rock, and would look solid if you covered the container fully.

Originally Posted by Bluefrog

I guess I need to do some research, I have too many questions....

I still have questions every day, and so does everyone else, so feel free to post them and tap on the resources this community provides. With over 3000 members, somebody probably has been there before.

Check out this site on a paludrium this gentleman build:

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/palud...aludarium.html

It's on a much larger scale (55 or 75g best I can recall), but he shares a great deal of advice. His turned out beautifully. Has a waterfall and everything. Very creative.

Been wanting to build one for months. I think this is going to be my next project.

[foxtrot1027]

You are exactly right about keeping weight down. I used plexiglas and glued stone to it with aquarium silicone and then put sphagum moss and gravel over the exposed parts. Also i left the hollow areas under the plexiglass accessible via a small opening so the fish would have a place to hide out . Ill post some pictures if I can.