55 gallon african paludarium

[Amitas]

I am going to start a 55 gallon african rainforest themed paludarium, and wanted some advice for stocking

I defiantly want an african butterfly fish
(Pantadon bachholzi)

But as far as the other things I'm not sure

Any reptiles, insects, amphibians, crustaceans, Decapods, or fish are good. Let me know if you have any advice

 

[Wy Renegade]

Africa is awe fully large area, are you going to narrow it down a bit to a particular river system or lake area?

 

[Amitas]

I'm not going to be that specific with this one, just like the jungle and river systems

 

[MojoDaRott]

Will there be a land feature. And how many gallons will be water. Palaudrums can be made many ways. Look around to get general idea of layout. Then throw out some ideas and we can suggest how to help you along. Palaudrums are very enjoyable and will be less stressful if done right the first time.

What do fish say when they hit a wall? ...... Dam!

 

[Amitas]

Right now the plan is too have the back and right side wall, a 3D simulated stone background with 1/3 or the footprint on the right side being the land section which will have a waterfall for aeration which creates a stream running to the main water section, so that minimum current in the main water section is achieved. There will be drift wood in the main aquatic, as well as vines and other perches in the "tree canopy" it will be planted so plenty of cover will be provided

The current water design comes out to about 15 gallons in the main aquatic display area, however the entire water table and filtration will be more like 30 gallons.

 

[Wy Renegade]

Sounds like a fun project, you will have to post pictures as you go. Unfortunately 15 gallons is not a lot of water. Despite having additional water in the system, you have to stick with the 15 gallons, as this is the inhabitatal space you have to work with. African Butterfly are actually recommended to keep in 30 gallons. I would consider doing some revising to your design and see if you can't increase your water area if your goal is to keep these fish. If you can get your pool area up around 30 gallons, then you increase your fish options significantly.

 

[Amitas]

I will post pictures through the whole project, as far as the african butterfly goes, I should of mentioned that the water is going to be fairly shallow, so the surface area of the main aquatic section will be about the same as a 30 gallon aquarium.
Debating on what else I decide to put within the paludarium, I will adjust the habitat.

 

[Wy Renegade]

If you were going with a bigger volume of water, I would suggest some Congo tetras and some Krib cichlids, but that only works if you are going to have about 30 gallons. For what you are working with, I would look into some of the smaller tetras.

 

[MojoDaRott]

Sounds like you have a good vision of what you want. The layouts are endless. That is why its better to have plenty of sketches, notes, and a solid plan before starting the build. Are you thinking of land animals too. Keep us updated on progress.

What do fish say when they hit a wall? ...... Dam!

 

[Amitas]

Yeah I haven't completely decided what though. I would like to have a chameleon (or a male and female pair), some small tree frogs, a giant african millipede, a couple newts, and then maybe some other large insects that will not get eaten.

If you guys have any ideas on these, that would be greatly appreciated. I should be getting the tank and stand this week, then I have to order in all the equipment, but once it comes in, I can get started.

 

[bribo12]

Yeah I haven't completely decided what though. I would like to have a chameleon (or a male and female pair), some small tree frogs, a giant african millipede, a couple newts, and then maybe some other large insects that will not get eaten.

If you guys have any ideas on these, that would be greatly appreciated. I should be getting the tank and stand this week, then I have to order in all the equipment, but once it comes in, I can get started.

Please don't mix herps. If they don't eat each other, they can spread diseases. Mixing is a poor idea. Chameleons will not work, they're highly specialized animals that require vented tanks so they don't get all sorts of respiratory diseases. Your best bet would be some type of tree frogs. Your tank is not large enough for mixing species.

 

[Wy Renegade]

Agreed, I would say that you need to figure out your design, then figure our what space you are actually going to have available and from there figure out what you want to include. You would need a considerably larger tank than you are getting to house all the critters you named off.

 

[Amitas]

Okay, I wasn't sure so I won't go with chameleons. Are their any frogs you would suggest?

I'm considering shying away slightly from the african theme for a couple of the animals but haven't decided yet.

As far as the design goes, I always deign the habitat to fit the needs of the animals, so I am trying to get a list of livestock first

 

[bribo12]

If you don't want to go complete African on the frogs you could do red eyes or milky tree frogs

 

[Amitas]

I am considering adding a screened in frame section to go on top of the tank, to make the habitat larger, any ideas or opinions?

 

[MojoDaRott]

Im sure you could build a section. Just keep the lighting in mind. May not grow well towards bottom. But small addition is probably possible.

What do fish say when they hit a wall? ...... Dam!

 

[Amitas]

I would build it to where it is a canopy on post where the screen section is in between the post, with access doors on the front.

As far as lighting I am considering three of these fixtures http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=6016+6028+19109+23490&pcatid=23490

With three night bulbs, and three day ones do you think that would provide enough heat and light?

 

[Dwarriors65]

You could do newts or salamanders and you can do a tree frog

 

[Dwarriors65]

Also check out African dwarf frogs and African clawed frogs

 

[MojoDaRott]

The idea is doable. But i would start with 2 day bulbs and 2 night bulbs and see what temperatures do.

What do fish say when they hit a wall? ...... Dam!