JackBinimbul
Aquarium Advice Freak
Hey, everyone. I'm brand new to the entire idea of aquariums, so please forgive me complete ignorance.
I . . . have a dream. It's likely untenable. It's probably unreasonable. It certainly shouldn't be tackled by someone with as little knowledge as I have. And yet, here we are!
I love the idea of a paludarium. There, I said it. I'm not ashamed! Problem is, I've been doing research for weeks and am more confused now than ever. I grabbed a 20L tank to dabble with and get my feet proverbially wet. If I can't manage that much, then I know it's not for me.
So here's my confusion on circulation and filtration; I see that a lot of people recommend drilling the tank low and putting in a bulkhead. Since there's a false bottom involved and land substrate and all that. I see people also recommend an external, canister filter. It's the combination of these things that has me confused.
Is it best to hook the intake for the canister to the bulkhead? I also want a water feature that goes from the land portion back to the water. Would this be the best place for the canister output or would it be best to use a separate pump for this?
I plan to use some sort of filter media such as LECA, activated carbon or matala in conjunction with or to serve as the false bottom. This way, water that goes through the land portion will seep into the "water table". Is this a terrible idea? I will also have live plants on both the land and water portions.
I know that filtration is paramount for this sort of project, so I want to make sure I get it right.
I . . . have a dream. It's likely untenable. It's probably unreasonable. It certainly shouldn't be tackled by someone with as little knowledge as I have. And yet, here we are!
I love the idea of a paludarium. There, I said it. I'm not ashamed! Problem is, I've been doing research for weeks and am more confused now than ever. I grabbed a 20L tank to dabble with and get my feet proverbially wet. If I can't manage that much, then I know it's not for me.
So here's my confusion on circulation and filtration; I see that a lot of people recommend drilling the tank low and putting in a bulkhead. Since there's a false bottom involved and land substrate and all that. I see people also recommend an external, canister filter. It's the combination of these things that has me confused.
Is it best to hook the intake for the canister to the bulkhead? I also want a water feature that goes from the land portion back to the water. Would this be the best place for the canister output or would it be best to use a separate pump for this?
I plan to use some sort of filter media such as LECA, activated carbon or matala in conjunction with or to serve as the false bottom. This way, water that goes through the land portion will seep into the "water table". Is this a terrible idea? I will also have live plants on both the land and water portions.
I know that filtration is paramount for this sort of project, so I want to make sure I get it right.