Starting a plaudarium

[Blueyedbombshel]

My husband and I have a dream to start a plaudarium (half vivarium half aquarium.) It is not something we plan on starting right away but sometime in the near future. I have started doing some research.

He loves poison dart frogs, so naturally my first thought was to do an amazon biotype. I want to do apistos or rams and pencils or hatchetfish.

For the vivarium part I want to do a species of dwarf poison frogs. I have seen some setups as little as 20 gallons, but with the type of fish and set up I'm considering, I am thinking no less than 30-40 gallons. For the land part I want to do the egg crate method with plenty of airplants, orchids, and possibly a corkbark wall.

Does anyone have any experience with a poison dart frogs in a plaudarium? I have experience keeping the fish in regular aquaria.

I have attached pictures of some of my ideas for your viewing pleasures!!

Please comment with your thoughts


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

[bribo12]

Those aren't suitable for darts. A paludarium is honestly a poor setup for darts. Depending on the species you will want as much land as possible. They will drown in to deep of water. Do you have any amphibian experience? Certain darts like the genus raintomeya are more arboreal but I wouldn't even do them in a paludarium.

I have a pair of D. tinctorius "Brazilian yellowheads" in a 20 long. Are you willing to culture flies? When you say dwarf what genus are you referring to? Raintomeya, Oophaga?

Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

[Blueyedbombshel]

Hi there, no amphibian experience. I am a noob at poison darts so I have been doing a lot of research before I make any decisions on the setup/stocking.


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

[bribo12]

Originally Posted by Blueyedbombshel

Hi there, no amphibian experience. I am a noob at poison darts so I have been doing a lot of research before I make any decisions on the setup/stocking.


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

Yes lots of research!! Dendroboard is great for darts as a forum. I'd get your feet wet with a vivarium for one of the easier species of darts like D. tinctorius and it's morphs, D. leucomelas, D. auruatus, Or the Phyllobates genus. Getting them food in a paludarium could be a bit tricky. And like I said darts are poor swimmers and can drown quite easily.


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

[Rhiann]

I love your idea! Those example pictures are really inspiring. Please share what kind of frog you decide on and pictures of your setup when you do make it; I'd love to make one, too, sometime in the next few years.

Also, for whatever it's worth, I have a thought for you on plants. I have a few pothos plants hanging around my house, and one day on a whim, I trimmed one and put the cuttings in my aquarium to see if they could grow in water. They rooted within days! One cutting had been growing for a year, sending off new leaves and rooting new parts under rocks and even onto my moss balls. Recently, too, I saw a few gorgeous and lush plaudariums at the Philadelphia Zoo that have pothos as the primary plant. I just wanted to share this with you because while some other plants well-suited to your project might be fussy (orchids, for example), pothos is very versatile and forgiving.

Haha not that you're asking about plants, I'm just eager to share my discovery! Good luck with your project.

[Blueyedbombshel]

Hi Rhiann,

That is good info! any advice is good advice. I have no to little experience in airplants but I am fluent in submersed plants.

If not poison dart frogs, are there any species of amazon tree frogs that would suffice for this type of setting then??? Not too sure what else would be a good fit. Not too interested in keeping chameleons. Amazon milk tree frog? Any sort of geckos??

Any suggestions?


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

[Rhiann]

What about firebelly toads? I've never had them, so I'm no expert on their care, but I've admired them in pet stores. I had thought they lived on land, but one time I saw them in an aquarium that only had a turtle dock as "land," and they were much more active, swimming around in the water then jumping up on the dock. Maybe they'd work for you!

[RABENA]

Beautiful stuff but looks like a lot of work I see fish in there also that's beautiful

Sent from my LGLS740 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

[RABENA]

Anything is going to crawl rite out

Sent from my LGLS740 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

[RABENA]

Oh I'm sorry I didn't see lid duh??

Sent from my LGLS740 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

[Blueyedbombshel]

Hmmm not into those.. Since I've been reading I have considered reed frogs. Thoughts?


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

[bribo12]

Originally Posted by Blueyedbombshel

Hmmm not into those.. Since I've been reading I have considered reed frogs. Thoughts?


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

Milkies are awesome and will probably go in the next vivarium I setup. They'd be better suited to a paludarium than darts. They also don't have as high of a humidity need as darts.


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

[xazax]

I have a 56G I originally setup as a paludarium for darts and fish. The plan was to focus on the frogs so the top 60% or so was land with only about 20G of water. I had a submersible filter and a pump for a waterfall. I made sure there were plenty of places for the frogs to get out of the water and no place for them to get stuck (driftwood, ramps, rock wall, etc..).

I ended up getting 5 leucs (Dendrobates Leucomelas) in there while the water part cycled. The very first thing they all did was fall into the water, but they very easily got out. The problem I found is that the frogs need a decent substrate (I used coconut fiber and leaf litter). They would knock all the substrate into the water which would clog up the filter and pump and make the water filthy. I ended up dropping the water way down and filling it with rocks/gravel (so the frogs still had a "wet spot" and the waterfall still worked). So no fish, and now I would more appropriately call it a vivarium.

Is it safe for the frogs? Based on my very limited experience I would say it is at least for leucs with plenty of ramps and such. I wouldn't get any fish that are big enough to nibble off a leg of an unfortunate frog though. Here was my original setup and what I ended up with:

BEFORE:


AFTER:



And here is the "journal" of sorts for the build:
First Paludarium Build - Dendroboard

[Alexwm125]

That's an awesome setup! Really like the low point in the front.

Yeah darts shouldn't be around deep water, if they go under they can panic and drown.


I love my fish!!!

[Alexwm125]

Btw what is the footprint of this, looks really deep, is it a cube?


I love my fish!!!

[xazax]

It is 30 x 18 x 24. The height was what I was looking for when I wanted a paludarium. They definitely make use of it, top to bottom. They seem to love the slightly pooling water at the bottom.

Sent from my VS985 4G using Aquarium Advice mobile app

[Alexwm125]

That's awesome. I wish I had space for one that big. My Viv had to stay quite a bit smaller to mark room for feeeesh


I love my fish!!!

[Wy Renegade]

Nice set-up