Vivarium/Terrarium

[Jason Tsangaris]

Hi,

I have a spare 29g, and I thought it would be cool to create a vivarium. I
would like to have land with the appropriate plants, and a "swimming" area
for a couple of small fish.

I would like to know where on the web I could find examples and how to set
one up. I also would like the water portion filtered.

Do they sell kits that you can build a vivarium with? I apologize, but I
am very new to this.

I would like to keep a couple of frogs, and have plants that thrive in a
moist environment. Maybe also some water plants. I am just dreaming right
now. I don't even know how to get started.

Is a 29 to big? Should I get a 10g?

Let me know. This could be a fun project

TIA,

Jason

[Marco Schwarz]

Hi..

> I have a spare 29g, and I thought it would be cool to
> create a vivarium. I would like to have land with the
> appropriate plants, and a "swimming" area for a couple of
> small fish.

I suppose you mean a palludarium.

The following Austrian link (in German) shows a pretty
_open_ palludarium..:

http://members.chello.at/gerhard.klotz/page16.html

An easy to manage _closed_ palludarium for example is an
ordinary aquarium with a lamp hood..

I had a closed 110l palludarium, too..:

# 39cm / 15" hight
# 2" black basalt gravel (2-5 mm / 0.1-0.2")
# 5" water zone
# finally 8" land zone
# water zone heavily planted.
# land zone with a big branched book root and several
aquaria plant species what are able to grow outside the
water
# land zone plants grew in a long and tall plastic flower
box for the window sill with a dark brown oak surface
filled with natural 0.1" quartz gravel.
# flower box stood onto the basalt gravel bed in the
background.
# inner side of the rear pane was completely sticked with
peat plates..
# sucked peat plates look very natural and were an ideal
rooting ground for emerse growing ("kreeping") aquaria
plants and mosses..
# used a tiny water pump that pumped the tank water into the
emerse planted flower box..

> I would like to keep a couple of frogs,

Dwarf African Frogs (Hymenochiris )..?
Why not..

> and have plants that thrive in a moist environment.

A lot of well known aquaria plants are bog plants and are
able to grow outside the water, too..

> Is a 29 to big?

Well.., tank-related there is _no_ "too big"..! :-)

> This could be a fun project

Have fun..!

P.S.: Don't know where you are from but evaporation, air
moisture *and* lower room temperature might cause dewy
glass panes. Personally I had a 200 l/h air pump. The air
hose ended in the _land_ zone and changed the air
continuously. Alternatively a PC ventilator with a time
switch might be fine, too. As far as I remember others used
glass pane heaters..

HTH.
--
cu
Marco

[Jason Tsangaris]

Marco Schwarz > wrote in news:e8rdlh$tsi$3
@news.albasani.net:

Thanks for the response.I found paludarium on the internet. How does one
create the land section and the water section. What keeps the land up
high above the water. Where would you put, and what kind of heater would
you use. What type of filter would you use for the aquarium part.

that's it for now,

Thanks,

Viper

>

Hi..
>
>> I have a spare 29g, and I thought it would be cool to
>> create a vivarium. I would like to have land with the
>> appropriate plants, and a "swimming" area for a couple of
>> small fish.
>
> I suppose you mean a palludarium.
>
> The following Austrian link (in German) shows a pretty
> _open_ palludarium..:
>
> http://members.chello.at/gerhard.klotz/page16.html
>
> An easy to manage _closed_ palludarium for example is an
> ordinary aquarium with a lamp hood..
>
> I had a closed 110l palludarium, too..:
>
> # 39cm / 15" hight
> # 2" black basalt gravel (2-5 mm / 0.1-0.2")
> # 5" water zone
> # finally 8" land zone
> # water zone heavily planted.
> # land zone with a big branched book root and several
> aquaria plant species what are able to grow outside the
> water
> # land zone plants grew in a long and tall plastic flower
> box for the window sill with a dark brown oak surface
> filled with natural 0.1" quartz gravel.
> # flower box stood onto the basalt gravel bed in the
> background.
> # inner side of the rear pane was completely sticked with
> peat plates..
> # sucked peat plates look very natural and were an ideal
> rooting ground for emerse growing ("kreeping") aquaria
> plants and mosses..
> # used a tiny water pump that pumped the tank water into the
> emerse planted flower box..
>
>> I would like to keep a couple of frogs,
>
> Dwarf African Frogs (Hymenochiris )..?
> Why not..
>
>> and have plants that thrive in a moist environment.
>
> A lot of well known aquaria plants are bog plants and are
> able to grow outside the water, too..
>
>> Is a 29 to big?
>
> Well.., tank-related there is _no_ "too big"..! :-)
>
>> This could be a fun project
>
> Have fun..!
>
> P.S.: Don't know where you are from but evaporation, air
> moisture *and* lower room temperature might cause dewy
> glass panes. Personally I had a 200 l/h air pump. The air
> hose ended in the _land_ zone and changed the air
> continuously. Alternatively a PC ventilator with a time
> switch might be fine, too. As far as I remember others used
> glass pane heaters..
>
> HTH.

[Marco Schwarz]

Hi..

> I found paludarium on the
> internet.

Fine.

> How does one
> create the land section and the water section.

Your decision. Be creative! I used a flower box - and some
stones keeping the book root dry..

> What keeps
> the land up
> high above the water.

In my example a flower box and several stones..

> Where would you put, and what kind
> of heater would you use.

I used a standard 25W heater.

> What type of filter would you use
> for the aquarium part.

My filter was the planted flower box filled with gravel..

Have fun..!
--
cu
Marco