Newbie help-suggestions

[lsmall]

Hi. I am new to paludariums. I am an experienced aquariast and I have kept planted freshwater tanks in the past with a diy co2 system. Since moving a few years ago, I haven't had time to start up my aquarium again, but now I am feeling the itch. I am intrigued by the idea of a paladarium and I am in the very early planning stages to start one up.

My tank can't be too large. I am thinking 29g. Given the size constraints I plan to keep only a few fauna. I would like to have a Dwarf gourami male/female couple and some bottom dwellers (maybe 2 plecos). I have no experience with amphibians or reptiles. I am looking to have as simple a setup as possible.

I would appreciate some suggestions for amphibians and/or reptiles or any other tips that might help me with what I have described. If my fish choices are inappropriate for the setup I described please let me know.

Thanks

[beckdg]

have you considered a riparium style setup? i think that would be right up your alley. with a little creativity you could easily adapt the idea into a nice show stopping palu also. i don't know how well they'll get along but a newt might be a good addition. do you have any specific plecos in mind? most would be too large but something more along the lines of a bristlnose (just one) or some ottos may fit in nicely.

[beckdg]

check this out...

Hydrophyte's Blog - Ripariums and Emergent Aquatic Plants ... look and read through this well if you're interested.
and these 2 articles... Riparium Supply

and this one mostly for the quote at the end... Riparium Plants?

[lsmall]

Thanks for the info. I think this will be quite helpful. I agree pleco size could be an issue, but in the past I've had small bristlenose plecos that did quite well and I was very happy with them. I'll have to research combining the fish with amphibians/reptiles. I like the newt idea, but I'm not sure if everyone will get along.

Thanks

[DazzleDiscus]

Greeting fellow former fish freak! I too am sticking my toes into the herp hobby. Just got out of the aquatic swimming pool not too long ago.

Ah yes- a riparium is probably more up your alley.
bristlenose pleco will do fine in a 29gal. Have you considered corydoras sp? There are hundreds of different color variations (my favorite being C. pygmaeus. and C. trilineatus which is often dubed the "false julii" corydoras.) If you are not familiar with these guys, I'd like to hit your curiousity button and encourage you to look into them!

Newts would fare well with bristlenose pleco, dwarf gourami, and corydoras. They'll eat what they can put in their tiny mouths, so don't expect any surprise gourami or corydoras fry to survive. I would also suggest small tree frogs like a gray tree frog or something similar that is not against your state/country/whatever-your-local-government's laws. A simple google search should give you a list of what you cannot keep as a pet. spring peepers are also nice I've heard (going to test the theory out this coming spring).

Perhaps a common house gecko? I am not sure if they require UV lighting... It would be simplier if you did not have to offer UV lighting, but it's not so much of a trouble to do so.

[beckdg]

Habrosus cories... FS Shrimp and small fish, York, pa; S/PU - Aquaria Central

msj has awesome stock and is awesome to deal with. i recommend her highly to all comers seasoned veterans to newbies alike!

[lsmall]

I certainly like the idea of some tree frogs. I'll have to look into it. If not possible I'd be happy with a couple of newts.

I don't remember ever having corys. I think I had ottos at one time that didn't fare so well, but my plecos did so well that I never really experimented with or wanted other catfish. I always enjoyed their antics. I'll look at the corys. I'll probably do some shrimp too, but they seem to just end up as food.

I'll start sorting through my old equipment and see what I need. If I understand the difference between a paludarium and riparium, I think I will go with the conventional paludarium as I would like some land features. I don't think I'll start up my CO2 system
at the get go, although it was pretty cool. I think I still have all of my lighting equipment, but I was using a compact fluorescent setup, which at the time was great for my planted tank, but I suspect animals prefer a more natural sunrise/sunset than non-dimmable fluorescent. What are people typically using?

Thanks for the replies

[beckdg]

most people are using some kind of fluoro for their plants anyway. there are sunrise/sunset dimming fixtures for fluoros out there. as we all know to start a fluoro a certain amount of juice is needed so the sunrise/sunset is not perfect anyway.

as for the paludarium... i understand and agree. to me most people have stuck (mentally) with a more conventional land area though. the first paludariums i came across threw me back in my seat. they didn't have a "land" area though. they were more or less the water portion with an open top. in that open top there was a protruding piece of hardscape (usually a tree stump with character). the hardscape was disproportionate and protruding lending the water portion a feel of a tiny biotope of what could possibly happen at the foot of a tree using roots and such for decoration and hides. the top would be that of a trunk of a small tree (larger than you'd keep in your house but small) with branches high enough where the land/tree critters would not consider jumping off. throughout these whole setups there were plants of course clinging to the branches, potted in any holes, mosses growing and hanging from the sides, ferns growing along the base and up the trunk out of the water, aquatic plants, sometimes trickles or water falls plumbed through the back of the wood, etc..

at any rate... if you could make that work for you i think it'd be awesome. your tank may be a bit small for this idea, i don't know... haven't really looked into it or though about it. a riparium style backdrop would be awesome for such a setup if done correctly.

you may be looking for more of a false bottom type palu. just curious, have you checked through the stickies?

[lsmall]

Thanks for the replies again.
Yes, I've had a look at the stickies.

I'm thinking of a setup somewhat like this:


I think I will need to reconsider my proposed tank size. 29g just seems borderline adequate and may not be suitable if I want to have gouramis, even if it's only two. It would probably work out better with at least 40g

[beckdg]

that would be best for like mudskippers, newts, etc. ... things that are semi aquatic and swim pretty well.