Beginner setup questions

scooter · #1 03-16-2010, 10:51 AM

Hi,

I've been lurking around and scouring the web for some information on setting up a paludarium. I have a 75 gal. tank ready to go and my goal is to keep DF's and some small tetras. For all of the research I've done so far, I am still somewhat confused by the dry/wet areas of the Paludarium and how to construct it to achieve the desired results as far as drainage and filtration are concerned. My question is, are the drainage for the planted dry area and the wet "aquarium" area totally isolated from one another or does the dry area drainage water co-mingle with the "aquarium" water? It seems to me that there will be issues either way because if they are totally isolated from one another isn't there a problem dealing with stagnant water in the drain bed? And if they co-mingle, don't you wind up with muddy murky water?

-Scott

beckdg · #2 03-16-2010, 11:07 AM

using dirt as a substrate will give you muddy water. using something more along the lines of peat or cocofiber will give you tannin stained water. there's nothing wrong with tannins but i wouldn't want mud either. and yes, you want all your water circulating.

Epiphile · #3 03-16-2010, 11:10 AM

You can go either way, really, and you're right as far as the downsides for both. There's also the matter of making a separate drainage area for the dry area watertight, and what might happen if that were to fail.

I think that if you use a fine screen or landscaping cloth, your water won't be cloudy for too long after the substrate settles (presuming your livestock isn't kicking it into the water). At the same time, draining the water below an enclosed dry area isn't much harder than figuring out a way to get a siphon tube below the substrate.

scooter · #4 03-18-2010, 11:25 AM

Thanks for the replies. What are your thoughts about using my existing UGF with a shortened lift tube to fit a powerhead below the water line and fitting a tube to the output to pump water up to a waterfall? Sounds like a feasible plan to me but I may be overlooking something (since I have seen no mention of utilizing UGF's in a Palu setup)...

beckdg · #5 03-18-2010, 11:50 AM

sounds doable. i'm not really a ugf person though. i did one once and hated it. the maintenance involved to keep things from clogging was not something i looked forward to. it's probable that in a palu setup that would be increased substantially IMO.

paludarium freak · #6 03-22-2010, 04:49 PM

What I am going to tell you now is just a concept. I never tried it but I don't see why it wouldn't work.
So, what you could do is:
Seperate your wet and dry area with a piece of glass or acrylic siliconed so water doesn't
get in your dry area. Then take another piece of glass/acrylic and place it horizontally so that when you look from the front, it looks like three sections. Now under your horizontal piece, you would put your filter under there. Then you cut a hole in the middle of your horizontal piece and another one in your vertical piece, under the horizontal one.
These holes are for tubing that will connect to your filter. Now attach the tubing to the filter using a Y piece of tubing to connect both tubing together so you only have one tube going to your filter. Silicone the tube to the pieces of glass so water doesn't leak. Now place a piece of screen or mesh in front of both tubes. Now, in the dry area, place rocks in the bottom for drainage. Add substrate, plants and, Voila!!

Now when you mist or water your plants, excess water should go to the bottom, in the pipe, get filtered and then go into your wet area... If you don't understand, someone else might try to explain, I will try to explain better or make a drawing or forget the whole concept.

froggsong · #7 03-24-2010, 12:26 PM

I Think to do that one would have to use a second pump under the land portion, otherwise the pump would constantly be sucking air and wouldn't run properly.

JoeG · #8 03-28-2010, 08:29 PM

I think i might be doing something similar to what your proposing. If you look at the drawing below, I have a portion of land sitting on leca brought to the same level (slightly higher actually) than the water level. I have a siliconed partition of acrylic, but rather than totally sealing it I have put small holes in it to allow the water to flow unrestricted between the partition. In the drawing I had gaps on the ends but this was not ideal and I ended up drilling holes instead.

In this set up, there is only one pump (you could put it on either side really but mine is on the water side.) The misting systems water supply is seperate, but will drain into the water table of the pond area. Just keep the water level below the leca.

macaroni.sam · #9 04-21-2010, 03:01 PM

I'm a beginner as well, and I've been thinking about doing something like JoeG drew out above. I'm not sure if one pump would circulate the water enough though, or whether I should put it on the land side or the water side. I intend on having a small waterfall made out of a piece of wood pouring into the pond area. My original idea was to have a piece of driftwood sealed at the bottom where the land and water meet with only small gaps on the sides so water can seep into the LECA. I'm not sure if there are faults to this idea and would greatly appreciate any advice on how to set something like this up!