I just recently joined the forums. My only post has been an introduction so far. For the last week or two have been really enjoying reading a lot of the past forums and build logs. I love the possibilities! I currently have two saltwater aquariums as my hobby. I have several children and a wonderful wife that supports my madness(kinda)...lol. My 15 year old son recently started his first 55 gallon tank and was thinking of frogs and opted to go freshwater fish instead. Well, I recently acquired a 150 gallon long tank that had a small chip in it. A couple expert opinions say that "it'd probably be safe to have water in it, but...". I don't want to take the risk. So, 1 + 1 = great opportunity for a paludarium. A project for me to toy around with, expand my hobby, and add the variety of herps that my son loves so much.
I tried to use Google Sketchup to get a visual image on paper of what I'm wanting to do, but can't quite get the hang of operating the program(I feel like an idiot). My hand sketching abilities are just as horrible, but I may try to draw something up anyways that I can share and get some feedback on. I hope to turn this into a slow and careful build log.
In the meantime, while I am still constantly browsing other build logs and trying to sort out more of the build process in my head, then I thought I'd put some of my ideas so far. Any thoughts, tips, warnings, and questions would b greatly appreciated!
-A semi-circle 3 ft. wide in the front, center of the tank for the "pond". 12 inches tall.
-In the far upper right corner, a waterfall flowing side to side a little with GS and pieces of slate. If there is room, allow it to puddle some before it flows "creek-like" into the "pond".
-FB with the eggcrate/pvc method.
-Nontraditional, I know, but I would like to build a model log-cabin and or gazebo on the left side as decoration. It would incorporate stepping stones to the "pond". I've even thought about researching water-tight lighting to light up the cabin and/or front porch as accents.
-I have a 30 gallon sump system that I plan on using for the filtration and power behind the waterfall.
-Along with the cabin scenery, I was thinking of a "pier/dock" that will stick out over the water enough to hide the intake of my filter in the pond.
-I already have what I hope to be my land/water divider. I searched and pondered before finding what is a window well for basement windows. It is sturdy fiberglass or hard plastic. It is 37" wide, 12" tall, and 15" in depth, which allows just a few inches of "land" to run along the backside. I'm still trying to work out the details in my head on the best way to adhere it to the front wall and disguise it. I figured I would add additional support with pvc to brace it against the back and sides while using silicone and maybe some GS to adhere/seal it to the front wall.
-I plan to have a hole drilled in the back near the bottom to allow whatever water seeps through the FB and whatever water leeks from the pond to simply drain down back into the sump tank.
-I have a pretty decent size piece of driftwood I'd like to incorporate into the scenery with the GS BG. I was thinking I may slice it in half to have two visible pieces instead of burying the backside in GS to never be seen.
-Also, on my "land/water" divider, I plan on using GS and/or silicone to adhere river rocks on the outside for a rock wall look. On the inside of the divider, doing the same thing but with something more natural looking for underwater, such as sand/pea gravel mix.
-I'm hoping to ramp up the land portions from the bottom coming up to the rear for terrain and maximum visibility.
Well, there is some of my random thoughts for now. Please feel free to question anything so far to help me work out the mistakes on paper before learning the hard way. Any advice is greatly appreciated!
Thanks, Chris.
---------- Post added at 12:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:35 PM ----------
Here is a pic of each of my aquariums...
Unfortunately, they are not very good pics. The pic of my 120 gallon is especially poor.
---------- Post added at 01:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:49 PM ----------
After figuring how to upload the pics, then I found a couple that were slightly better or different. Instead of posting an excessive amount of pics on here, then I just uploaded to an album with a few pics in it. Here's the link...
Pictures by kitcolebay - Photobucket
2Likes
150 gallon/6 foot palu...1st time build.
. 
Linear Mode
