What would you do with a 65 tall?

[eruheru]

Hey all, I'm converting my 65 tall tank from a generic community tank to a paludarium. I want to do a South American themed setup with dwarf cichlids. I'm having problems knowing where to start. I have seen many many pictures and I would like to do more of a land coming out of the back with a wood backdrop using my external canister filter to power a water feature. The biggest problem I have is working with the narrowness of the tank. Any ideas on how I can start working up some plans?
Thanks

[Trustthapo]

I would use the styrofoam-and-cement background method to create waterfalls. I've been researching making such backgrounds myself, and you can get away with using super-thin foam for gorgeous backgrounds.
Does the tank have a brace?

[eruheru]

I've not heard of using cement. Do you mean a brace on the top that joins the front and back pieces of the tank? If so then yes I do. What advantage would the cement have over the Sodium Bentonite?

[Trustthapo]

Honestly, I dunno which method of making a backdrop/land area you're talking about, but the process I'm talking about is where you carve and heat styrofoam/expanding foam into a rocky shape, cover it with cement or the such for a natural look, paint it to your likings, and then seal it with epoxy.
The only problem is that it can be a booger to install it in tanks with a brace like yours. In that case, you could build it from the inside.

[beckdg]

simple crete background...

(you can carve/shape more detail if you wish... just remember to silicone it in place well so it doesn't float off)

i'd be inclined to do a tightbond slurry on what you're describing, personally.

you can also get some ideas on lizardlandscapes.com and the stickies on this site.

the bentonite clay would probably not be the best idea for running water unless you were going to put a few layers of epoxy clear coat over anything that will have running water. that could get shiny and unnatural looking.

great stuff and cork bark panels are also very flexible options.

[eruheru]

Thanks for the opinions guys!

[beckdg]

no problem.

for a better explanation of what trustthapo was saying, check out rudereefer's build in the sticky in the terra-construction section.

[Get Tanked!]

You can always just use Great Stuff triple expanding foam, carve out what natural features you want, cover it in black silicone, and cover that with coco bedding. Ive used this a few times and it lasts for years and holds up great! If you do this though, make sure you work in small areas with the black silicone and coco bedding! it will dry out quickly if you try to cover the whole background at one time.