Vivariums, terrariums, ripariums, paludariums.tanks with more than water.

[JMJ]

I started a paludarium tank at work mainly because I was cleaning old reptil keeping gear out of my garage and decided I‘d put the 29gal and screened cover to use this summer while conducting wetland vegetation assessments for work during which I’ve got access to some really cool understory wetland plants should lend themselves to this project. I’d done a similar wet/dry tank before to house a 3 toed amphiuma salamander years ago and learned a lot from mistakes with it. I made a few improvements in this second attempt mainly a false floor to create an “aquifer“ below the soil so that all areas of the soil don’t stay inundated while still being a self watering system as long as I keep the aquifer level full. I’ve got a small turtle tank filter functioning as a waterfall pump down into the aquifer that pumps water down a slate into a reptile bowl that forms the pond in the enclosure, this spills over the edge and waters the soil layer with the moisture level of the soil becoming dryer as it goes towards the left of the tank. I’m hoping this will allow a broader range of wetland plants to be use. This will likely be a slow progression project so I figured I’d start a thread for anyone else that’s into oddball stuff with tanks like I am and for me to post my progression with it as I go along and to gain any tips or knowledge anyone would like to share. I’m still not sure on adding some type of animal inhabitants other than the isopods and springtails I‘ve added to get the system bioactive. As far as plants so far I have marsh fern(Thelypteris palustris), false nettle(Boehmeria cylindrica), pennywort(Hydrocotyle umbellata), and whatever this native species of sphagnum moss is.

Here’s a couple repeat pics I posted in another thread from when I first set it up.

And a couple from today after I added some live sphagnum moss to brighten it up some.