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Re: Paludarium - drainage issues




> Date: Wed, 21 Jan 98 23:20:51 -0500
> From: Peter Roman <toastman at magpage_com>
> 
>  I've recently begun looking into setting up a paludarium in a 38 gallon 
> x-high (30l x 12w x 24h). I'm choosing height over length because I want 
> it primarily as a terrarium for some tree frogs, but I would also like to 
> add some newts, fire-bellied toads, and a few fish.
> 
>  I wanted to make a partition from the front left corner to the back 
> right, but I'm woried that the substrate in the land area will get soaked 
> with water as it would have no drainage. Especially since I'd like to 
> have a waterfall with a black pvc pipe (cut in half or less) act as a 
> stream letting out into the water..
> 
>  So how could this this be solved (without drilling any holes)? A gravel 
> substrate would allow for drainage, but would there need to be 
> perforations in the partition? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated..

I suggest you put a layer of large gravel or small pebbles in the land area,
then cover it with fibreglas window screen or nylon sheer curtain material
or that spunbonded weed barrier or other porous, non-rotting, non-toxic
material, and put your soil mixture on top of that.  Have the top of the
pebbles at or above water level.  This way you don't have to have a sealed
barrier between land and water, you can just use some rocks or wood.  I've
seen a similar setup with about 8" of water, and they had put some pieces
of plastic pipe in the pebbles to give the animals caves under the land
area.

This sounds like a really neat project!  Btw, many aquarium plants will
grow emersed, and some will bloom for you in a setup like this.