Ideas for 30 long?

[severum mama]

I have a 30 long just sitting in my garage, and while browing this forum I'm beginning to think that a vivarium/palaudarium would be really fun.:) It's something I've never tried, and I know very little about the setup. If I did this, I'd want to do a waterfall, and have a little water in the tank, like maybe 1/4 full. Could I just use an internal filter for this, and have the output flow over some rocks (to hide the filter)? What kind of plants are recommended for something like this? What kind of substrate would I need? I'd like to have some small fish, no herps or amphibians, just want to keep it simple. What kind of lighting would I need for a decent variety of terrarium plants- would normal output lighting be sufficient, or would I need PC's? Is the maintenance schedule similar to that of a FW planted tank (I do water changes once a week)?

Sorry for all the questions, but I've found it difficult to get much info on these types of setups, and what info I can find on the internet doesn't seem to explain a whole lot to me.:)

[mellowvision]

lots of questions, but I for one think you are on the right track. I have a 20 gallon with a driftwood waterfall, lots of stones and plants. dwarf sag, grasses, some glosso, some bulbs... and I'm currently overstocked with 7 cherry barbs, 3 otos, 6 amano shrimp and 1 red claw crab. having something amphibious realllly triples the fun.

have you considered brackish? a mudskipper tank would be slick... and I always have to mention the idea of an archer tank with crickets in the air zone...

I would be looking at canister filters so you can direct your return water where you like it, and in filter/inline heating will give you a lot more room to play with.

[severum mama]

Hmmm.... mudskippers are cool, but I think I'm going to pass on the brackish tank. I'm already messing with SG in my SW tanks. Also, I didn't think a 30 long was big enough for an archer tank.

Really, I'd like to keep the focus on plants, and just keep a school of small fish (celestial pearl danios would be awesome if I can find any). Unfortunately, I suck at keeping terrestrial plants alive (I do ok with aquatic plants), so I have a lot to learn! ;)