Paludarium

[AquaOwner871]

I am wanting to start a cheap paludarium in a 10 gallon tank without a water fall, and I would like the land area to be a ledge that does not minimize area for swimming. I have researched everything that I can possibly think of. Duetto filtration, epoxy is important, safe silicone adhesive meaning no anti-mildew agent, and so on. But I don't know what to use for the land and back wall. I am thinking styrofoam, since people recommand it, but can you find that at a Home Depot? Or do you have to buy a large sheet of insulation for housing?? Or is there another material I can use???

I heard of liquid nails to attach the land portion to the back wall. But than again, I heard that they can be poisionous to my newt even with the epoxy. What other material can I use to attach those two pieces together?

And I love Pictures!!!

[Notophthalmus]

If you decide to go with foam, be sure it's the closed-cell stuff (like what electronics come packaged in), and not the crumbly craft-store stuff. You can get a 4' X 8' sheet of 1/2" foam sheathing at Home Depot for $11; they will probably cut it into manageable pieces for you at the store, if you don't have room for the intact sheet in your vehicle.

If I were building a setup such as you describe, this is how I would do it:

First, construct the background using Great Stuff expanding insulation foam. Figure out how far you want the foam to extend out along the sides of the tank, and cover that area with a layer of black or brown 100% silicone, so the ugly yellow foam doesn't show through the glass. Build up the background, using thin layers of Great Stuff. When it's as thick as you want it to be, carve it the way you want it.

Second, think of the land area as a table. Figure out how high you want it to be, then find or fabricate some appropriate legs from wood, rocks, or carved foam. Then cut a piece of foam to be the table top so that it fits nicely within one end of the tank. Cut some 1" or so strips of foam to act as walls to keep the soil in, then attach them to the table top using silicone and pins or toothpicks. Then paint the whole foam assembly black or brown, using latex paint.

This technique is more stable than having a shelf supported by the glass and back, and prevents the need for Liquid Nails or other questionable adhesives.

Now, put it all together. Coat the exposed foam of the background and tabletop with colored silicone and press substrate (coco fiber, sand, or whatever you want, really) into the wet silicone; let the silicone set up and then brush the excess substrate away. Place the table legs in their positions and attach the table top to them with silicone; you can also silicone the junctions of the table top with the background and the glass. Place your land substrate in the table top area and your water substrate in the bottom of the tank; set up your filter and add water. Place a piece of driftwood or slate to act as a ramp from the land to the water.

[AquaOwner871]

Thanks Notophthalmus, but what will happen if I do use the cheap foam? Will it just break? I went to Home Depot, and they had the "great stuff" but it was more like $25 a sheet; not really in my budget at the moment. And what type of Silicone are you talking about? At the home depot, they had Bath silicone, door and window silicone, and MANY more. I did get the Epoxy, which I know is something I need.

Would the "cheap foam" hold up if I cover it with Epoxy??

[AquaOwner871]

Great Stuff is a foam. Right? Used around doors and windows. . .ok. I was looking at the stuff for walls. And the silicone needs to 100% silicone, and GE is a maker. Is this correct?

[Notophthalmus]

Correct. Great Stuff is an expanding spray foam that comes in a can. The sheet foam is called 'sheathing'. I'm surprised it was so expensive where you looked; I was at Lowe's just a day or two ago and it was only $10.61. If that's the "cheap stuff" you were looking at, then it is fine.

I and many others have used GE I and GE II silicone with success. These silicones, despite being labeled as "100% Silicone", often contain antifungal agents, but I know of no casualties associated with the GE brand.

The epoxy you bought would be used in place of silicone to coat the foam surfaces and adhere substrate to them. I would still use silicone to join the shelf to the legs and to the sides of the tank.