15 gallon paludarium build

**mellowvision** · 07-15-2007, 10:45 PM

I started my paludarium build last night, building the base shelf and applying the first section of slate. here are some pics.

the shelf sits on several square tabs, and will also have a driftwood support at roughly 45º to the back of the tank, against the left wall. the support comes up through the cut in part in the front. the screen cone will be filled with gravel and soil, and the space between the driftwood and cone will be filled with thin branches and java moss. the shelf bottom will define the water line, and above water on the shelf will be a mount of soil and stone covered in moss and plants, possibly a small bonsai or dwarf bamboo. in the end it will be a somewhat solid planted mass, that can be lifted right out.

the extra pile of stone in the cone is just for weight...

**rwilliams254** · 07-16-2007, 9:50 AM

Good idea. Looking good.

How are the suction cups holding up?

**mellowvision** · 07-16-2007, 9:55 AM

without water or weight, they seem to fall off on their own avery few days... I'm not sure how they'll do with water and the shelf weight....

I'm guessing they'll stay stuck longer, but not sure. I am thinking if suction doesn't work I can still opt for magnets or for small amounts of silicone to hold the tabs in place(worst case scenario)... but I hope they'll work out.

I added more stone last night. pics later on.

**b_evans06** · 07-16-2007, 5:39 PM

I know the suction cups for my co2 diffuser do not hold very well. Sometimes when I fill it up they will come unstuck and the diffuser will go to the top.

**mellowvision** · 07-16-2007, 5:54 PM

yeah... I think it has a lot to do with the quality of the cups. my eheim suction cups, for instance, take the force of a dozen llama to pull them off... but the cups I've been building with are not nearly as supple.

**mellowvision** · 07-16-2007, 11:24 PM

took a couple of photos of tonight's progress. I added the stone to the bottom of the shelf, and siliconed the driftwood support into place. sorry about the angle of the photos, but I was assembling in the tank on it's side, and it's still drying.

**Mgamer20o0** · 07-16-2007, 11:40 PM

looks nice keep us updated.

**rwilliams254** · 07-18-2007, 9:09 AM

keeps going and going.

**mellowvision** · 07-24-2007, 2:12 PM

construction of the hanging island continues, and may be close to a finish. The more I stare at it, the more I think it's done. I'd like to remake the hanging tabs that are mounted to the suction cups, to be more of a straight bar than individual tabs. I think this will hold the weight more evenly, and allow me to easily switch to magnets if I decide to do so.

should I plant it?

**soobie** · 07-24-2007, 4:09 PM

Maybe go ahead and put water in the tank and some weight in the planter, then let it sit a couple days to see if the suction cups hold. That way, if they fail, you won't have a mess of soil in the tank.

It's looking really great! I really like the driftwood and twigs on the side.