14g Cork Paludarium Photo Journal

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pedzola

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Aug 26, 2005
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There are several pages of discussion on this project here: http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?243154-10g-Paludarium-(maybe)-build

Thanks to everyone who helped me along the way. I am creating this new thread to present the pictures and results without all the extra chatter. Everyone likes pics! ;)

But first a description of the setup....

Equipment
---------------------------
Tank: Aqueon 14g "Kit" Aquarium (20x10x16)
Hood: Glass top
Light: Incandescent strip light w/2 GE 15w CFL 6500k bulbs
Filter: Duetto DJ50 internal filter
Heater: Marineland Stealth Pro 50w

Corkscape
---------------------------
1 Zoo Med Natural Cork Flat - Large
1 Zoo Med Natural Cork Round - Large
1 Zoo Med Natural Cork Background - 12x18
(All purchased from Amazon.com)
1 tube of 100% pure GE silicone sealant
A couple of small acrylic sheets
Various handtools

Plants
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Substrate: Eco Complete
Anubias Hastifolia x2
Hygrophila Kompakt x1
Unknown grass x2
Unknown bacopa (?) 1 bunch, split up...

Livestock
---------------------------
None yet, but planning for multiple Red Cherry Shrimp and a Betta.


And now for the pictures....
 

pedzola

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Aug 26, 2005
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Here is my starting point, empty tank:
IMG_3780.JPG

I cut the large cork flat in half and built a planter into the back of the bottom piece from some acrylic sheet. Glued together w/silicone sealant:
IMG_3784.JPG
IMG_3786.JPG

The 2 pieces will be situated as shown, to hide the filter and heater, and create a terrace in the aquarium. The planter will be filled with eco complete, and the top will be just under the water line (to grow plants emersed).
IMG_3788.JPG

IMG_3780.JPG IMG_3784.JPG IMG_3786.JPG IMG_3788.JPG
 

pedzola

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Aug 26, 2005
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While waiting for the rest of my cork pieces to arrive, I purchased some plants and set them up in a temporary grow-out tank:
Picture 003.jpg
Anubias Hastifolia are one of my favorite plants... big trianglular leaves, long stems, very nice.
Picture 014.jpg
I really like the Hygrophila Kompakt:
Picture 006.jpg
Does anybody know what this grassy plant is??
Picture 007.jpg

Picture 003.jpg Picture 014.jpg Picture 006.jpg Picture 007.jpg
 

pedzola

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Aug 26, 2005
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Finally the rest of my cork arrived and I finished the corkscape. The terrace part on the left will hide the equipment. The filter will output via a 1/2" tube at the top of the tank at the intersection w/the background, creating a waterfall onto the "shelf."

The shelf has holes drilled through the middle, so it should drop water in a very zen fashion across the length of it. Water level, again, will be just above the terrace.
Picture 023.jpg

Side view showing the equipment area behind the terrace.
Picture 026.jpg

Now the hard part... wait 3 days for the silicone sealant to fully cure. You know its done when it stops emitting an acidic odor.


Then daily water changes for a week... the water got murky and brown right away, but cleared up w/water changes. Still tinged brown w/tannins from the cork, but more aggressive water changes and carbon can clear that up too.

Pictures taken after eco complete was added, a few days after I started water changes. You don't see much brown here because it was right after a full water change.
Picture 042.jpg
Picture 032.jpg

Picture 023.jpg Picture 026.jpg Picture 042.jpg Picture 032.jpg
 

pedzola

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Aug 26, 2005
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Finally time to add the plants!

I want to leave enough room for a betta to swim around here, so I only used 2 of the 3 anubias hastifolia that I purchased. The spare went to a friend. This is immediately after the dust settled after planting... used some small rocks to hold roots down and of course for some visual accents.

Picture 043.jpg
Picture 053.jpg
Picture 059.jpg

Picture 043.jpg Picture 053.jpg Picture 059.jpg
 

pedzola

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Aug 26, 2005
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And here are some pictures from just now... a few days after the plants have settled in. It's really hard to get good pictures w/all the reflections, etc. Please forgive me for the poor quality.

Picture 078.jpg

Picture 065.jpg
Picture 064.jpg

Picture 078.jpg Picture 065.jpg Picture 064.jpg
 

pedzola

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Aug 26, 2005
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Thanks!

Next step... find some CRS to put in there. Then a betta.

You can see pretty clearly in the last pictures that the water is still tinged brown. I think I'll change out the carbon in my filter this week and do another big water change... should fix most of the brown before animals are added.

I should note that I'm also using flourish and flourish excel for the plants. They seem to be doing very well emersed. The bacopa doesn't seem to be really thriving like I thought it would, but we'll see if that one picks up like the weed that it's supposed to be.

Will add more pictures when animals are added. Gotta find some shrimps...
 
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