Aviary/Paludarium .. not sure what to call this...

A

ansbfish

AC Members
Nov 10, 2007
233
0
0
My sketch:



Thinking something like 12 small schooling fish, most likely tropical (neons?), some insects, and two parakeets.

I originally thought 36x36x18 tank with 36x36x36 cage top, for total dimensions of 36x36x54h but now I'm thinking 24x24x16h tank with 24x24x24 cage top for 24x24x40 for both size and cost considerations. This would make the entire tank about 40 gallons, and with what is shown in the sketch it'd actually be about 7.7* US Gallons of useable water. I'm thinking expand the water to 1/2 the tank (12") then add a 4" radius semi circle for 10.8** US Gallons.



Have any of you done, or seen anything like this?

My main concerns are waste from the bird landing all over, could be hard to clean and cause problems.

Basically thinking to attempt to squeeze as much of a small ecosystem into a 24x24x40 area as I can.

*
(((8*3) + (.5*10*8))24) + ((pi(4)^2)5) = 1787.32741 in^3
1787.32741 in^3 = 7.73734806 US gallons

**
(12*8*24)+((pi(4)^2)*.5*8) = 2505.06193 in^3
2505.06193 in^3 = 10.8444239 US gallons
 
scratch the parakeets.... you will have pollution problems up the gazoo, not to mention a high probability of the birds drowning..... probably a similar situation with the insects. I think id be best just to go for an amphibian/fish combo. with a tank of that size, you could have a small community of fish and amphibians, as long as the prospective tenants can get along, of course. you could go for something like 2-3 green tree frogs or firebelly newts (or both) and small schooling fish like tetras and danios.
 
Last edited:
but that would be really cool to have birds in there... neat
 
daayda3 said:
but that would be really cool to have birds in there... neat
Click to expand...
it would, but parakeets poop all the time, and they cant swim... I once lost one of my parakeets because she flew into a half-filled aquarium and drowned.
 
I tried to find info about drowning online, and most stuff I saw mentioned toilets, which I can see, because they can't get grip to climb out. In this environment they could get to the shore which will be rocks/sand.

I'd be willing to make it shallower and have less fish if necessary (4in" water? less width too instead of half).

I don't know much about the poo first hand, as I've not owned a parakeet myself. I plan on getting two with or without this setup, (they will live in a cage) so I suppose I can see the waste output.

As far as amphibians go, I'm not really interested in that, which is why I came up with this :P Closest thing I like to amphibians is tortoises, but the smallest one (which could live in 24x24) is a dry region tortoise which would not be too healthy, and tropical ones get too large.
 
ansbfish said:
I tried to find info about drowning online, and most stuff I saw mentioned toilets, which I can see, because they can't get grip to climb out. In this environment they could get to the shore which will be rocks/sand.

I'd be willing to make it shallower and have less fish if necessary (4in" water? less width too instead of half).

I don't know much about the poo first hand, as I've not owned a parakeet myself. I plan on getting two with or without this setup, (they will live in a cage) so I suppose I can see the waste output.

As far as amphibians go, I'm not really interested in that, which is why I came up with this :P Closest thing I like to amphibians is tortoises, but the smallest one (which could live in 24x24) is a dry region tortoise which would not be too healthy, and tropical ones get too large.
Click to expand...
still, I doubt the parakeets would appreciate getting wet much... and my parakeet drowned in 3" of water. and I can tell you those little things poop every 10 minutes.... maybe you could make a terrarium setup with parakeets, but I wouldn't try a water setup. insects such as walking sticks might work, tough, but be sure to check daily for any that decided to go surfing.
 
yes parakeets are poop machines!! it would foul the water...BAD. I wouldnt do either or not both. Unless you put like, clear plexi glass over the entire water surface I wouldnt do it, I dont think the birds would like living above water.
 
I too had a parakeet meet his demise in my aquarium. He was either suicidal or just liked bathing a lot.

I was a young kid then. I don't remember the bird very well, but I do remember getting quite upset about it. I remember that almost every time we let him out, he would dive bomb our aquarium. Apparently one day he escaped, and we found the poor dead bird in the water.

parakeets + aquariums = dead parakeets in aquariums.
 
I like the tree you added in your sketch. It makes it look gigantic. If you went full size you could add some ducks and kingfishers.
A swan would be a nice addition as well, but you might have some compatibility issues.
;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom