# My nano paludarium



## Johnbol

Hi Guys!

This time, after my emersed "cups", I am posting my latest creation, my little gem. Made it in my old 12L (30x20x20) optiwhite tank, adding only an optiwhite lid to keep the moisture levels more or less constant. 
As a base I used Amazonia powder type, for hardscape xaxim panels and old root I had in my previous aquarium set-up.

Plant groups are of: 

terrestrial - Utricularia pubescens, U. dichotoma, U. warburgii, Ficus pumila and unknown fern

epiphytes - Barbosella dusenii, Podangis dactyloceras, Schoenorchis fragrans and Thrixspermum merguense

aquatic - Anubias nana petite, Cryptocoryne legroi (if I remember well), Rotala indica (to try it out), Bucephalandra sp. (2 different kinds), Bolbitis sp. Gua Angin, Microsorium sp., and few kinds of mosses pulled out from my tanks.

Everything is still "fresh&new", and will need some time for the plants to cover the tank as I wish they would. Whole thing is on my northern windowsill, so it's not getting too much light, but that seems to be enough. For now I don't use additional artificial light source - might do that later in Autumn and Winter. 
I mist it every 2-3 days with RO water with small addition of ferts. Also I slight the lid to leave 1 cm gap during most of the day for air movement. 
As you can see, it's not a professional paludarium with proper light, misting system, and ventilation. But seems to be working fine, and that bit of manual "conditions control" doesn't bother me at all. On the opposite - I enjoy every minute spent on watching it. Found a couple tiny spider-like red mites lately (probably came with orchids from Thailand), and I wonder if they can harm my plants... Still they are an interesting bunch of creatures, but unfortunately I can't catch them with my camera.

Here are the latest pics:
21052014_1 by Johnbol, on Flickr
21052014_2 by Johnbol, on Flickr

Cheers!


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## Lee Sweeting

Looking great John, watching with interest.


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## Martin in Holland

Very interesting, looking nice.


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## Dominic

Looks great! are you planning on adding anything to it? Not sure if it would be too small for thumbnail darts.. 

Also, whats that plant growing on the epiweb wall on the left?


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## Greenfinger2

Hi John, Looks great Love the DW and the planting


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## Johnbol

Thanks for the kind words Guys!



Dominic said:


> Looks great! are you planning on adding anything to it? Not sure if it would be too small for thumbnail darts..
> 
> Also, whats that plant growing on the epiweb wall on the left?



I'm not sure if I will have anything live & moving down there. I'd like that, but I'm aware that it's way too small, and I would have to invest too much in order to provide proper conditions (especially during Winter). Dart frogs are my dream, but that will happen when I will have more space to start a "real" paludarium.

That plant on the bottom left of the xaxim pad is a miniature orchid called Schoenorchis fragrans. Got it on eBay from Thailand. It has really nice flowers which should be fragrant (according to it's name) which also I'm hoping to see soon.

Cheers!


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## Dominic

Yeah i understand mate. I would love dart frogs too but i do not have the space lol. Why not get a 24x18x18 (in) viv and have a small group of tricolour darts to start off with. Just need to spray them once or twice a day and have a mesh lid for ventilation. I would recommend a heat mat too especially in winter but 'apparently' not essential. 

I've been looking for small orchids- has it flowered yet? How long did delivery take? It looks pretty neat  
What about the stuff growing right in the middle of the epiweb?


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## Johnbol

Dominic said:


> Yeah i understand mate. I would love dart frogs too but i do not have the space lol. Why not get a 24x18x18 (in) viv and have a small group of tricolour darts to start off with. Just need to spray them once or twice a day and have a mesh lid for ventilation. I would recommend a heat mat too especially in winter but 'apparently' not essential.



Currently with the space I have available, and funds in my pocket (I'm flat broke!) I can only consider a 20x20x20 (cm) cube for another nano paludarium. The idea for that one is already growing in my head. 
But who knows... In 1-2 years maybe I will have a crib of my own, where I will be able to put as many dart frog habitats as I will want to. Ok! Maybe not too many - I don't want to wake up every night because of the sound legions of frogs would make marching through moss pads...



Dominic said:


> I've been looking for small orchids- has it flowered yet? How long did delivery take? It looks pretty neat
> What about the stuff growing right in the middle of the epiweb?



No flowers yet, but it had flower spikes when it arrived. Probably old ones though. The shipping time was approx. 1 week, and the plants arrived in perfect condition. The other one is also a miniature orchid called Barbosella dusenii, with a bunch of some terrestrial moss it had growing on a pad I bought it with.

Cheers!


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## Edvet

Looks good!


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## Dominic

That sucks man! Why dont you just keep a small colony of springtails, just for the sake of it? 

Tell me about it though when i get a crib of my own.... man i hope i dont go overboard with the amount of animals i have  but for now my big main tank and a nano tank will do haha. Why not a room just for frogs and fish? 

Thats cool, i might have to get some myself. Got a lot of bare hygrolon on the outside of my tank waiting for the moss to take off lol. Might stick a few of those orchids to brighten it up! 

Keep us updated! Look forwards to progress!


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## Johnbol

Dominic said:


> That sucks man! Why dont you just keep a small colony of springtails, just for the sake of it?
> 
> Tell me about it though when i get a crib of my own.... man i hope i dont go overboard with the amount of animals i have  but for now my big main tank and a nano tank will do haha. Why not a room just for frogs and fish?
> 
> Thats cool, i might have to get some myself. Got a lot of bare hygrolon on the outside of my tank waiting for the moss to take off lol. Might stick a few of those orchids to brighten it up!
> 
> Keep us updated! Look forwards to progress!



I might consider a praying mantis for this paludarium later. Although there is one more thing, which will make keeping animals difficult for me - leftovers (poo, dead fodder etc.) that I would have to pick up before it catches mould!

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for your crib too. Or even better: a separate room for animals in your new crib! In my case it would be a room for many things, as I have other hobbies as well. Not to mention aquariums (have 2 FW nanos, SW with living reef is also "a must have") I have plants, ant colonies, and minerals collection... They take a loads of free space and loads of hard earned money...

I read good things on hygrolon. Although I would freak out having to watch it's "artificial-like" texture before it covers up with plants, so I decided to go for xaxim. As for the orchids check this one: Dendrobium parvulum Blue - I saw this little cutie a week ago and instantly felt for it. It's expensive as sh*t, so I have to put it on my shopping list for later...!

Cheers!


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## Dominic

That would be awesome man, get one of the smaller types (i'm no expert on praying mantis) and that would be awesome! Springtails should clean that right up for you and they will act as a food source for whatever you decide to keep in there too! 

Haha cheers man, i would love to have saltwater tanks but they're just too time-consuming and expensive for my liking, not to mention i dont have a vast knowledge on them either. Freshwater has always been my thing. It's recreating the environment from scratch that appeals to me. Tell me about it though taking up space and loads of money haha  

I just went for hygrolon because it seemed cheaper and it seemed more 'flexible', say if i wanted to stick some moss on a rock or piece of wood, that didnt have much moisture, the hygrolon could simply be stuck onto it, followed by the moss. Xaxim and epiweb seem to be more made for 'walls' and such. I much prefer the look of xaxim though. I do have to admit the 'artificial' texture is bugging me a lil haha, moss takes a while to spread  
That orchid looks awesome man, is it almost like a 'spreading' orchid? I need to get some in my tank.


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## Johnbol

I've seen really nice praying mantises - some look like blooming flowers! Springtails would be a good idea for frogs, but not sure if a mantis would be able to catch them all up in time. I have seen big flowerpots and paludariums literally infested with those things. That would be a nightmare!

SW tanks are awesome, with all that life in them. And the surprise you find something alive (whether it's useful or not) you brought with the living rock, that's something! My friend's aquarium shop has many SW tanks, including 2 nanos with only overflow filters. They say it's relatively easy and not so expensive to keep one. But sure it would be better to read a book or two on how to maintain a tank like that. I have 2 fresh water tanks, one is more of an experimental, where I try different hardscapes and plants, the other one is on with one set-up since over a year, just adding new and removing old plants from time to time. I would like the first tank to be like the 2nd one: a steady picture, without regular failures which are the real cause of constant changes...

Hygrolon is really a good material you can use in big paludariums. I agree that it's flexibility makes a really nice feature. I bet you could even make a "rock" out of it, and have it planted from all sides. I got caught up in the hype for xaxim's ability to get green-covered almost by itself, with all the fern and moss seedlings supposedly stuck inside. But being honest with you I don't think they are there... Still it does make a nice background for putting creepers, orchids and other plants on it. I have 2 tiny (10x10x10 cm) experimental paludariums with xaxim used as a background as well. The only thing about it is, that it should be cheaper...

Orchids are another story in my case. I'd love to get that D. parvulum in my hands and see it covering back wall of my paludarium. It should spread nicely, just like the Barbosella dusenii I already have. You can try that one - should be relatively cheaper, and easier to get. Also look on eBay for orchid sellers, and you might find really good material (or PM me and I'll send you few links). But of course orchid specialized online stores are better.

Cheers!


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## Johnbol

Hi Guys,

So... I couldn't hold myself off on ordering 2 new miniature orchids. Luckily I have some space left in this paludarium where I can place them. Can't wait to get them! Also I am constantly lurking through the internet in search of more miniature & micro orchids to put on my shopping list. BTW: does anyone of you know of miniature ferns & where to get them from? I am looking for something growing up to 10 cm max, with dense, feathery-like (delicate) leaves.

As for the latest news I have noticed, that most probably flower spikes on my Schoenorchis fragrans are not dead, and will be blooming soon! Feels more like "cheating", rather than a success of my own, since I got the plant already with them. But I will try not complain too much on it! Maybe the same thing will happen with Thrixspermum merguense - it also have flower spikes when it arrived, and those looked more "fresh" to me.

Probably end of this, or the next week I will start with another, this time smaller, paludarium. I had an idea on how it will look like, so now I'm hoping this idea will do fine in reality... No background, only black lava rocks and amazonia substrate. Plants will be a few aquatics emersed (mostly ones I haven't tried before), 1 carnivorous, as for the orchids I'm not sure, but knowing myself I will try something. Keep your fingers crossed!

Cheers!


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## Johnbol

Hi Guys!

A small status update:

I removed Rotala indica - they did not fit into the picture (although grew well), and since I needed some Rotala in my new tank set up they found their spot there (and grow even better). Added a new orchid - Dendrobium jenkinsii. Moved Schoenorchis fragrans bit up for better sun exposure, but I'm worried for it's condition. Also had a surprise blooming from Thrixspermum merguense. Lasted for only one day, and the little bugger turned it's back on me facing towards the window, but nevertheless it was a nice "event".
Still waiting for 2 more miniature orchids to arrive. Ordered them beginning of June. And they gone "missing" somewhere out there. Shipping from UK, Royal Mail says it was delivered in my country over 2 weeks ago; my country's post office doesn't have the package in their tracking system even. Probably won't see them, or even if, they will be garbage... Just my luck...

Cheers!


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## Greenfinger2

Hi Johnbol, Glad things are going well with the Paludarium   Sorry to hear about the lost plants that sucks  Royal mail, Its not what it once was


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## Johnbol

Hi Greenfinger,

Thank you! Don't worry - I don't have many nice things to say about my local postal service either... The seller promised to check it up with RM, so maybe at least there will be money back. Even though I would prefer to receive healthy plants.

Cheers!


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## Johnbol

Hi Guys,

Just wanted to share wit you 2 pictures of my "shy" bloomer Pelatantheria bicuspidata - flowers appear and last for only day, but they are a truly nice sight. Both look similar, but each one shows different colours and details under different light. Enjoy!

Obraz 005_1 by Johnbol, on Flickr

Obraz 003_1 by Johnbol, on Flickr

Cheers!


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## Lee Sweeting

Awesome! Very beautiful, full tank shot please. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Greenfinger2

Hi Johnbol, Superb Nature at its best


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## parotet

Johnbol your paludarium is amazing! I wanted to make something like this from scratch (try to make for the first time a glass cube, try local moss and plants) and without using any kind of energy: just natural light, no heating (that's easy in Spain), no air pump, no mist system (just manual spraying). I want two moss walls and a small jungle of plants... Just plants, no animals because it would be a 20 cm cube.

My question is: do you thing moss will do well on xaxim? To be honest it is the first time I hear about it. I've seen a guy in YouTube that runs a moss vivarium cube (this one more complex...well not complex but uses artificial light and air pump) but he uses Hygrolon. It looks that this tissue is very effective absorbing water so keep the moss always dump. I know that Epiweb works more or less like this (looks also that you pay well for it!). Do you think I can get a green wall using xaxim?

Jordi


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## Johnbol

Hi Guys!

Thank you all for your kind words! Means a lot to me.

I will try to post a "full frontal" picture of the tank in few days. As I look at the first photo I posted here it has changed since then a bit.



parotet said:


> My question is: do you thing moss will do well on xaxim? To be honest it is the first time I hear about it. I've seen a guy in YouTube that runs a moss vivarium cube (this one more complex...well not complex but uses artificial light and air pump) but he uses Hygrolon. It looks that this tissue is very effective absorbing water so keep the moss always dump. I know that Epiweb works more or less like this (looks also that you pay well for it!). Do you think I can get a green wall using xaxim?




Jordi, I have been trying with xaxim since a while now. What I can say is that mosses shouldn't have a slightest problem covering it, providing it will be moist all the time and exposed to light. Plus you need to put pieces of moss of your choice on it to start with. Also other plants, like climbers and ferns, will easily penetrate xaxim with their roots. Orchids and other plants with thicker roots might have little problem.
The marketing around xaxim is in my opinion too exaggerated, as I don't think it has enough (if any...) spores of ferns and mosses to get green really fast. So I suppose you can have exactly the same effect with other materials you mentioned. In this case your only questions should be about the price, and the looks of the material (until it fully covers with moss that is) you prefer. Xaxim is also a bit tough to cut, unless you have access to some cutting power tools like a circular saw (mind your fingers though!). I used hand tools, and it leaves the material bit rough on the edges, and lots of mess around. Of course some stores might provide you with cut-to-fit sizes.

A friend of mine has a small vivarium with a xaxim wall he got from me. He's using high quality aquarium lamps plus has lots of humidity (vivarium is at a aquarium store), and in his case the wall looks even better - fully green. Maybe except the top part, where it gets bit too much lamp heat.

Cheers!


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## Dominic

This is looking awesome mate, how often do your orchids flower? truly beautiful. 

Also in regards to xaxim, i've no experience with it, but i use hygrolon and it does stay wet all the time. Climbers root onto it very well, mosses grow onto it well too. Only downside to it, it does not look very 'natural' until it is completely covered, which i know would bug some people! 

Keep it up johnbol!


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## parotet

Hi all

I found a small retailer in Spain that can post Hygrolon (50x50 cm) for 6 euros... Not bad. The prices I have seen for xaxim are higher and it looks like it is very difficult to certify its origin (you know sustainable practices).

Anyway, my concern now is if I will be able to grow in winter the plants without adding artificial light. As mentioned I want this small toy to have the lowest footprint and I was thinking about a mini photovoltaic panel or similar. This new setup could be placed in winter near my nano that is lit 7 hours a day. A small panel, something around 10x10 cm, could be placed near the light and should be enough for a small LED, maybe 2 watts? Moss won't need much light, probably it is just a matter of non stopping the growth.
Any idea of how to do this? (My skills regarding electricity are very poor... I can just change a bulb )

Jordi


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## Dominic

I got a 100x100cm for around 25 quid so thats an extremely good price, i'd go for it mate. 

And parotet, i think the winter lighting should be fine. I grew a 30x60cm tray of lilaeopsis brasilensis through winter by the windowsill just fine. What i have noticed, though, is too wet conditions and not enough light usually make rise to fungal growth... so it wouldnt hurt to add some extra light. Regardless i think it would be fine by the windowsill. Thats my experience.

Let's see what johnbol thinks.


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## Johnbol

Hi Guys!

I find light as an important factor when it comes to growing plants. 
Anyway, Jordi, if you don't plan to put on additional light source for the winter, maybe you should consider creating a low cost reflecting panel, since you can move your emeresed set-up next to a tank with it's own lamp? You could wrap tin foil around a piece or cardboard, and place it on, or next to your emersed tank. Then just choose the right angle, so that as much light from your tank as possible would be directed onto your moss.

Cheers!


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