# Paludarium and Gecko?



## zozo (21 Jul 2018)

I would like to build me a Paludarium, depending on plants and it's stocking possibilities it either  be open or closed. It's going to be an epoxy coated plywood bottom panel 90x40, x 100cm coated plywood back panel. 100cm glass side panels and a 30cm front panel for the water part. Actualy want to build it in such a way that i can easily close it with 2 glass panel doors from the front. That are mounted with stainles steel glas display box door hinges. That can be put and taken out.. It will get a wooden lid on top for the lighting eventual spraying installation..

Since succesfully testing and running the lately build in tank sump filter, the paludarium will be filtered with an equal in tank system at the back. It can't get any beter than having part of the emersed background planting growing in that filter. And use that water compartment also for the spray installlation. Than all will be in tank and absolutely no external equipment other than a cable exit from the backpanel going to the power sockets

It will be South American themed and i want to model a land part at the back as if it is an eroded overhang with marginal plants growing on it and a stream running over it that comes down from the backpanel and feeds the tank as a little waterfall comming down from the planted backpanel and over the overhanging land mass.. The question is as in Topic title, does anybody have experience with keeping small dwarf South American rain forest tree gecko's in a relatively wet paludarium setup. In that case it would definitively needed to close it with doors.

I know they are kept in terrarium setups with rather small water parts and i have zip experience with keeping animals like this. Are there people around here having experience with these lovely small critters. Or maybe know some threads at other places on the net discussing and showing setups like this. Can't imaging i'm the first with this idea. I've searched, bit can't realy find any paludarium setups with gecko's or dart frogs whit such a large water section. So i thought there might be a reason to advice against it. Thus ask, thoughts, experiences and hopefully advices from somebody familiar with the topic. To maybe get to know what i'm up to, before the build is started.

Thanks up front for reading this..


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## Edvet (22 Jul 2018)

Something like this: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-TDwnOpTBF9EEAuTdZ5oNQ ?
https://www.google.nl/search?biw=25.....0.0.0....0.T-FRzV_BQ0s#imgrc=seSthcoGdsihrM:


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## techfool (22 Jul 2018)

It makes me wonder how they survive in the wild but they could drown. And sometimes they won't eat.


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## zozo (22 Jul 2018)

Edvet said:


> Something like this



The closest example picture of the setup idea would be this, but a tad bigger..






techfool said:


> It makes me wonder how they survive in the wild but they could drown.



As was i wondering about. That´s why i thought tree Gecko´s that exlusively live in the canopies of the jungles vegitation and rarely come to the forest floor.
So no land gecko´s that live on the forest floor, since the setup will have a minimum of land.. The land parts created are more something like smaller balconies intto the back wall made from wood etc. The main land part as a big balcony above the water will be something like this from side view.



From front view it would more look like looking into a cave, or at least a stream bank outside bend eroded into an overhang. 

Would be fun to be possible to keep some small dwarf tree Gecko´s in the upper part.

Anyway i actualy never see setups in this combination.. it seems the terrarium and aquarium hobby is stricktly devided... It´s always  one or the other, but never realy both in combination.
I was kinda wondering why, is there are reason..


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## Django (4 Dec 2018)

I know it is an old Post...sorry for taking it up, but maybe others get the same idea.

You will get a high humidity in a paludarium like this, it is not the best environment for geckoes...usually this kind if setup is used for frog keeping and not lizards. There are a few lizards that would thrive in a setup like this. With dart poison frog keepers a geckoes like the small Phelsuma klemmeri is quite popular. It is from Madagascar, so might be out if sticking to the South American theme. There is also a few spesies of skinks that actually live semiaquatic, the ones you see are primarily Asian spesies. There are also a few smaller iguana spesies like various Anoles that would fit in, you just have to have a good air circulation and secure some dry spots with lower humidity.

Most of the candidates are relative small, and so is their food, like fruit flies, pinhead crickets...say 0-10mm size, this will be a challenge to have a tight sealed paludarium, to secure you won't have these insects in your living space

As with aquariums the Dutch have a style named after them...Dutch vivariums... Do a Google search for them, some amazing stuff


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## zozo (4 Dec 2018)

Django said:


> skinks that actually live semiaquatic, the ones you see are primarily Asian spesies. There are also a few smaller iguana spesies like various Anoles that would fit in, you just have to have a good air circulation and secure some dry spots with lower humidity.
> 
> Most of the candidates are relative small,



Thank you..  Food for thoughts.. I'm not realy stuck on any part of the world. Just a fun idea of doying something South Amreican for a change, because i already have several Asian themed setups. But than a closed Paludarium..


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## Django (4 Dec 2018)

I made a 1500liter (120l stream) plywood palu with glass front some years back... you should check out some dartpoison frog websites... https://www.gifkikkerportaal.nl/ you will probably find someone in your area that can give you a few ideas


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