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New Paludarium project so thoughts ?

C

Captain Faffer

New Member
Joined
27 Oct 2023
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6
Location
Manchester
Hi all, Faffer from Manchester here with a new project which has been in the waiting for some time. Years infact. I have always had fish and while tis was in the planning w ethougt as we like lizards aswell as fish why not build a Paludarium.

If its possible that is safely to house fish and lizards together.

We have room for a 9x3 foot print tank and height of 5 foot. So a 45cm water depth as we hope on keeping Archer fish with the top for Crested Gecko`s.

All scaping will be my own and the back corners planted with maybe a small water fall.

I read on the net that Crested Gekcos are fine for Paludariums but a couple of folk said there not good for it. That does confuse me. research said there good for 70 humidity. max 80, so ventilation can control that .... yes ?
 
I think as long as it's ventilated they'll be ok. I remember this video being quite good. I'm sure there are more resources now too.
I've had my crested gecko 14+ years and have thought about adding a water section but she's so clumsy I'd be worried about her falling in.
 
I once had the same idea to create a large paludarium | terrarium and house small geckos. But my housing security became a tad uncertain and might need to move somewhere in the future. So I did put the idea on hold.

It seems geckos know how to swim with their paws and tails like crocks do. :)


Tho some good points mentioned above I never thought about myself... Poop! and pollution? And if it can be controlled in a limited volume of water.

This summer I had a few green caterpillars living on and eating from my waterlily in the aquarium.
img_20230809_102139459-jpg.jpg


And I could never have imagined how much they poop... See the black droppings on the Lily leaves.
img_20230809_102119518-jpg.jpg

I finally took them all out and placed them outdoors... So not that I have experienced any problems already.
But this picture is only showing a small portion of the lot. I was really surprised how much a few small hungry butterfly babies can poop in a day.

Now I'm injected with the idea of something pooping and peeing a lot that is bigger and permanently present also makes me wonder how that will work.

Back to the drawing board and invent a gecko toilet? 😃
 
I've thought about a paludarium with shinisaurus but a bit out of my budget at the minute. Some other lizards I'm fairly certain will be fine in your tank (not together!):

Chinese water dragon
Australian water dragon
Green or brown basilisk
Caiman lizard

Check size for these:
Indicus or prasinus complex monitors
Fiji iguana (Swell Reptiles in Cheshire have a paludarium with one in)
 
Another thought:

How do you feel about snakes? Garter snakes would love a paludarium and so would false water cobras. I think 100% of snake species can swim so you have a lot more options, just choose one which wouldn't mind the constant high humidity. Most animals need to dry off at some point to avoid skin and respiratory issues.

I'm assuming you've already looked at amphibians? No experience with them but I'd imagine tree frogs can swim enough not to drown.
 
seedoubleyou said:
This might provide some inspiration, he has a couple of videos on the setup and it seemed to work for him (until the geckos predated on the crabs more than expected)

Click to expand...

I was thinking of suggesting this and also copying this one day myself but while looking into mourning gecko care it says that they shouldn't be housed with a deep water area.
 
ScareCrow said:
I was thinking of suggesting this and also copying this one day myself but while looking into mourning gecko care it says that they shouldn't be housed with a deep water area.
Click to expand...
I don’t think many animals should be kept with water inside the vivarium, paludarium.

I think paludarium are great if you want some nano fish or shrimp with terrestrial plants growing above.

Mixing two worlds in my opinion isn’t ideal, due to risk of drowning and the pollution caused by waste.
It’s far better to just choose one or the other.

But ultimately that’s my opinion, and that’s all it is.
 
So the biggest problem along with i guess the drowning is the poop and pee from the lizards, So lizards wouldnt really work. The Chinese water dragon are one of my fav lizards aswell. just get to big to keep with Archer fish.

Archer fish are a bit skitish so in all maybe not the best thing to do in mixing lizards with them.

I want to make the most of the area i have and as i love the lizards and fish.

We have looked into amphibians but not in detail as concentrated on lizards. ill look more into them now though, But would the poop and pee cause problems same as lizards ? The tank will have a sump filter of atleast 50% the tank water capacity and an external filter for polishing.

And yes maybe better to keep either a fish tank or a Paludarium

Bug tanks for the help and advice folks. appreciate it ;)
 
I'm not too concerned about the waste, that can be addressed if it becomes an issue. I suppose if you're feeding a lot and not changing water regularly it could be a nightmare. I have turtles so they create plenty of mess but haven't caused me any issues so far.

To make life easier what about just having a vivarium above an aquarium? You could have your lizard and fish without any concern.
 
My opinion for what it’s worth.
You certainly have a great footprint for doing for things, and you already understand the need for humidity and ventilation.
I’d personally approach it by setting it up with both animals in mind, but hold off on the Geckos.
I’d see how the system runs without them for a few weeks or months and then add them if you feel it’s feasible, ensure there’s a way of them escaping the water should they fall in.
You can’t really do much more than that.
Our hobby as whole is built on experimenting and trial and error.
Either the system will work for you or it won’t.
Provided you take all the precautions.
 
mrhoyo said:
I'm not too concerned about the waste, that can be addressed if it becomes an issue. I suppose if you're feeding a lot and not changing water regularly it could be a nightmare. I have turtles so they create plenty of mess but haven't caused me any issues so far.

To make life easier what about just having a vivarium above an aquarium? You could have your lizard and fish without any concern.
Click to expand...
yes thought of having separate tanks. juts fancied a complete eco system type tank. its difficult in deciding due to so many different answers from folk and all differ so much. i used the keep large sliders together in a large tank and all was great, perfectly clean and stable water. i would of seen it the same for lizard and fish. but filter would of been even better.
 
seedoubleyou said:
My opinion for what it’s worth.
You certainly have a great footprint for doing for things, and you already understand the need for humidity and ventilation.
I’d personally approach it by setting it up with both animals in mind, but hold off on the Geckos.
I’d see how the system runs without them for a few weeks or months and then add them if you feel it’s feasible, ensure there’s a way of them escaping the water should they fall in.
You can’t really do much more than that.
Our hobby as whole is built on experimenting and trial and error.
Either the system will work for you or it won’t.
Provided you take all the precautions.
Click to expand...
one point i had included was escape routes for any land dwellers to get out, routes and sloping bank sides.
also that is another good idea as that way i can keep fish or lizard if both didnt work. just make the water shallower if it turns to a vivarium.
 
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