Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My husband and I decided that we would start small with our 20g tall to make a viv, we sketched out the basic layout, but we can't figure out how to make the pond area, we want it in the middle, but up against the front (so you can see into the pond like a fish tank). Our problem is making that happen without unsightly connections to the front of the aquarium. How can we seperate the water well enough to keep it in the pond and visible fromt he front glass? Anyone else have a similar setup? I have all the plumbing and things figured out, still looking for a species though (hubby wants Tincs, I want Aruas), what will thrive in a 20g tall with a sizeable pond?
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"Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are." - Kurt Cobain

"You laugh at me because I am different; I laugh at you because you are all the same."

~~ Krystal ~~

Look into using CocoTek Grow Slabs to hold the substrate above a false bottom, cover with weed cloth, and cut the pond areas out from the CocoTek Slabs. On this one, the pond is across the front, with a stream of large smooth filler rocks to another pond at the back corner. The ends of the CocoTek Slabs are hidden from view on the front by aquarium gravel in between the pond and the CocoTek. The pump that circulates water across the left side over a panel of fern bark fiber and back into the false bottom, is located in the rear corner pond, hidden by larger aquarium rock with the tubing going up behind some cork bark background.

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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

4 D. auratus blue
5 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
5 D. imitator
6 D. leucomelas
4 D. pumilio Bastimentos
4 D. fantasticus
4 P. terribilis
4 D. reticulatus
4 D. castaneoticus
2 D. azureus
4 P vittatus

Thanks, that looks awesome. I am a little worried about not having the depth to work with though, the tank is only 10" deep. This is the basic crappy Paint sketch of what we want (we have it better on paper LOL, but this gives you the idea of what we're looking for).

(sorry so small)

I was hoping we woulden't have to go with a false bottom because I don't want things running through the substrate into the water, we hope to keep a couple small fish in the pond, so I want to keep the water parimeters right and keep it clean.

Any suggestions?
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"Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are." - Kurt Cobain

"You laugh at me because I am different; I laugh at you because you are all the same."

~~ Krystal ~~

I'm a little confused about the 20 gallon tall being only 10" deep. They are usually around 18 to 20 inches deep. The fish, even small tetras will need at least 8 inches, preferably 10. My own paludarium with both fish and frogs is 135 gallon, with the aquarium section divided by glass that has been siliconed into place and includes two water falls--one in the middle lagoon and one into the deeper pool on the right. The water flows down over three glass dividers along the front from 11 inches, 8, and 6, with the pump at the left end to pump the water back over the falls. The two land sections have a simple drainage layer under the substrate.

You could build your pond section with glass cut to order, which can be angled, but not curved as you have pictured, then perhaps disguise and shape the edges from the top with overhanging flat rocks. You would need to have an easy egress for any frogs that might fall in. They can swim well enough, but would need a log or something from under the water leading back onto the land, and another log from one section of the land to the other for a froggy bridge.

I've posted the paludarium pictures so many times people are sick of them, but here they are again, if this would be of any help to you or give you any ideas. These are old pictures, before the glass edges were disguised.

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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

4 D. auratus blue
5 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
5 D. imitator
6 D. leucomelas
4 D. pumilio Bastimentos
4 D. fantasticus
4 P. terribilis
4 D. reticulatus
4 D. castaneoticus
2 D. azureus
4 P vittatus

Well I guess technically it's an 18g tall, it's 10"x20"x20". I was going to put either 1-2 sparkling gouramis, or a betta in the pond area, there both labyrinth fish, so they need shallow calm places with low oxygen levels. The sparkling gourami only gets up to 1.5", so we will probably go with them.

How did you hide the glass edges? I probably won't use glass, unless I can convince my husband to put the water off to one side rather than in the middle, but he's pretty dead set on the middle. I will figure something out LOL We would have driftwood in the water and could easily work it so that some of the driftwood came up onto the land region, and as you can see, we do plan on a bridge. I also planned on making shallow areas on the sides and growing a moss like dense plant there for the frogs to sit on or use to get out of the water, but so that they can't drown eachother if we get tincs.
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"Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are." - Kurt Cobain

"You laugh at me because I am different; I laugh at you because you are all the same."

~~ Krystal ~~

Maybe you could work with some sort of glass container that is deep enough and fits into the center, but then, you might not be able to see the fish from the front. The raw glass edges in the Paludrium are now covered with Java Moss that grows both on the land and over into the water. There is a certain amount of wicking that takes place, but this is actually an advantage, as it keeps the soil moist, and the lost water is replaced every few days, acting somewhat like an automatic partial water exchange. I've never done a full cleaning of the aquarium portion of this tank in 6 years, and the fish have all thrived. I do occasional "vacuuming" of the aquarium substrate, which is a combination of LECA and gravel. I have most of the original tetras like rummynose, X-rays, head and tail light, etc. There have of course been a few losses, mostly from new introductions, but once established, they seem to live on and on without a problem. At one time, I also had some platys that bred and produced fry, but did gradually lose these over time. The tank is heavily planted with a lot of Java that I have to remove large chunks of now and then, but with the circulating water falls, it seems to be very nicely balanced with undetectable ammonia levels.

I have an 18 gallon high that measures 10"X20X18" high, so you probably do have a bit more like 20 gallons.

What about using acrylic or plexiglass for sealing off the pond on either side, leaving the front portion clear.
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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

4 D. auratus blue
5 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
5 D. imitator
6 D. leucomelas
4 D. pumilio Bastimentos
4 D. fantasticus
4 P. terribilis
4 D. reticulatus
4 D. castaneoticus
2 D. azureus
4 P vittatus

What about using acrylic or plexiglass for sealing off the pond on either side, leaving the front portion clear.

How?
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"Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are." - Kurt Cobain

"You laugh at me because I am different; I laugh at you because you are all the same."

~~ Krystal ~~

Cut the two pieces of plexiglass to fit the right height you want it, and in this case, somewhat longer than the front to back 10 inches, to allow for whatever curve you want in the pond on either side, and to leave a viewable portion in the front. Like parenthes. It can be bent by heating it in the oven, then bending and fitting it into place. Once in place, you can seal it with GE Silcone I (for windows and doors, not the stuff for bathrooms, which contains a fungus inhibitor, and wouldn't be good for your tank.) Seal both sides of it wherever it touches the glass, both up the sides and along the bottom. You'll need a caulk gun to use the tube of silicone. Don't even bother with the so called "aquarium safe" tooth paste kind of tubes you can get at pet stores. They won't do the job, and you'd need a dozen of them. GE I is cheaper, easier to work with a caulk gun, and is perfectly aquarium safe after a cure of about 76 hours. You just run a bead on either side all the way around wherever the plexiglass touches the glass tank, smoothe it out and shape it with a wet finger if you need to, so it resembles the inside silicone caulking on your tank. You can trim off mistakes or extra stuff with a razor blade. This should give you an impermeable seal between your pond and the terrestrial area.

When heating the plexiglass, you will need to experiment a bit. Put it on a flat surface such as a cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil, then starting out at warm, 180 or so, increase the temperature as you test out the bendability with heavily gloved hands, of course. When it's malleable, bend and fit it into place in your tank. So what if you are off a little bit? Call it art. As long as both sides fit in a comma curve and contact both the bottom and vertical sides of the aquarium glass, work with it from there. You'll have something resembling what you've drawn. You could also bend plexiglass with a heat gun, but I think an oven is better way to heat it equally for an over-all curve.
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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

4 D. auratus blue
5 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
5 D. imitator
6 D. leucomelas
4 D. pumilio Bastimentos
4 D. fantasticus
4 P. terribilis
4 D. reticulatus
4 D. castaneoticus
2 D. azureus
4 P vittatus