Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,
I was given a link to this site from a friend who assured me this was the place to come with my questions.

I have a 80 gallon tank which is 4' x 2' x 2' and I am going to set it up as a semi-aquatic / Paludarium. what I would like to know which I am having trouble finding is what species I can keep together. I have not decided what sort of tank I wanted yet, but I know I would like a fairly active tank with a few fish as well as amphibians and/or reptiles and even a turtle if I could (probably will eat the other animals?). I have had experience with both salt and fresh water tanks so i have the time and patience to handle a big project.

So I ask for any ideas of what I can keep together for a good community tank.
Thanks a lot

Sounds like a fun project. Salamanders, small frogs, tree frogs all come to mind. As for fish I'd stay with smaller docile species like mid size Tetras, Black skirts, bloodfins, H&T, Bleeding hearts and the like. Some of the smaller varieties of rainbows would be nice too. Long fin Danios, Swordtails, Mollies.

Stay with salamanders and frogs. The toxins from toads and newts would not do well with the fish. NO turtles as you've already surmised your fish population will dwindle as your turtle grows. LOL Try to keep your inhabitants of similar adult size to minimize losses due to eating each other. Dwarf aquatic frogs, Eastern and/or California Sallies, Great Plains Narrow Mouthed frogs, green tree frogs would all be good choices with the above fish.

This kind of assortment would give you lots of activity for both the land and water but excellent filtration and frequent water changes would be required for the health of all concerned.

Another suggestion, when dividing the tank use plexi glass. Mount one piece horizontally towards the upper portion of the tank and another vertically as a dam. The area underneath would add more swimming area for your aquatics. Another trick I've used to disguise the land mass area is to silicone a mixture of various sizes of aquarium gravel and sand to the outside of the tank. This lends a 3D effect and hides your substrate mix and plexiglass. You can also add this to the vertical piece of plexi inside the tank. Keep it irregular looking for a more naturalistic effect. Even the back of the tank, adding bits of aquarium plants or better terrarium moss(sphagnum) glued in place is sweet. I have one like this in the shop but the rotten little kids like to pick the gravel off the outside. I'm in the process of making a new one. People ask all the time how I got the holes through the tank.

Hope this helps
BigT
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Hope this helps.

BigT
There is a difference between ignorance and stupidity. The ignorant can be taught, stupidity is beyond our control.

One combo of species you can't beat are Archer Fish and Mudskippers. Nothing cooler than a fish that can shoot and another that's semi-terrestrial!

There are also a handful of very cool mangrove swamp fish from the same area that do well in community tanks.

This combo would rule out any small geckos or frogs, I'm afraid, as I think the Archer Fish would be constantly using them for target practice.

Not from the same area but you could keep a Crocodile Skink in the same cage.
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Current snakes:

1.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.4 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

The Crocodile Skink looks pretty sweet, would I be able to keep one with some tree frogs? Also what tree frogs if so? And what about crabs either fiddler or hermit? And is there any sort of salamander that would work, it seems they all require fairly cool temperatures. Sorry for all these newbie questions i just want to do this right.

Today i went to the hardware store and got some lucite and i have molded one side and will do the other tomorrow. Its a fairly simple design but ill be happy with it once it is done.

I have seen a lot of pics on the net of other set ups and was wondering what i can use to safely make a background, i see a lot of people using a spray can type foam, will this work or will it cause problems since i will have animals?

Thanks for the help so far everyone.

I think you have numerous options. I'm house hunting at the moment and am a bit stressed out. Needless to say I can't think of all the different ampibians, etc. that would work.

Tribolonotus are very, very neat lizards. I think you could have a lot of fun building a tank around their needs and experimenting with what other species will work.

Also, I highly recommend building up from the top of your aquarium. Basically build a wooden frame from some nice wood that rests directly on top of the aquarium and held it place by a small lip. The put sliding glass doors in the front and screen or something solid on the sides, back, and top.

I've seen a few of these full of plants and they look great.

My understanding is that the foam is safe to use with animals.
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Current snakes:

1.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.4 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

Ok so i have the plexi and its all cut and bent to my liking. Now I need to know what is the best technique for siliconing it into place. i was thinking of putting a bead down on the side that will come in contact with the glass and then laying a strip down on both sides of the plexi. I just want to have it as waterproof as I can. (i will of course meticulously clean the glass before i do all this.)