Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all, I am interested in building a habitat for one or two WC Northern Water Snakes (Nerodia sipedon). I would love a paludarium/vivarium with a pond or stream water feature. My plan is to use a 75g aquarium (48"x18"x20" with a partition to create roughly 2/3 land 1/3 water with some live plants. This will be my first attempt at anything like this and Im seeking advice and answers to a few questions.

What materials would you recommend to create the partition? I have considered using that black landscaping edging stuff available at Home Depot, then coating the water side with Great Stuff, black silicone and then Co-Co Bedding or something similar to create a natural look. Will Co-Co Bedding rot quickly in the water? What else should I use? Sand? Vinyl Concrete? I have also considered using landscaping edging and covering it with cork bark. Is cork bark flexible enough to follow bends in the landscape edging? I want to avoid just having a straight partition that runs perpendicular to the front glass in favor of a more natural looking contour.

I would appreciate any suggestions or advice from anyone who has housed snakes in a similar setup. I have not been able to find much information on this type of setup for snakes (1/3 water) and I wondering if there are reasons for that I havent considered. I would also love any photos of setups like the one I've described for inspiration.

Thanks in advance.

Sounds fun! My only advice would be to use glass or plexi for the divider, silicone that in and then attach something like wood or some slate to it for a more natural appearance. I have tried more flexible plastics in the past with poor results (might have just been me though) and think it would be much easier to hide a piece of glass than to actually use something aesthetically pleasing. Having the glass be at something other than a 90 degree angle also seems to do wonders for the appearance of a vivarium.
Well, good luck, and do post how it goes.

with envy,
duncan