Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This is an enclosure I have been working on. It is a 20 gallon (tall) with great stuff/silicon background covered with coconut fiber and bits of tree bark. As you can see I've incorporated a few pieces of wood and coconut shell into the background. I've sectioned off a small part of the enclosure to provide land so amphibians would not get lost or caught underneath it and drown. I put a moss background behind the glass I installed to create this land portion. I intend to fill the water line to just below the land portion. In the lower left I will use a small Zoomed waterfall pump.

I would like to cover almost the entire land section with moss. Is this recommended. Should I put down a thin layer of forest dirt and place moss on top of this?

I am needing some advice on what to do next. I simply want to create a tropical looking enclosure with a variety of animals. I have thought about frogs, salamanders, newts, snails, fish but am unsure about what species can coexist.

- What kinds of fish get along with eachother and with frogs, salamanders, or newts?
- Do I need a tank heater?
- What kind of water plants are recommended (easy to find and nontoxic to fish and amphibians)?
- Can I install wild moss that I find and transport back to the tank?
- Will I need further filtration outside of the waterfall pump that I have?

Thanks in advance for all the advice,
Justin

Honestly I think your water area is too large and too deep to make this a viable Paludarium, particularly in a 20H.

As far as land area goes, I think most stick between 25-50% of the enclosure floor space as land. Your's seams substantially smaller.

In regards to depth of the water Most stick to 1/3 of the height. Largely governed by the rule of thirds as far as aesthetics.

The only successful small size paludariums I've seen, have been devoid of terrestrial life, in other words the Fauna is all aquatic and the Flora is the only thing above water.

If i were to work off what you've started I would stick with small communal fish and create an open top paludarium, with more of a riparium feel.

Just my 2 cents.
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Jeremy Payne
JB Reptile

1.0 Snow "Kahl"
0.2 Triple Het Moonglow "Kahl"
0.1 Orange Tail Hypo Het Leopard
1.0 Ghost
0.1 DH Ghost
1.1 "Kahl" Albino
1.0.2 Hypomelenistic
1.3 Pastel Hypo
0.1 Anerthrystic
0.0.1 Normal

0.1.1 Morelia Viridis