Dimensions 231 × 117 × 117 cm

Title Bowfront Paludarium

Volume 174L

Background Home made background

Lighting 60 watts of fluorescent lighting

Filtration Home made trickle filter, completely contained in the background. Submerged pump lifts water up to filter box embedded behind background. Water exits the filter box and flows down into the tank behind the background, and water flows thru several screened portions into front main water area. Some water also flows from the filter box into the waterfalls.

Plants In water:
Bolbitis heudelotii, Microsorum pteropus, Microsorum pteropus Windelov, Anubias barteri, Cryptocoryne wendtii, Bacopa caroliniana, Limnophila sessiliflora, Vallisneria spiralis Tiger, Sagittaria subulata, Hydrocotyle leucocephala .

On Land:
Various Crypthantus species, Hydrocotyle leucocephala, Anubias barteri,Anubias barteri coffeefolia, Microsorum pteropus, Micranthemum umbrosum, Cryptocoryne parva, Strobilanthes Dyerianus

On back wall:
Tillansia, Various Crypthantus species, Spanish Moss, Green tree moss.

Animals 5 Bronze Cories, 1 Green Tree Frog, 2 Chinese Firebelly Newts, 5 White Cloud Mountain Minnows

Materials Flourite substrate. Locally collected sunken wood. Background is covered with natural cork bark, green moss, and spanish moss.

Background is constructed from foam, painted, epoxy coated to seal it, and covered with natural sand to create the look of real rock. Background includes a land-mass, complete with three waterfalls and a
small pond and flowing stream that flows into the main water area of the tank.

The land area substrate consists of some potting soil over a layer of Profile aquatic plant soil.

Additional Information Maintaining the high humidity required for this tank in the dry air of Denver, Colorado has been interesting. The waterfalls provide a lot of small splashing, which keeps the humidity up pretty well. I am working ono automating a cool mist humidifer, but don't have it installed yet.

I initially added the green moss and spanish moss, intending for it to just be decoration, assuming there wouldn't be enough humidity for it to grow well. Imagine my suprise when both types of mosses started growing. There are new spores on the green moss, and lots of new growth of the spanish moss.

"How-To" Articles completely documenting the creation of the background and filtration system will be published soon on my website.