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Post by Flytrap on Nov 20, 2007 16:19:52 GMT -5
I was cruisin the Net looking for nice terrarium/vivarium photos and came across some really interesting setups. Essentially, they're called Paludarium - half aquariums and half terrariums. Here's a link to one of the sites... this one showing the construction of one: www.plantedtank.net/articles/Paludarium-Construction-Photo-Journal/28/So guess what i'll be doing at home. ;D I'm going to experiment with ampullaria and bicals invading a tropical swamp edge. I love those neon tetras... so I'll be populating the water with these pretty fish. And while I was googling "Nepenthese + swamp + underwater", I came across Al Bickell's old CP site. And on it was some old pics that he posted for me... webhome.idirect.com/~bickell/davidwon.htmloh... those old memories... D
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Post by vraev on Nov 20, 2007 17:02:34 GMT -5
you adults have all the fun. You want a terrarium, vivarium, paludarium... u got it. On the other hand, we "students" need permission. lol and most of the time its no...also becos the funding is required from parents. lol! good luck with it D. but be careful though..those neps will become huuuuge in no time. I am actually thinking about making a LITTLE NEPENTHES terrarium for my parents if I can get a exo terra terrarium for a cheap price. geez! I can't believe how smart ppl can be in doing stuff hands on like that. Book-smart seems waste for this kind of stuff. I mean I wanted to create a paludarium...but I was blank the last time...I didn't know what to get. I didn't realise the practicality that I needed filters and so on to maintain water quality and so on. Well...lesson learnt. this is a far bigger project than a weekend assignment.
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Post by Rick Hillier on Nov 20, 2007 17:22:11 GMT -5
Hey VRAEV: don't think all adults don't need permission... I have to run everything through my boss, Sophia >>> Rick <<<
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Post by vraev on Nov 20, 2007 18:06:58 GMT -5
lol! yeah...thats true. Adults do need permission as well..but atleast u have 50% of the YES answer already. Whereas I have to convince the entire panel. lol!
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Post by Flytrap on Nov 20, 2007 21:43:11 GMT -5
Hey Dr V... When I was your age, there was no such thing as the internet ... and we had to beg our library to buy CP books. I think the Paul Zahl article in the 1965? National Geographic magazine got all dog eared and ragged from my constant renewing and photocopying of that mag. Oh...those were the days. And getting live CPs!?? boy, I remember mailing away $2.00 plus $5.00 shipping for my first VFT from some Ad i found at the back of a comic book... only to receive a dead plant. And other mailorder places just took my money. My first real nep was at University, when I convinced the Botany dept to order a few living specimens in for my studies in plant tropism (movement). Yup... that felt like centuries ago Good things come with time and I think I learned patience along the way....uh, NOT! ;D Now... I just order a bunch of neat stuff and feel the wrath of my spouse when I steal money from the family food budget to feed my addiction Whoo HOO... Paludariums and Neps!!!
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Post by vraev on Nov 20, 2007 21:58:01 GMT -5
lol! yup....I guess that is true. it must have been a nightmare. But hey....not as bad as being in india where u could never even know that somewhere there was a nepenthes species right there. And also that the words carnivorous plants never even occur in India apart from once in 5th grade or so. Also internet was out of the loop for me till an yr before I came here. well... but still I guess yeah...now its good times to have access to all these things nowadays. lol! I guess you have earned your right to get what u want then D. lol! have fun.
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Post by lloyd on Nov 20, 2007 23:21:11 GMT -5
I have neon tetras in my planted aquarium. I slowly changed the water from tap to rainwater over a couple of months so the neons wouldn't be shocked. Now the U. gibba and the neons are happy in the same tank.
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Post by vraev on Nov 21, 2007 2:01:20 GMT -5
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Post by Flytrap on Nov 21, 2007 2:52:23 GMT -5
Thanks you guys ...it's amazing how we all share similar joys. Lloyd and his neons... Rick asking for permission from his better half (with puppy dog eyes, I'm sure)... Vraev and his CP addiction Years ago, I had also come across a whole mess of N ampullaria growing about a foot or so underwater in Malaysia. I remember trying to photograph it, but all I got were blurred photos due to the low light, and when the flash was employed, all that came out was a big bright spot reflecting off the water's surface. I'm going to try partially submerge some N amps and maybe N raff. I've also got a mirabilis, but I'm not sure if I should attempt this character with wet feet - as I'm not sure if this BE mirabilis clone originated from a swamp habitat.
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Post by vraev on Nov 21, 2007 3:31:53 GMT -5
Based on the design u posted above.... if u plant the amp or raff in such a location, u should be fine. However, the question is... will u be using a DIVIDER?? becos that changes everything. in nature as u can see there is no divider. The water is soaking that media. But for purposes of a palaudarium, u need to have clean water so i would advice use of a divider as the one u posted above uses. if u don't sooner or later u will end up with brown peaty water.
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Post by simon on Nov 21, 2007 12:22:57 GMT -5
you guys might want to take a look at this... really nice but i don't understand anything ( i'll try to learn a good english before trying deutch). members.aon.at/paludarium/home.htm
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Post by Flytrap on Nov 21, 2007 12:33:58 GMT -5
Thanks for the advice. I'm thinking of keeping all the neps about half a foot above the surface of the water, with a small water feed to service the root balls via a submerged pump. I'm thinking that this could double up as a water fall from the water runoff from the rootballs. If I wrap the rootballs with sphag/perlite/charcoal/peat (with a small % of peat), this may minimize the peat tea that may derive from the run-off. I read that neons enjoy a peaty, acidic water... but you're right, the water may look kind of brown. But if it's a clear brown water, that may be okay. Only one way to find out. I'll try cobbling it together later this week. One of many things I'd like to accomplish before year's end ...I've still got 5 large enclosures to fill up with plants and frogs.
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Post by lloyd on Nov 21, 2007 16:14:34 GMT -5
Are you going to heat the water? I think neons should be around 70-80F or so. I know that neons need total darkness and almost pure water to breed so they shouldn't mind brown water if the pH isn't too low.
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Post by Flytrap on Nov 21, 2007 16:43:02 GMT -5
Yes. I've already got a heater in there. It's reading 21C right now, and I just tossed in a few DAFs (Dwarf African Frogs). And it's a bummer about the almost total darkness neons enjoy. I've got the future paludarium up against a window that enjoys afternoon sun good for the plants... bad for the neons. Maybe it'll be no neons, but gouramis instead then
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Post by vraev on Nov 21, 2007 17:13:54 GMT -5
well....do u want to breed neon tetras D? They should be fine in the light for just living shouldn't they? I have seen pet stores with lights on from morning 9 - 9 PM. the neons seem to do fine. (they are always there when I come back ). I think they will go perfect with a tropical vivarium. Gouramis IMO will be abit too big. U need small fishes...that stay small
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