Hi Ian, first off all what a great tank you got! Just one peace of art. Many ways to build a paludarium but this way is just the best way to do that. I have build some tanks but always used a filterpump underneed the tank. The best way to do water-filtering you just made. A all in filter what makes its self clean. Plants, Shrimps and fish do the rest. Some people stop having a fish tanks and rebuild it to something like this, its just that beauty of nature. Realy great job Ian!
A masterpiece. The most beautiful paludarium construction video i have ever seen, executed with modest simplicity. A wonderful mix of video and photography topped off with a spellbinding soundtrack. Incredible.
Outstanding. I've kept tropical fish for 15 years and am toying with the idea of a Palaudarium, if I knew it would turn out like this I would have already done it!
Thank you bo55man ... The paludarium is just an extension of aquascaping and keeping aquarium fish ... well worth creating one to sit in front of and enjoy :)
After watching your nicely done video I can see the amount of patience needed and understand why your paludarium is so healthy and beautiful. Great job!
It has come a long way in 10 short months ... and I have learnt so much during the process. If we can continue to grow personally, we will continue to inspire others to construct their mind's visions into living works of natural art.
how do u put the plants in the soil while u need to put them on the back panels? Do you need to put a little pot in the panels for soil first? How to separate the soil to come contact with the pump? Thanks and it is a beautiful one u made there.
This looks amazing. You really managed to make me want to do something like this. Lots of research to do first. Any advice for a beginner? I am planted tank guy, so paludariums is something new.
Hi Aquamaniac .. Thanks for the great comments.. Really do appreciate it :) I was a planted tank guy too ... You have the right plan straight up .. Lots of research... I watched any video that was mildly related to paludariums to get ideas for what became the Billabong. Basically there are several different ways they can be set up, but no hard and fast rules. What ever works for you will be the base for your build.. Just keep in mind, if you intend to keep animals within... their needs are the most important criteria for how it operates, is filtered, is heated (or not) and is lit. Outside of that be as creative as your mind will allow. Good luck :D
3 years later, did you ever make one? I've gotten way into planted tanks myself and am looking ahead to trying a paludarium when I get tired of my 75g planted
I LOVE this.. How many inches of water is in there? I was thinking of putting a range of 7.5-8.5 inches of water in my feature do you think thats a good amount?
Are there any websites or forums that can help me with making a paludadium? Somewhere that holds a of of information in making a paludarium. I have a salt water coral reef tank but I would love to give a paludarium a go! Awesome tank.
Master of paludarium-so well made and lots of patience If I dont want to have a complicated setup of waterfall or soil-can i just use water safe plants and not worry about moss? Any such chance?
Yes of course SH Desal ... This is a piece of nature that I created for my enjoyment. You can make yours to be as you wish it to be. This Paludarium was designed originally to be a full tank of water with what is seen now as an "Aquascape" as the feature. During the build I was inspired by a good friend to create a paludarium instead. All above water plants for this tank were aquatic species grown emergent. You must take into consideration the animals you may keep as well as the species of plants you use and their combined requirements. Research, research and then let loose creating ... good luck :)
A true inspiration. One question though. I didn't notice any sort of pump to get the water to the top for the waterfall. Is there indeed a pump behind the panels inside circulating the water? Seems like it must or the water level will continue to rise.
romie yasin Yes the pump is hidden behind the walls. The water keeps itself clean through Bio-mechanical filtration... The water is pumped up to the top of the walls, and as it trickles down it is filtered by the plants and substrate.
I want to make one as well. I like your setup but now I'm debating between using cork bark or making rocks like you did. I also want to make it so I can have both fish and amphibians or reptiles.
I am planning a new one #RatedM that will be a tank base and rainforest above to house some forest dragons.... the foam method is really easy to do. Give it a go ;)
Rated M I stacked thick sheets and thin sheets of polystyrene of varying sizes with a few dobs of silicon near the centre to hold them together. (Keeping the silicon in the central area of the foam sheets gives plenty of scope for carving the foam later without exposing the silicon) ... While the silicon was drying I hit the internet looking for pictures of the rock I wanted to copy, to use as an inspirational guide while carving the foam. Using a snap blade utility knife, I roughly carved out chunks of the foam to replicate the rock in the pictures and used a bit of creative license as well ;) .. (Note: I made the details larger than I wanted in the finished piece to account for the layers of coating I would apply later.) .. Once the basic shape was carved I used an old soldering iron to melt and shape the foam with the character of the rock I was copying. The first layer of coating used was a waterproofing compound called Gripset-51 .. it is a water based bitumen sealer that when dry is potable and safe for animals. Next I used acrylic house paint coloured with cement oxides and a small amount of Gripset 51 and cement powder to add some hardness to the coating. Using a few different colour mixes I slapped with a dryish brush all the different colours and built up the 3D look as I applied it. Last colour application was a very dry brush with a light colour paint to hit only the high spots of the detail which created the highlights for the finished piece. Hope that this helps a bit Rated M :)
Rated M Made my island out of the styrofoam and painted it. Did my background with Great Stuff and silicone but i used the wrong kind of silicone so I have to scrape of the Great Stuff and start all over. Pictures to come soon!
i was watching aquascape youtube when i found your channel.Great video..i was so hook that i just bought 5.5Lx2Bx3H feet tank...well i think it will be ready in 6 month..need lots of researh..do you have any links that might help all of us who love The Billabong. thnx
Eddie Ahemad It makes me very happy to hear that The Billabong has inspired you Eddie :) I don't have any links unfortunately. My knowledge of this hobby has come to me in the same way that you have found my channel. I spent many hours surfing RUclips and writing down ideas that helped create The Billabong. I can only suggest joining pages on Facebook that focus on this hobby and talk to the members. A good one to start with is Vivarium Terrarium Plants ( on Facebook ) .. Tag me or friend me and I would be happy to discuss this with you in more detail. ... Best of luck with your project Eddie. :D
I am planning to build one; DO I need aquatic soil and aqua plants for the water area or will garden soil and garden plants will work? Do you use the water pump to moist all the walls
Its very nice :)...I wanted to know whether coconut coir topped with aquarium sand would be okay as the bottom substrate? I am a newbie..so any help would be appreciated
Thank you very much :) +1969hippiechick .. The filtration is all natural. A powerhead pump moves the water up to the top of the background and as it trickles down through the plants and substrate it is biologically and mechanically filtered. Virtually mimicking nature in the process.
this is by far the BEST Paludarium on youtube! i have a question about the moss/blender thing though, what exactly did you use? Just those two mosses and a little water? how much water? and will it work with just christmas moss? or should I purchase some Peacock moss instead? thank so much
Thanks for your very kind comment Casey George :) Christmas moss will work fine... you don't need a lot of water during blending... In fact the moss taken out of the water and put in the blender will have sufficient moisture to pulp nicely. It will be easier to work with having less than more. Hope that is helpful :D
thanks for the response!! i also forgot to mention that I was planning on doing this for my crested gecko vivarium, i noticed that Christmas moss is mainly aquatic, so does this mean that the humidity required will be TOO humid for my crested? should I be thinking about a moss that will require less humidity? thanks again
Casey George Your welcome Casey I have no knowledge of the requirements for Crested Geckos ... But if you are not going to be keeping a high humidity environment then the Christmas moss will suffer indeed. It is an aquatic species that will tolerate above water living if kept wet. I would definitely suggest sourcing a terrestrial moss in its place. Having said that, I am not sure that blending and 'painting' the terrestrial moss will work.You can only try a small portion of it I guess and see how it goes. :)
Hey Ian. What type and how strong is the pump you are using? I have a Pondmaster 35gph pump. Would you think that would be strong enough to run my drip wall in a 40 gallon tank?
I've been looking into building my own but I have a quick question. The additives you used on the wall of the tank. Are those additives fish safe? Obviously it looks like the fish are doing fine but sometimes those additives can be tricky
@Madhav Thakur ... I have no experience using coconut coir and aquarium sand as a substrate. Although my first thoughts are that the sand would work its way down through the course coconut coir and mix. Especially if it were to be wet down on occasion. An alternative would be to use a coir/peat mix. It will depend on what you will keep in this tank as well.
What kind of pump did you use for the waterfall and drip system? How many GPH is it rated for? Looking at pumps and want to make sure it will be strong enough. Thanks man.
I am just wondering what lighting you used I was going to use the grow tubes for florescent With the glass on top of tanks what do you think is the best
Ian is this a drip system you have running around the top of the tank? Also is this the only soil you used? Did you add any other nutrients to it? Thanks
what books and resources did you use to research your paludarium? I am just getting started, I am wanting to go with a native South Carolina ecosystem and keep all flora/fauna authentic. Any recommendations?
+Grant Sullivan ... Hello Grant, All of the knowledge I have gained is by searching Google and RUclips. There are many inspiring creations to be found on these forums. Being that I am in Australia, I don't have any clue as to the flora/fauna of South Carolina. Maybe you could try Googling the topic. I did this for Rainforest plants and animals native to the Daintree Rainforest here... Then I related this to my needs.. Good Luck
This is amazing, this has boosted my confidence after watching how Justin grim's peninsula operated. The one thing that still doesn't make sense to me is that shouldn't there be a false bottom or drainage reservoir for the plants? And also how is your natural filtration system work, I know you said you had a pump circulating water from top down but what's the layout? How can you determine whether or not it would be effective? I've done a lot of research into making paludariums and almost everything I've read suggests this pretty much should not work.
+kenevan hargrave Thanks for taking an interest. This paludarium is certainly very different from most you see in that 90% of the plants used are aquatic varieties. My intention for this setup was for it to be completely submerged as an aquascape. During the construction of the hardscape it was suggested to me that it would look great as a paludarium. As the hardscape had already been constructed I continued with the plan of using aquatic varieties of plants for the water and "boggy" substrate areas, (including the walls) .. and sourced epiphytic plants for the exposed branches. By doing this I did not need a 'dry' land area for terrestrial plants. All I needed to do was keep the walls wet for the moss and java fern varieties. Pumping the water up to the top of the 3 sides and have it trickle down through the plants, and eventually the substrate naturally filtered the water and fed and watered the plants on the sides in the process. The tank has a glass top and was all but sealed creating a very high humidity level. This provided in the most part, the environment that epiphytes would grow in. Hindsight has taught me that some airflow is required as well, and I am currently working on how to achieve this. It has been 2 years since this paludarium was commissioned and so far all is going ok.
Glad you like it and Thanks for the sub ***** :) .... The soil is Cal Aqua Labs . -- Black Earth .. It is an aquatic soil used mainly for aqua-scaping. It has buffering capacity and is full of nutrients.. Perfect for the water section of this Pal .. Emergent growth is also doing well.
I haven't done anything towards stopping the tannins Paul Murphy ... The water is pumped up to the top of all 3 sides of the background and it trickles down through the plants and substrate back to the main water body continuously. In doing this, it creates its own biological filter and it is this process that has polished the water and removed any tannins from day 1.
Wondering what kind of camera you used to film this? I loved the shots of the inhabitants... hoping to do something similar someday with a 20 gal I have :)
Caleb Nelon Thank you :) .. The tank environment is a natural filter in this set-up... A hidden powerhead pump lifts the water to the top of the walls.. As it trickles back to the bottom, the plants act as a mechanical and biological filter.
This is great. I have been watching a lot of videos as I prepare to build my own paludarium, but I keep coming back to this one. Do you have any filtration system in place beyond the water flowing through the plants?
Hi Gary ... glad you find it interesting. As for filtration, the water trickling over the moss covered background and through plants/substrate is the only filtration ... It is still working very well mechanically and biologically .. only maintenance I have had to perform is to unblock the sprayers once.. other than that, it's a winner :)
Ian Cook Great! That is exactly what I wanted to hear. I hope the natural filtration works as well for me as you it does for you. Thanks for the information and inspiration. My tank arrives tonight, it should be 200 cm x 40 cm x 70 cm. I will post a video when I finish.
Ian Cook Hi Ian, I must say incredible work man! Like Gary, I have been watching many videos and doing research to put one together myself. Would you be able to help me understand how your water flow works? Where the pump is located, and if its split for the water fall as well as dripping water? Thanks man, and this video is definitely my inspiration!
Paul Goodwin ... First of all, Thank you for the encouraging remarks.. much appreciated! The tank is its own filter. The tank water is pumped up to a conduit that is situated across the back and both side top perimeters by a powerhead pump hidden under the back left corner, and dribbles down the background 24/7 ... this process naturally, biologically and mechanically removes impurities from the water before it returns to the main water body through the substrate. It is approximately 8-9 months now and only one water change has been performed, with a few top ups. I am happy to hear that this creation of mine is inspiring others to build one for themselves. Make sure you tag me when you get it moving, as I love seeing everyone's creations take shape .. always learning ;)
+Jesse squad ---- Hi Jesse, The tank is in a room that has a temperature change of only 3 or 4 degrees C during the year. The ambient temperature of the room keeps the tank stable therefore I have no need for a heater :D
+Jesse squad --- essentially yes. You need to take into consideration the requirements of the species of animals you intend to keep in your habitat. Mine were cold tolerant species. My room temp was around 23C on average with the tank averaging 20C.
The water keeps itself clean through Bio-mechanical filtration... The water is pumped up to the top of the walls, and as it trickles down it is filtered by the plants and substrate.
Is there any adverse affect with the polystyrene over time? Does it get moldy or algae attach to it? Thanks. One of the most beautiful Paludariums I've seen!
+bob abraham --- Thank you for the comment Bob :) I have had no issues with mould during the 2 years of this display being in service. However from time to time as the water dribble holes get blocked and require attention, I do get a bit of algae begin to grow in the less flow areas.. Poor houskeeping of the water system is the only algae I see on the background. As for the polystyrene having an adverse effect, I can say so far it has gone the distance with no obvious trouble.
bob abraham They were made to fit together with an overlap Bob.. when placed into the tank they fit reasonably tight together and held themselves in place.
The Billabong is built inside an aquarium... The size of the aquarium requires 10mm thickness to support a full tank of water... Check the thickness of most purpose built enclosures available retail to see what is commonly used.
Ian buddy you are gifted and maybe responsible for me emptying my bank account in the coming months. Your paludarium has sparked a long forgotten hobby of keeping water dragons. I noticed in your build you don't use any drainage under your substrate, have you had any problems with the soil becoming to water logged? I like the way you use styrene and soil seems simple and effective. I may have read to much into water table do's and don't. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Off to find an aquarium, happy days.
Hi Martin James Edwards, I appreciate your kind words... and apologies in advance for the damage to your bank account .. haha The soil being water-logged is part of the plan (It forms an important part of the natural filter mechanism in this design). 90% of the plants in this pal are aquatic species that are either growing emergent or enjoy 'wet' feet. The remaining 10% are either mosses that survive in high humidity or epiphytes. I should point out that the soil used is designed for full submersion in the aquatic design arena. It buffers and slow releases nutrients into the water until it expires.. (approx 18 months) after which supplementary ferts can be added. The Billabong is a self sustaining, self filtering micro-environment that requires very little maintenance. Happy to hear your passion for the hobby has been re-ignited. I look forward to some posts from you in the near future ;) .. Good Luck :) I subscribed to your channel so I don't miss the progress.
Ian Cook Hey Ian, really nice Paludarium! Im nearly completely new to this, I only know something about aquariums and even that from a good friend with 3 of them.. ^^ Your Pal looks really really nice, and I love that you made everything yourself (background, I mean). I dont like aquariums too much, I love water, but its too much for me, without any "non-flooded" - area at all. So I think this is the perfect thing for me. Any tips or links for a newbie / noob? :) English isn't my first language, but my skills are good enough to learn stuff in English about such things. Two things in advance.. You write 4x2x2? I guess you dont mean 4x2x2 meter, because thats how we would measure something here (germany). How big is it in cm / m? And.. If I want a paludarium thats very rougly like yours (from the effort and so on), how much money would it be in total after 4-5 months (when yours was finished)? Greetings! Gabriel
BallHeadFreak .. Firstly Gabriel, I must apologise for the late reply. Thanks for the kind words :) The size written as 4x2x2 is the measurement in feet. In metric the measurements are 1220mm x 600mm x 600mm. The best tip I can give you would be to research the hobby both on Google and RUclips .... There are many paludariums documented on both these forums. This will help you to decide on a theme for your own Pal. There are several different ways to construct these habitats. There is no wrong way, be creative. If you intend to keep animals in your pal, then it must be constructed with their needs in mind. As for the cost involved in creating The Billabong, around $A2,000 was spent (including the cost of tank and cabinet) on buying the best materials to guarantee a long life for this tank. Please do not let the cost deter you at this early stage... These tanks can be constructed for much, much less. Thank you for your interest Gabriel, and I wish you the best of luck in building your own. Here are some links for good inspiration and lots of knowledgeable people who can help. Vivarium, Terrarium Plants - facebook.com/groups/273569986088620/ Paludarium -- facebook.com/groups/522504307766067/ Australian Vivarium Plant Group -- facebook.com/groups/550339508400873/ Hope this is helpful :)
Ian Cook Thanks! I thought my comment got deleted somehow.. Im glad you answered. Well, I already thought it would cost something like that and even though I couldn't afford that, I will see what I can do, because it looks like a very nice hobby for me. If you are still on youtube in ~6-12 months, I will make sure to try and make a video of what I build (in case I found the money for it ^^). Thanks again, have a nice day.
You never have trouble with the frog drowning? I know a lot of people claim frogs can't drown, but even though I have never had to experience that, I was told by several articles that isn't true. Reason I ask is I bought a 65 gallon tank which I am going to do my best to replicate a lot of what you did for several RETF's. I know I won't be making the water that deep, for that purpose, but it is something I really wonder about. Your tank is amazing!
Frogs can indeed drown, so make sure their is a way that they can get back on land easily. It also may help by not making the water so deep. Maybe only around 6-10 or so inches for an aquarium of that size. I personally don't keep frogs however, so maybe someone else can offer more advice.
+Shadiyd Fuller I personally have been keeping amphibians for about 5 years and it kinda depends on the size and species of frog. If your doing a gray tree frog, they don't like to swim that much so they could drown in anything over 3 inches but if you are putting a full size bullfrog in there then you should have at least 10 inches of water but probably more. What kinda of frogs are you keeping?
Good building video! Did mine on the same way:) Can you answer some questions maybe: Is your moss doing good in the higher parts and do you got a rainsystem in it? And is your treefrog, sometimes in the water, hunting or scaring your fish? Keep up this nice tank for us, to watch more!
Happy to answer your questions #69Bonez Moss is doing very well in the high parts of the tank... not a rain system as such, I have a power-head pump in the bottom of the tank that feeds a conduit with sprayers... this is placed around the back and both sides at the top of the walls and dribbles water from the tank down the walls 24/7 .. it keeps them wet and this also filters the water as it flows past the plants and through the substrate back to the main water column. The tree frogs are only babies at this stage, and although I have seen them sitting on plants in the water... they haven't shown interest in the fish.... YET!!!
Ian Cook TY for answering so quick! I already use my pump for the waterfall, and also my mistmaker, still to dry in the higher parts. But as your answer said, get some more rain for the moss:) First I thought watching, feed your frog... then I looked again ah big head, no fat on ass and bones, must be a babyfrog!! And tell me how fish are doing, when the frogs are big;)
Yeah I know, but then you forget it some days... brown and dead moss :) Was trying it again with moss from outside my gardenpond.Guess I try your 2 moss mix, with some javamoss I already got. And then I will spray loads next time :) I been trying some plants from the garden now in the tanks. But we don't got little frogs in there so it's easier to do :)
+Ash Jung Biologically with the plants... mechanically through the substrate. For more info cruise the comments below.. I have explained this numerous times.
Good video......success
Thank you.
By the way, Ian Cook, thanks for making this video. It inspired me to build a paludarium of my own and my friends and family absolutely love it!
@Warrioroflight I am glad you found it inspiring :D
Cool video and info
Wow! What an amazing plaudarium! I really want to do something like this!
Thanks MonstaFishKeeper (FISH & REPTILES) :)
That frog of yours is... special.
Hi Ian, first off all what a great tank you got! Just one peace of art. Many ways to build a paludarium but this way is just the best way to do that. I have build some tanks but always used a filterpump underneed the tank. The best way to do water-filtering you just made. A all in filter what makes its self clean. Plants, Shrimps and fish do the rest. Some people stop having a fish tanks and rebuild it to something like this, its just that beauty of nature. Realy great job Ian!
Thank you so much for the encouraging words Ramon Geurts ... You are very kind :)
A masterpiece. The most beautiful paludarium construction video i have ever seen, executed with modest simplicity. A wonderful mix of video and photography topped off with a spellbinding soundtrack. Incredible.
Thank you Matthew. Your kind comments are very much appreciated. This "Pal" has given many hours of enjoyment and it was fun creating the videos.
Outstanding. I've kept tropical fish for 15 years and am toying with the idea of a Palaudarium, if I knew it would turn out like this I would have already done it!
Thank you bo55man ... The paludarium is just an extension of aquascaping and keeping aquarium fish ... well worth creating one to sit in front of and enjoy :)
Amazing! Your inhabitants seem to be very happy!
megsavs Thank you :)
That is a gorgeous piece of wood, can't believe it was in the firewood pile.
It was a very lucky find indeed Riki .... As soon as I saw it, I could see the potential.
Looks stunning. I wish i would be able to build such a wonderful piece of art.
Thank you Jessica5982 ... I am sure you could.. just give it a try and let it evolve as it will :) There are no rules!!
This is very amazing Ian. This will inspire many people , myself included
Thank you Michael Burton .... I am happy you feel inspired by this project.
just amazing creativity.... speechless....!!!!!
well done Ian Cook!!!!
Thank you Yash Arise ... It has been a rewarding journey!!
After watching your nicely done video I can see the amount of patience needed and understand why your paludarium is so healthy and beautiful. Great job!
It has come a long way in 10 short months ... and I have learnt so much during the process. If we can continue to grow personally, we will continue to inspire others to construct their mind's visions into living works of natural art.
Ian Cook Indeed, well said. I never knew what a paludarium was until I saw the one made by 69Bonesz in his video and then yours. Thanks for sharing.
love the tunes.
Very awesome work by the way.
Thank you very much Wulf :)
Beautiful... Simply beautiful !
Thank you Peter :)
Nice video! Doing some research to start my first paludarium Thanks for sharing!
You've done an amazing job. That setup looks absolutely mint.
+curt --- Hi Curt, Thanks for the generous comment.. Much appreciated :)
This is stunning!
Thank you Ariel :)
One of the most beautiful Paludarium I seen online. Well done mate.
Very kind of you to say that Jag .. Thank you
Beautiful I only have aquascapes but want to make a Paludarium one day!
That slow motion replay was hilarious 😂
Hey Ian, looks great mate
Thanks Mango ... Been a very enjoyable process. :)
Beautiful. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Bocskai ... appreciate the comment :)
Absolutely beautiful!
this is the most amazing one I have seen by far. you sir have earned yourself a sub.
That was beautiful.
This is ace. You've inspire me massively! Tank you ;D
how do u put the plants in the soil while u need to put them on the back panels? Do you need to put a little pot in the panels for soil first? How to separate the soil to come contact with the pump? Thanks and it is a beautiful one u made there.
This looks amazing.
You really managed to make me want to do something like this.
Lots of research to do first.
Any advice for a beginner?
I am planted tank guy, so paludariums is something new.
Hi Aquamaniac .. Thanks for the great comments.. Really do appreciate it :)
I was a planted tank guy too ... You have the right plan straight up .. Lots of research... I watched any video that was mildly related to paludariums to get ideas for what became the Billabong. Basically there are several different ways they can be set up, but no hard and fast rules. What ever works for you will be the base for your build.. Just keep in mind, if you intend to keep animals within... their needs are the most important criteria for how it operates, is filtered, is heated (or not) and is lit. Outside of that be as creative as your mind will allow. Good luck :D
I'm another, looking for some ideas - have to say this is fabulous, just a beautiful setup. NIce work!
3 years later, did you ever make one? I've gotten way into planted tanks myself and am looking ahead to trying a paludarium when I get tired of my 75g planted
I LOVE this.. How many inches of water is in there? I was thinking of putting a range of 7.5-8.5 inches of water in my feature do you think thats a good amount?
Nick Twist N Reptiles Hi Nick, this tank has 8 inches of water in it.. Enough to maintain a school of small species fish.
Are there any websites or forums that can help me with making a paludadium? Somewhere that holds a of of information in making a paludarium. I have a salt water coral reef tank but I would love to give a paludarium a go! Awesome tank.
I love your video, very helpful, thank you.
Master of paludarium-so well made and lots of patience
If I dont want to have a complicated setup of waterfall or soil-can i just use water safe plants and not worry about moss? Any such chance?
Yes of course SH Desal ... This is a piece of nature that I created for my enjoyment. You can make yours to be as you wish it to be. This Paludarium was designed originally to be a full tank of water with what is seen now as an "Aquascape" as the feature. During the build I was inspired by a good friend to create a paludarium instead. All above water plants for this tank were aquatic species grown emergent. You must take into consideration the animals you may keep as well as the species of plants you use and their combined requirements. Research, research and then let loose creating ... good luck :)
It is really beautiful, I love it. 🌿🌱🌵🍂🐸🐟🐠🍄😃😃😃👍👍👍👏👏👏👏👏
A true inspiration. One question though. I didn't notice any sort of pump to get the water to the top for the waterfall. Is there indeed a pump behind the panels inside circulating the water? Seems like it must or the water level will continue to rise.
romie yasin Yes the pump is hidden behind the walls. The water keeps itself clean through Bio-mechanical filtration... The water is pumped up to the top of the walls, and as it trickles down it is filtered by the plants and substrate.
Great video, thanks for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I want to make one as well. I like your setup but now I'm debating between using cork bark or making rocks like you did. I also want to make it so I can have both fish and amphibians or reptiles.
I am planning a new one #RatedM that will be a tank base and rainforest above to house some forest dragons.... the foam method is really easy to do. Give it a go ;)
Ian Cook Thanks. I so don't know where to begin though. How did you make your waterfall?
Rated M I stacked thick sheets and thin sheets of polystyrene of varying sizes with a few dobs of silicon near the centre to hold them together. (Keeping the silicon in the central area of the foam sheets gives plenty of scope for carving the foam later without exposing the silicon) ... While the silicon was drying I hit the internet looking for pictures of the rock I wanted to copy, to use as an inspirational guide while carving the foam. Using a snap blade utility knife, I roughly carved out chunks of the foam to replicate the rock in the pictures and used a bit of creative license as well ;) .. (Note: I made the details larger than I wanted in the finished piece to account for the layers of coating I would apply later.) .. Once the basic shape was carved I used an old soldering iron to melt and shape the foam with the character of the rock I was copying. The first layer of coating used was a waterproofing compound called Gripset-51 .. it is a water based bitumen sealer that when dry is potable and safe for animals. Next I used acrylic house paint coloured with cement oxides and a small amount of Gripset 51 and cement powder to add some hardness to the coating. Using a few different colour mixes I slapped with a dryish brush all the different colours and built up the 3D look as I applied it. Last colour application was a very dry brush with a light colour paint to hit only the high spots of the detail which created the highlights for the finished piece. Hope that this helps a bit Rated M :)
Ian Cook Thanks. This does help!
Rated M Made my island out of the styrofoam and painted it. Did my background with Great Stuff and silicone but i used the wrong kind of silicone so I have to scrape of the Great Stuff and start all over. Pictures to come soon!
i was watching aquascape youtube when i found your channel.Great video..i was so hook that i just bought 5.5Lx2Bx3H feet tank...well i think it will be ready in 6 month..need lots of researh..do you have any links that might help all of us who love The Billabong. thnx
Eddie Ahemad It makes me very happy to hear that The Billabong has inspired you Eddie :)
I don't have any links unfortunately. My knowledge of this hobby has come to me in the same way that you have found my channel. I spent many hours surfing RUclips and writing down ideas that helped create The Billabong. I can only suggest joining pages on Facebook that focus on this hobby and talk to the members. A good one to start with is Vivarium Terrarium Plants ( on Facebook ) .. Tag me or friend me and I would be happy to discuss this with you in more detail. ... Best of luck with your project Eddie. :D
I'll find in Facebook
I am planning to build one; DO I need aquatic soil and aqua plants for the water area or will garden soil and garden plants will work? Do you use the water pump to moist all the walls
@5:45 on the right side of the screen something tiny crawled out the water... what was that?
was it mites
Its very nice :)...I wanted to know whether coconut coir topped with aquarium sand would be okay as the bottom substrate? I am a newbie..so any help would be appreciated
Lovely paludarium! Wondering what you used for filtration and heating (if needed). Thanks!
Thank you very much :) +1969hippiechick .. The filtration is all natural. A powerhead pump moves the water up to the top of the background and as it trickles down through the plants and substrate it is biologically and mechanically filtered. Virtually mimicking nature in the process.
this is by far the BEST Paludarium on youtube! i have a question about the moss/blender thing though, what exactly did you use? Just those two mosses and a little water? how much water? and will it work with just christmas moss? or should I purchase some Peacock moss instead? thank so much
Thanks for your very kind comment Casey George :)
Christmas moss will work fine... you don't need a lot of water during blending... In fact the moss taken out of the water and put in the blender will have sufficient moisture to pulp nicely. It will be easier to work with having less than more.
Hope that is helpful :D
thanks for the response!! i also forgot to mention that I was planning on doing this for my crested gecko vivarium, i noticed that Christmas moss is mainly aquatic, so does this mean that the humidity required will be TOO humid for my crested? should I be thinking about a moss that will require less humidity? thanks again
Casey George Your welcome Casey
I have no knowledge of the requirements for Crested Geckos ... But if you are not going to be keeping a high humidity environment then the Christmas moss will suffer indeed. It is an aquatic species that will tolerate above water living if kept wet. I would definitely suggest sourcing a terrestrial moss in its place. Having said that, I am not sure that blending and 'painting' the terrestrial moss will work.You can only try a small portion of it I guess and see how it goes. :)
I am new to creating a paludarium, I was wondering what kind of filter, pump did you use to clean and circulate the water?
Hey Ian. What type and how strong is the pump you are using? I have a Pondmaster 35gph pump. Would you think that would be strong enough to run my drip wall in a 40 gallon tank?
I've been looking into building my own but I have a quick question. The additives you used on the wall of the tank. Are those additives fish safe? Obviously it looks like the fish are doing fine but sometimes those additives can be tricky
@Madhav Thakur ... I have no experience using coconut coir and aquarium sand as a substrate. Although my first thoughts are that the sand would work its way down through the course coconut coir and mix. Especially if it were to be wet down on occasion. An alternative would be to use a coir/peat mix. It will depend on what you will keep in this tank as well.
amazing. .... Gud job 😃
+Ian Cook I was wondering what substrate and plants did you use for this magnificent project I would really like to know.
Fascinating....
+ravindra nabiel Thank you for the comment :)
What kind of pump did you use for the waterfall and drip system? How many GPH is it rated for?
Looking at pumps and want to make sure it will be strong enough.
Thanks man.
Paul Goodwin I used a power head pump of 1100 litres per hour
Sorry it took so long to answer... completely missed your message/question.
I am just wondering what lighting you used I was going to use the grow tubes for florescent With the glass on top of tanks what do you think is the best
very nice
awesome video, thanks!
Kakashigirl250 .. Thanks.. :) . You are welcome.
Ian is this a drip system you have running around the top of the tank?
Also is this the only soil you used? Did you add any other nutrients to it?
Thanks
Yes it is a drip system Bob.
This is the only soil I used with no additives.
It's one of the best out there. They also have Green Base XR
Amazing just wow!
Thank you. :)
what books and resources did you use to research your paludarium? I am just getting started, I am wanting to go with a native South Carolina ecosystem and keep all flora/fauna authentic. Any recommendations?
+Grant Sullivan ... Hello Grant, All of the knowledge I have gained is by searching Google and RUclips. There are many inspiring creations to be found on these forums. Being that I am in Australia, I don't have any clue as to the flora/fauna of South Carolina. Maybe you could try Googling the topic. I did this for Rainforest plants and animals native to the Daintree Rainforest here... Then I related this to my needs.. Good Luck
This is amazing, this has boosted my confidence after watching how Justin grim's peninsula operated. The one thing that still doesn't make sense to me is that shouldn't there be a false bottom or drainage reservoir for the plants? And also how is your natural filtration system work, I know you said you had a pump circulating water from top down but what's the layout? How can you determine whether or not it would be effective? I've done a lot of research into making paludariums and almost everything I've read suggests this pretty much should not work.
+kenevan hargrave Thanks for taking an interest. This paludarium is certainly very different from most you see in that 90% of the plants used are aquatic varieties. My intention for this setup was for it to be completely submerged as an aquascape. During the construction of the hardscape it was suggested to me that it would look great as a paludarium. As the hardscape had already been constructed I continued with the plan of using aquatic varieties of plants for the water and "boggy" substrate areas, (including the walls) .. and sourced epiphytic plants for the exposed branches. By doing this I did not need a 'dry' land area for terrestrial plants. All I needed to do was keep the walls wet for the moss and java fern varieties. Pumping the water up to the top of the 3 sides and have it trickle down through the plants, and eventually the substrate naturally filtered the water and fed and watered the plants on the sides in the process. The tank has a glass top and was all but sealed creating a very high humidity level. This provided in the most part, the environment that epiphytes would grow in. Hindsight has taught me that some airflow is required as well, and I am currently working on how to achieve this. It has been 2 years since this paludarium was commissioned and so far all is going ok.
is it possible to put chuncks of moss to a wood without blending
what kind of filtration are you using im stuck on this aspect and not sure what to use?
Love the Action Frog LOL
He is the star of the show.... :)
I really love this :) what kind of soil is that ?
Glad you like it and Thanks for the sub ***** :) .... The soil is Cal Aqua Labs . -- Black Earth .. It is an aquatic soil used mainly for aqua-scaping. It has buffering capacity and is full of nutrients.. Perfect for the water section of this Pal .. Emergent growth is also doing well.
How did you stop the water from becoming tanned/brackish due to the wood?
I haven't done anything towards stopping the tannins Paul Murphy ... The water is pumped up to the top of all 3 sides of the background and it trickles down through the plants and substrate back to the main water body continuously. In doing this, it creates its own biological filter and it is this process that has polished the water and removed any tannins from day 1.
Ian Cook Thanks :)
Did u use a heater for the water?
what type of filter do u use to create a mist?
Wondering what kind of camera you used to film this?
I loved the shots of the inhabitants... hoping to do something similar someday with a 20 gal I have :)
Hi Opal Rose ... All footage was shot using my iPhone 4s ... good luck with your 20 gal production :)
Ian Cook Thanks! Some of those shots are really sharp. Pretty cool for a phone.
That's incredible. What methods are you using to keep the water clean? I'm just starting research for my own paludarium. Yours is so beautiful.
Caleb Nelon Thank you :) .. The tank environment is a natural filter in this set-up... A hidden powerhead pump lifts the water to the top of the walls.. As it trickles back to the bottom, the plants act as a mechanical and biological filter.
Do you build tanks like this and sell them to people?
Waooo beautiful.
What types of plants were used?
This is great. I have been watching a lot of videos as I prepare to build my own paludarium, but I keep coming back to this one.
Do you have any filtration system in place beyond the water flowing through the plants?
Hi Gary ... glad you find it interesting. As for filtration, the water trickling over the moss covered background and through plants/substrate is the only filtration ... It is still working very well mechanically and biologically .. only maintenance I have had to perform is to unblock the sprayers once.. other than that, it's a winner :)
Ian Cook
Great! That is exactly what I wanted to hear. I hope the natural filtration works as well for me as you it does for you. Thanks for the information and inspiration.
My tank arrives tonight, it should be 200 cm x 40 cm x 70 cm. I will post a video when I finish.
You're welcome Gary ... looking forward to seeing what you create. Subscribing so I don't miss it ;)
Ian Cook Hi Ian, I must say incredible work man! Like Gary, I have been watching many videos and doing research to put one together myself.
Would you be able to help me understand how your water flow works? Where the pump is located, and if its split for the water fall as well as dripping water?
Thanks man, and this video is definitely my inspiration!
Paul Goodwin ... First of all, Thank you for the encouraging remarks.. much appreciated!
The tank is its own filter. The tank water is pumped up to a conduit that is situated across the back and both side top perimeters by a powerhead pump hidden under the back left corner, and dribbles down the background 24/7 ... this process naturally, biologically and mechanically removes impurities from the water before it returns to the main water body through the substrate. It is approximately 8-9 months now and only one water change has been performed, with a few top ups.
I am happy to hear that this creation of mine is inspiring others to build one for themselves. Make sure you tag me when you get it moving, as I love seeing everyone's creations take shape .. always learning ;)
Hello, How do u control the temprature of the water and the land?
+Jesse squad ---- Hi Jesse, The tank is in a room that has a temperature change of only 3 or 4 degrees C during the year. The ambient temperature of the room keeps the tank stable therefore I have no need for a heater :D
+Ian Cook so thus could be held in a bedroom without a heater for like frogs and fish?
+Jesse squad --- essentially yes. You need to take into consideration the requirements of the species of animals you intend to keep in your habitat. Mine were cold tolerant species. My room temp was around 23C on average with the tank averaging 20C.
Just magnifique ;)
lefoufoux Thank you :) .. I appreciate your making a comment.
What are those two animals at the very beginning? Both sound like something I would like to look up.
I am not sure . They were sound effects for the sound track
Do the fish eat tadpoles?
This seems like a bad to ask, but what is that sound track at the very beginning called? I want to look it up. Does anyone know?
How's your water circulation set up?
The water keeps itself clean through Bio-mechanical filtration... The water is pumped up to the top of the walls, and as it trickles down it is filtered by the plants and substrate.
Hi Ian. Wondering how many gph your pump is pushing?
+Jason Long The pump is 1,100 litres per hour.
Brilliant
Is there any adverse affect with the polystyrene over time? Does it get moldy or algae attach to it? Thanks. One of the most beautiful Paludariums I've seen!
+bob abraham --- Thank you for the comment Bob :) I have had no issues with mould during the 2 years of this display being in service. However from time to time as the water dribble holes get blocked and require attention, I do get a bit of algae begin to grow in the less flow areas.. Poor houskeeping of the water system is the only algae I see on the background. As for the polystyrene having an adverse effect, I can say so far it has gone the distance with no obvious trouble.
+Ian Cook Thanks for your reply. It is so nice!
+bob abraham How did you attach the background panels?
bob abraham They were made to fit together with an overlap Bob.. when placed into the tank they fit reasonably tight together and held themselves in place.
+Ian Cook I see. Is this why you put them in after the substrate?
Did you silicone the styrofoam to the walls?
The Real OJ No, the panels hold them selves in place. Made to fit firmly.
Ian Cook thanks
how about soft shelled turtle and musk turtle in paludarium with frog fish shrimp
Does the glass need to be 10mm thick ??
The Billabong is built inside an aquarium... The size of the aquarium requires 10mm thickness to support a full tank of water... Check the thickness of most purpose built enclosures available retail to see what is commonly used.
Ian buddy you are gifted and maybe responsible for me emptying my bank account in the coming months. Your paludarium has sparked a long forgotten hobby of keeping water dragons. I noticed in your build you don't use any drainage under your substrate, have you had any problems with the soil becoming to water logged? I like the way you use styrene and soil seems simple and effective. I may have read to much into water table do's and don't. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Off to find an aquarium, happy days.
Hi Martin James Edwards, I appreciate your kind words... and apologies in advance for the damage to your bank account .. haha
The soil being water-logged is part of the plan (It forms an important part of the natural filter mechanism in this design). 90% of the plants in this pal are aquatic species that are either growing emergent or enjoy 'wet' feet. The remaining 10% are either mosses that survive in high humidity or epiphytes. I should point out that the soil used is designed for full submersion in the aquatic design arena. It buffers and slow releases nutrients into the water until it expires.. (approx 18 months) after which supplementary ferts can be added. The Billabong is a self sustaining, self filtering micro-environment that requires very little maintenance.
Happy to hear your passion for the hobby has been re-ignited. I look forward to some posts from you in the near future ;) .. Good Luck :)
I subscribed to your channel so I don't miss the progress.
Ian Cook Hey Ian, really nice Paludarium! Im nearly completely new to this, I only know something about aquariums and even that from a good friend with 3 of them.. ^^ Your Pal looks really really nice, and I love that you made everything yourself (background, I mean).
I dont like aquariums too much, I love water, but its too much for me, without any "non-flooded" - area at all. So I think this is the perfect thing for me.
Any tips or links for a newbie / noob? :) English isn't my first language, but my skills are good enough to learn stuff in English about such things.
Two things in advance.. You write 4x2x2? I guess you dont mean 4x2x2 meter, because thats how we would measure something here (germany). How big is it in cm / m? And.. If I want a paludarium thats very rougly like yours (from the effort and so on), how much money would it be in total after 4-5 months (when yours was finished)?
Greetings! Gabriel
BallHeadFreak .. Firstly Gabriel, I must apologise for the late reply. Thanks for the kind words :)
The size written as 4x2x2 is the measurement in feet. In metric the measurements are 1220mm x 600mm x 600mm.
The best tip I can give you would be to research the hobby both on Google and RUclips .... There are many paludariums documented on both these forums. This will help you to decide on a theme for your own Pal. There are several different ways to construct these habitats. There is no wrong way, be creative. If you intend to keep animals in your pal, then it must be constructed with their needs in mind.
As for the cost involved in creating The Billabong, around $A2,000 was spent (including the cost of tank and cabinet) on buying the best materials to guarantee a long life for this tank. Please do not let the cost deter you at this early stage... These tanks can be constructed for much, much less.
Thank you for your interest Gabriel, and I wish you the best of luck in building your own.
Here are some links for good inspiration and lots of knowledgeable people who can help.
Vivarium, Terrarium Plants - facebook.com/groups/273569986088620/
Paludarium -- facebook.com/groups/522504307766067/
Australian Vivarium Plant Group -- facebook.com/groups/550339508400873/
Hope this is helpful :)
Ian Cook Thanks! I thought my comment got deleted somehow.. Im glad you answered.
Well, I already thought it would cost something like that and even though I couldn't afford that, I will see what I can do, because it looks like a very nice hobby for me.
If you are still on youtube in ~6-12 months, I will make sure to try and make a video of what I build (in case I found the money for it ^^).
Thanks again, have a nice day.
You never have trouble with the frog drowning? I know a lot of people claim frogs can't drown, but even though I have never had to experience that, I was told by several articles that isn't true. Reason I ask is I bought a 65 gallon tank which I am going to do my best to replicate a lot of what you did for several RETF's. I know I won't be making the water that deep, for that purpose, but it is something I really wonder about.
Your tank is amazing!
Frogs can indeed drown, so make sure their is a way that they can get back on land easily. It also may help by not making the water so deep. Maybe only around 6-10 or so inches for an aquarium of that size. I personally don't keep frogs however, so maybe someone else can offer more advice.
+Shadiyd Fuller I personally have been keeping amphibians for about 5 years and it kinda depends on the size and species of frog. If your doing a gray tree frog, they don't like to swim that much so they could drown in anything over 3 inches but if you are putting a full size bullfrog in there then you should have at least 10 inches of water but probably more. What kinda of frogs are you keeping?
+Brennan Fisher I dont keep frogs
Good building video! Did mine on the same way:)
Can you answer some questions maybe:
Is your moss doing good in the higher parts and do you got a rainsystem in it?
And is your treefrog, sometimes in the water, hunting or scaring your fish?
Keep up this nice tank for us, to watch more!
Happy to answer your questions #69Bonez
Moss is doing very well in the high parts of the tank... not a rain system as such, I have a power-head pump in the bottom of the tank that feeds a conduit with sprayers... this is placed around the back and both sides at the top of the walls and dribbles water from the tank down the walls 24/7 .. it keeps them wet and this also filters the water as it flows past the plants and through the substrate back to the main water column.
The tree frogs are only babies at this stage, and although I have seen them sitting on plants in the water... they haven't shown interest in the fish.... YET!!!
Ian Cook TY for answering so quick! I already use my pump for the waterfall, and also my mistmaker, still to dry in the higher parts. But as your answer said, get some more rain for the moss:)
First I thought watching, feed your frog... then I looked again ah big head, no fat on ass and bones, must be a babyfrog!! And tell me how fish are doing, when the frogs are big;)
69bonesz If you can use a spray bottle to wet the moss each day it will help.. easy option... but keeping environment high humidity helps the most.
Yeah I know, but then you forget it some days... brown and dead moss :)
Was trying it again with moss from outside
my gardenpond.Guess I try your 2 moss mix, with some javamoss I already got. And then I will spray loads next time :) I been trying some plants from the garden now in the tanks. But we don't got little frogs in there so it's easier to do :)
how do you filter the water?
+Ash Jung Biologically with the plants... mechanically through the substrate.
For more info cruise the comments below.. I have explained this numerous times.
+Ian Cook Thank you!
AWESOME
where is the water pump hidden?
Barabasi Istvan It is hidden in a plastic basket covered with filter wool in the bottom left hand corner under the waterfall.
The foam should have been carved before adding the silicone but no less an impressive feat !
Do the frogs ever try eat the fish
Looks great but you seem to have used some fairly toxic products, dont they leach eventually?
Wow!
What are the dimensions of the aquarium
4 foot x 2 foot x 2 foot... 10mm glass
Ian Cook thank u!
Ian Cook can u send me link in which u bought it? Also can u show me how u build your waterfall?
The most beautiful thin on youtube Amazing its just hard to figure out the materials for background ...
How big do those frogs get????
+Lukes Plants They grow to around 2 inches max (50-60mm)
beautifull
what are the dimensions of that tank?
4x2x2 #gutmonkey09
❤