[fish_4_all]

Is there any reason a similar setup wouldn't work for just about any newt, salamandar or other type of vivarium with plants and multiple water and land sections? Assuming the water is circulated, filtered and maintained of course. I figured a pipe going from one water feature to the other run by a powerhead filter pulling water from one end to the other and then it flows back on it's own, even having one end deeper as a sort of filter pod to collect bedris and such or maybe put fish in as food for the critters.

 

[musho3210]

im sure it would be fine, an undergravel filter mike work if you want the filtration spread out, just that you need to follow the same rules as a normal aquarium....

 

[fish_4_all]

I would have to cut the undergravel filter into sections. The land sections would lose land and become mush unless I am using rocks over that section. I would have to modify an undergravel anyway because I doubt it will be standard shape when i am done with it. That and I don;t like them but that is another topic. :wink:

The only real problem I am having is how allow the animals toget onto the land and which ones might work in there. I have been thinking about getting crabs and not having to worry about substrate except having a pot in each section for plants like Anubias but I want them to be in the water also as they need to be at least emersed.

I guess I will just have to build two of them, one for craws and one for some kind of terrarium setup and see how it works.

 

[basicloser]

It does seem to me to be like an interesting setup, but I think the size of the tank that you were using would play a major factor. I couldn’t see it being done with a 10 gallon that’s for sure. But with a larger tank I think that it would be quite interesting, you could even go as far as (if they ate fish) putting different types of fish in each water part area to see what kind of fish you newt (or whatever) prefers. Are you planning on doing this? If so please keep us up to fate, I would like to see how it goes.

 

[fish_4_all]

The tank would be rather large, probably close 40 gallon. Gonna be wide also. Maybe 20 wide, 18 tall and 36 long. The water volume will be hard to calculate because of the land area.

I like the idea if different fish in there to see which ones they like to eat. I was thinking guppies, killifish and maybe swords but swords get pretty big and I don't know if a newt or salamander would be able to eat an adult but the babbies might become lunch, hopefully. Maybe a fast producing shrimp species like cherries or ghosts with some java moss growing in the water to provide breeding spaces. I also thought of growing crypts in there if I can get them to grow in such a setup and keep the water clean enough for the critters. I would think that too many ferts will make the water unsuitable for the critters so it would be a lot harder to control the dosing. It opens up a lot of options with the tank size and the land areas.

 

[basicloser]

I think that a 40 gallon would work pretty good, but might I make a suggestion? Take away one of the sections at the end. Have it be 4 sections like Water, Land, Water, Land. The reason that I think this could be more effective; and I may be wrong as I’ve never owned either, is because in some of the pictures I’ve seen newts are in the corner on land sort of climbing at it so I assume that they might that? Also it would make each area that much bigger with only 4 different sections. What do you think?

Also, I was wondering if you were going to measure them all off so they are completely even, or go with a more ‘natural’ look in which some sections will be less land, or even just a piece of wood or rocks separating the water from the land?

 

[fish_4_all]

It makes sense, the length doesn't really matter as it will be costom made so I could make 3 land and 2 water or do anything. The sections will kinda be confined, almost have to be because I want to grow some fairly serious plants in there and their roots would make a real mess of the land if it was just loose.

I had even thought about doing an island type thing with swords in the middle and smaller plants on the outside and the water around the island. Lots of options.

There really aren't any constraints but that's why I asked the question, I didn't even think about the critters wanting to climb the corners and not having land there.