Paludariums (sometimes called River Tanks) are aquariums that contain both water and dry land. Paludariums are supposed to mimic a small patch of land beside a river or a pond. However, most paludariums contain a wide variety of plants and animals from all over the world and they really don't mimic any real place. But that's okay. A paludarium can be a place in your imagination for others to see and enjoy.

Despite its complex ecosystem and beautiful appearance, a paludarium is relatively easy to keep. If you have moderate skills at keeping house plants and freshwater aquariums or goldfish, you can be successful in keeping a paludarium. In addition to exotic tropical plants and fish, you may also keep various land animals such as geckos and frogs, though this is not recommended for beginners.

I have been keeping paludariums for about 7 1/2 years. During that time, I had tried a lot of things, some of them worked and some of them failed miserably. This article is a culmination of my knowledge in this field, presented as a step by step procedure on how I set up my latest paludarium. Even if you do not follow most of what I have done, I think you will find lots of useful information for your own design.

By the way, the entire project cost me $380 (U.S.) Dollars. Depending upon the size of the tank (the setup here is based on a 70 gallon tank), your costs may be higher or lower.

The Tank

Start with an all-glass tank. Yes, I know acrylic tanks are the in-thing (the salesman will tell (sell?) you that they are seven times stronger than glass, one tenth the weight, etc.), but you will have the most success by using an all-glass tank. Acrylic tanks, due to their partially sealed tops will lead to uncontrollable "steam" on the inside of the tank walls as well as a variety of mold and mildew problems. They also tend to raise the inside ambient  temperature.

You can buy "river tank kits" for standard aquariums but these are nothing more than plastic injection-molded "rocks" that look as bad as they sound. Some larger aquarium dealers will sell you a prefabricated paludarium setup, but plan on spending several thousand dollars if you go this route. The best thing to do is to order a custom tank from your dealer, but use the dimensions of standard tanks which will save you lots of money. The custom tank described in this article costs me $270. A prefab setup of a similar size sells for $2,250 at a local dealer.

I opted for a 70 gallon "tall" glass aquarium, which has the standard dimensions of 36 x 15 x 30. As shown in the dimensional drawing, my customization included a sheet of glass 13 inches tall set about 2/3 the way down the middle of the tank. This acts as the dividing wall that separates the water and land areas. I also had four holes drilled in the bottom plate for the associated plumbing, which will be used for filter input and output, land section drain, and wire chute. Drilling holes is optional, but makes for a much neater setup when you don't have pipes and wires hanging down in plain view.

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