INCREDIBLE Fire-Bellied Toad Island Paludarium with Waterfalls

hey everyone i hope you're doing well tanner here and i'm back with another paladarium build two years ago i set up the ultimate fire belly toad paludarium i really enjoyed that setup and to this day it and the animals at houses are doing quite well however was originally built specifically for the toads i later decided to experiment and add fish to my surprise they ended up thriving in this environment although they've done well to this point i know i can make a better looking setup that's built around the needs of all the animals let's get to work help support the channel by commenting liking subscribing and turning on notifications so you know when i upload new content like last time i use a 40 gallon breeder aquarium for my canvas prior to adding anything i had to make a few modifications the first order of business was filtration to maximize the usable space within the aquarium and to make maintenance easier i use an external canister filter rather than going up and over the top i'll drill a few holes to accommodate bulkheads i marked for one near the top of the aquarium and the other on the bottom left the placement of these will dictate the height of the waterfall and the minimum depth of the water feature after those were accounted for i put tape on the outside to preserve the glass when drilling from the inside i built up a ring of duct seal putty with this i can create a reservoir of water to keep the drill bit from overheating per usual i have a diamond tip tool saw for the job on a side note if you're drilling glass examine it with a pair of polarized sunglasses beforehand if the glass is tempered it can't be drilled since i'm not using a guide or drill press it's easier to start at an angle after i go a slight indentation i slowly turned the drill to a level position during this process i'm not pressing down at all i'm letting the weight of the drill do the work for me so i don't crack the glass each hole took a few minutes to complete i removed the putty and tape and wiped away the debris i also sprayed down a piece of sandpaper and buffed the newly drilled holes wetting it prior will keep the dust from becoming airborne lastly i wiped on the glass with isopropyl alcohol to make it as clean as possible then i installed the bulkheads by hand sometimes i'll use a pair of channel locks to go tighter but usually i can go tight enough by hand i have a low profile strainer for the bulkhead that's connected to the filter's return and 290 degree barbed elbows for the outside of the bulkheads i put thread tape around the elbow threads before screwing them in with those components addressed i went on to cut the glass per usual i have measuring tools a spring clamp lubricating oil and a glass cutting wheel first i set my straight edge on the glass and make measurements once i have the straight edge in the appropriate place i clamp down the side closest to me i always double check the measurements and adjust if needed from there i apply lubricating oil to the cutting wheel to help it roll effectively after that i lightly rolled the wheel over the glass to distribute the oil then i start at the end furthest for me and apply consistent pressure in a single pass to score the line i hit this line off the edge of a table or board to separate the pieces i repeated this process until i ended up with four pieces of glass like before i used wet sandpaper to buff the edges i also ran them under water to remove debris i use these pieces to create an overflow box inside of the tank two are cut to the total width of the overflow the thinner piece is for the bottom and the other is for the front these two are for the sides they're cut to the same width as the bottom piece and a few inches taller than the front i did this so water doesn't overflow from the sides and to align it all with the aquarium's frame now that you understand how the glass will be used i can mark for them on the tank i centered everything on the back so the box encases the bulkhead i wiped them down with alcohol to remove oil and debris as usual i'll use ge silicone one to secure everything this is a great diy alternative to what's typically sold as aquarium grade silicone first i ran a bead along the lines from earlier then i pressed the side pieces into the silicone i applied some along the bottom piece as well and put it in place after that i smoothed out the edges with my finger i applied a bead along the top of these pieces and pressed the front onto them i smoothed this out as well and let everything cure for a few hours prior to escaping i had to make more modifications instead of carving a foam background like before i decided to make everything out of voco dragonstone i should mention that i rinsed these off before use they're generally covered in a lot of debris and it could clean really helps anyway because i'm using 72 pounds of stone to create the escape and background i can't just foam it all onto the glass with that kind of weight it's just not going to hold up long term it is possible if we build an armature though for that i'll utilize one of my go-to materials a crate light diffuser first i cut several pieces into strips these will be silicone to the back of the tank in this formation it's probably a little overkill but i'd rather overdo it to ensure my animals are safe anyway i generously apply to beat along each of the pieces so they're embedded in silicone i let it all cure for a few hours here you can tell even at a partial cure that the pieces are very secure with the framework in place i proceeded to make a few measurements i used these to cut out a larger piece that will cover the entire back i cut out the base piece and set it in the tank to mark for the overflow and intake i cut these sections out and the egg crate fit perfectly now the fun part time to zip tie the large piece in place when i say zip tie i mean a lot of them i used about 75 to secure this piece again this is definitely better to overdo at first it was pretty annoying but eventually i got a good technique down i fed the ties under the crate and pulled them through with needle nose pliers i also attached a piece of coarse filter sponge to the right of the strainer to keep fish out of the background here's a closer look even as is i think it looks pretty cool but more importantly it's going to keep everything in place for years to come you can also get a look at the overflow box this will fill with water until it spills out into the tank before doing anything else i marked for a water line to give me a reference point throughout the build as much as i want to start scaping there's something else i need to address the land areas i'll use egg crate and zip ties to make those i just put two ties in each corner to hold the pieces together all of them are the same height which is just above the line i marked for earlier here's a rough idea of how they'll be placed in the tank i'm also going to cover the outsides with geotextile fabric i applied a little hot glue on the plastic and folded over an end i put more hot glue on the fabric and folded over the other end from there i zip tied the corners for a long term hold then i applied silicone to the bottom of each structure and pressed them into the tank the last thing i need to account for is the weight of the stones on the bottom of the tank once again i'll resort to egg crate i put down silicone and put scraps together here's the final framework rocks can be attached to the back with confidence there are a few sections for islands and the bottom is lined with egg crate to distribute the weight of the stones per usual i let the silicone i just applied cure overnight prior to escaping the setup as i said earlier i'll be using oco dragon stone for most of the scape a thing to keep in mind with this stone is that it has a very defined texture to it when placing them be sure to keep it consistent throughout or your escape will look unnatural i also have some gnarly pieces of spider wood both will really help me achieve an awesome look with great depth and texture i started by getting a sense of how the pieces will fit into the framework these aren't where they are going to go i'm just getting a feel for the materials from there i proceeded to encase the middle island i put down a few stones first then i wrapped the wood around these pieces i had to adjust a few things to get it looking just right i added a few additional pieces as well usually i like to escape the entire tank prior to foaming things in place but that's not possible with this one as usual i'm using great stuff gaps in cracks expanding foam i sprayed it between everything to lock the scape together i also applied it behind the elements on the background i let the foam cure in these spots for about 10 minutes at this point it's no longer sticky but it is pliable i went around and pressed the expanded sections down to avoid carving later on from there i slowly repeated the process throughout i placed a few elements and foamed them in once the foam was partially cured i went back and pressed it down there was really no rhyme or reason as to what order i escaped the tank i simply worked pieces together as i saw shapes that matched up as the structure came together i could gradually work my way up the background again i had to do it all in pieces to ensure nothing would fall over it's worth mentioning that the pieces near the overflow or foam directly to the glass it won't matter much in this area because the stones are small and they're primarily being held up by the rest of the structure after all of that here's what i ended up with it's definitely coming together but there's more work to be done i used super glue gel to attach geotextile fabric to the top of the overflow i put down a few drops pressed the fabric in place and sprayed it with water to make the glue dry faster this concealed the foam and will create a nice growing surface for the moss after that i turned the tank on its back and filled in the top of the overflow i put down a layer of foam and fit stones together while the foam cured i pulverized the stone to create dust i smeared super glue between the stones in this area and covered it with dust this technique creates a really cohesive look and hides the foam i repeated this process in a few other areas throughout the tank as necessary before i turned the tank upright again i also filled in a lot of the cracks with damp sphagnum moss this will help hide the foam and act as a growing medium for various plants upright again and you can really see the scape coming together at this point i decided to add two more large pieces of spider wood i used tape to secure one while the foam cured the other held up on its own i also placed several small pieces up front to add more texture to conceal the remaining areas of foam i used more sphagnum moss and geotextile fabric and that completed the hardscape there are a few things worth mentioning before we proceed you'll notice that i only escaped the area as you can see it would have been a waste of space and materials to put them everywhere i also really enjoy the island look it was something i planned in advance and i think it helps out a lot of depth to the escape plus it helps break up the escape giving the toads various territories to reside in so they don't stress each other out now then let's add the substrates i began by putting in a thin layer of cycled planted tank substrate from the previous paludarium this is seeded with beneficial bacteria that will help jumpstart the tank i filled in the rest of the mixture of various planted tank substrates i'm sure some of you recognized that i didn't make a false bottom that's because of the substrate i used this isn't my typical terrarium blend and has no issue being in constant contact with water i also wasn't sure how much of the land area would end up being saturated from the waterfall so use this as a preventative measure in addition to that all the plants i'm using grow well in this type of environment with this exact substrate i added some in the water feature as well i'm not putting too many aquatic plants in this setup so only a little was needed now we can add the plants i began with anubias barterina these are the largest leaved plants in the setup so i started with them since they're epiphytes i can wedge them in crevices throughout the escape and not in the substrate after that i wedged a single variegated anubius minima near the front of the scape as a showcase plant i thought it would best serve the design near the front from there i added several cuttings of purple waffle plant from the previous paludarium this is a really robust plant that grows quickly and works well in a riparian setting in other words it's ideal for this setup at this point i had to give the tank a quick spray to keep the plants from drying out up next are a few segments of dragon's tongue this is one of my favorite plants for a setup like this even though it has a fine delicate appearance it's really tough and adds incredible texture next are a few cryptanthus nubucola any kryptanthus would do well in this setup but this is one of my favorite smaller growing crypts under bright lighting they get a really nice orange view within the forest of plants i placed a few cuttings of fitonia alba venus for accents for this one i have several ferns the first one being a crocodile fern i also added a few rhizomes of rabbit's foot fern that will be in line with the waterfall i found they do really well in conditions like this i also added a few miscellaneous plants including peperomia emerald ripple red this will add a nice pop of texture and color i also added buchetti grass throughout the islands on the far left i planted a sword fern let's move to the water feature i'm keeping it simple down here with mostly epiphytes first there are a few sections of mini bulbitis to keep with the look of the ferns above no setup is complete without anubias not a petite so i added plenty of them as well that concludes the planting for now but i'll add more in just a moment now we can add the remaining substrate for this one i'm using red flint sand which is a large grain sand with great colors i really enjoy when substrates complement the rest of escape instead of creating unnecessary contrast in my opinion this looks more natural i placed it throughout the front first then i used a funnel to distribute it elsewhere i scattered small rocks throughout the escape to add variety to the foreground this also gives a better sense of scale here it is now it's ready for water but before then i'll give you a quick rundown on the filter like i said before it's an external canister filter it's much more substantial than what was on the previous tank and will be easier to service it's also filled with pre-cycled biological media i have it hooked up to the respective bulkheads and secured with hose clamps while we're back here you can get a better look at how the foam is formed around the egg crate as well oh yeah it's probably worth mentioning what's on top of the tank i'm using the same led strip lights as the previous setup however i've doubled them up this time my lids consist of a pane of glass in the back and a diy screen up front let's get the tank filled as always i put my dechlorinator in the dish i used to displace the water this helps me immediately remove the chlorine and fill the tank up without sand flying everywhere with the tank full of water i plugged in the filter that means the waterfall is up and running but i'll show more on that later now we can finally add the moss i placed java moss all throughout this setup i covered all the islands with it first then i placed it along the top of the waterfall moss can really bring a setup to life but so will botanicals i sprinkled various seed pods and leaf litter throughout the setup the inhabitants really enjoy these and they help naturalize things even further i added a few cryptocorn wendy bronze and the water feature as well and saving the best for last oak leaf creeping fig let's get this thing stalked and call it done first and foremost for the springtails these will help clean up after the toads and address any mold now for the fish nothing new here just the same white cloud mountain minnows from the previous setup oh yeah and that single rogue zebra daniel i also rounded up all the rams horn snails i could find from the previous setup and introducing some new additions with the success of the previous tank i figured it made sense to add some red cherry shrimp and a mono shrimp finally are my favorite inhabitants the fire belly toads so there it is the new and greatly improved fire belly toad paludarian i think it's a huge improvement compared to the original setup the crazy thing is that one took me nearly four months to complete and i was able to make this one in just four days i really like that there's more swimming room for the inhabitants while retaining the same amount of land i was able to do that by bridging the islands with driftwood this also allowed me to break the scape up into sections which is ideal for the toads after all they can become territorial with one another believe it or not these toads are very avid climbers they're always climbing up to get a better vantage point of their domain and what spot better than the overflow box i knew they would go in there and it didn't take long perhaps i should have made it a more prominent feature either way i love to see them interacting with the environment alongside their tank mates i've been planning this for a while but haven't said much about it i'm really excited to have it done and to have shared the process with you more importantly i always feel good when i can provide a better home for my animals it's all about constant improvement and better living conditions while on that i should mention that i was able to add them to the tank immediately because i used pre-cycled substrate and pre-cycled biological filter media i also seeded the tank with beneficial bacteria but i didn't show that in this video plus i always do more water changes on new setups and the best case scenario though it's better to let the tank season prior to stalking it anyway i'm curious to know what you think let me know down in the comments how you think it compares to the previous design i hope you all enjoyed the video and learned something new until next time surprise squad take care and peace you

Channel: SerpaDesign

Views: 500,638

Rating: 4.9696951 out of 5

Keywords: paludarium, fire bellied toad, fire belly toad, vivarium, vivarium waterfall, terrarium, aqua terrarium, aquascape, live planted

Id: UkkP80wMn_s

Length: 23min 35sec (1415 seconds)

Published: Sat Oct 10 2020

Reddit Comments

[u/Johnezz]

This guy is on another level. In awe.