Paludariums

Paludariums

James explains how to create living walls that are a departure from the standard tech-heavy installations that require specialised skills. James guides you through his low-tech paludarium.

Equipment used:

• Hygrolon fabric which can be purchased at reptile supply shops
• General-purpose silicone (not anti-fungal)
• Silicone (caulking) gun
• Instant superglue
• Paludarium - Riverside Aquatics in the UK
• Manzanita wood
• Aquarium gravel

Plants used:

• Java moss
• Chamaedorea elegans
• Ficus pumila 'Minima'
• Pyrrosia nummularifolia
• Bucephalandra
• Bucephalandra mounted on driftwood
• Anubias barteri var. nana

Lesson Summary

• A paludarium is an aquarium containing both aquatic and terrestrial features.
• I use two layers of hygrolon, a synthetic fabric, and cuts it to size (30mm).
• Use a silicone with no anti-fungal agent. You don't need to use a lot of the silicone to hold the hygrolon into place, just gently press it against the silicone.
• The wicking base absorbs the moisture and provides the plants with water.
• On the sides of the paludarium I have gone for a single layer of the hygrolon.
• You can buy hygrolon from reptile suppliers.
• Leave the silicone to set for 24 hours.
• I recommend adding bits of twig to the hygrolon using instant superglue as an adhesive to hold it firmly in position.
• Using a synthetic fabric like hygrolon is best as it holds water and never breaks down.
• If you want a larger living wall, you can buy an aquarium pump and run a pipe between the two layers of the fabric.
• I wallpaper the Java moss to the hygrolon with instant superglue.
• The seams in between the moss is a great space to wedge the rootball of Bucephalandra or Chamaedorea into.
• I pour in aquarium gravel on the base of the container and uses his aquarium tool to smooth out the gravel.
• Splitting plants up allows them to appear more natural and gives the plants enough space to grow well with less competition.
• I recommend buying Bucephalandra mounted on a piece of driftwood from aquarium plant suppliers.
• Adding plants to both the foreground and background helps to blur the sense of scale.
• The final stage is filling everything with water very gently. I use a desk lamp as a light source.
• Keep the water clean by changing the water by siphoning out 50 per cent every day for two weeks.
• After that time, I repeats the process once a week or once a fortnight.
• In the first few weeks cover the living wall using the cling film, the humidity will allow the roots to adjust and grow into the moss.