Turning a sumped tank w/overflow into a marine paludarium.

[squatchaquarist]

Have you considered using an overhead sump or hang on the back fuge?

Would this take care of the possible flow rate issue?

 

[fish farmer]

Certainly! It's like a vivarium but with aquatic elements! So most people just take an aquarium, fill it half with water, and build a wall in the back for plants and vines etc. Sometimes you can incorporate shores/beaches. It doesn't seem to be too popular for marine aquarists yet, likely due to the salt creep factor. But I imagine misting the plants frequently (perhaps with ATO water) would help with that.
Edit: And I wouldn't be keeping any terrestrial critters, just trying out different kinds of tropical plants.

I've done this. Somewhere on this forum, I've got a picture or two. I had a great build thread on a defunct forum years ago. The only hobby version I found in my searches was a New Zealand Vivarium tank back in 2006-2008 where a guy had tropical plants and land crabs.

I'm at work now, but I'll get into more detail later with pictures when I get home.

Sadly I lost interest in continuing my 65 gallon setup and recently tore it down.

 

[Ratherbeflyen]

Would this take care of the possible flow rate issue?

You can build, or have built, what ever you want to suit the needs and required flow rates. I don't know what you have available, but a simple shelf over the tank can house a decent size overhead sump. If you have the space, you can put it behind or next to the display tank. You can even put it in the other room. Like others have said, you can't really use two pumps and match the flow. So just create a system to pump water out of the display tank and then gravity return to it.

Maybe you can go with a traditional sump and just drill the back of the tank for an external overflow at 12" from the bottom instead of 4" from the top. The water level will only get as high as the internal overflow box.

I like your idea, and I would find a way to do it.

 

[squatchaquarist]

I've done this. Somewhere on this forum, I've got a picture or two. I had a great build thread on a defunct forum years ago. The only hobby version I found in my searches was a New Zealand Vivarium tank back in 2006-2008 where a guy had tropical plants and land crabs.

I'm at work now, but I'll get into more detail later with pictures when I get home.

Sadly I lost interest in continuing my 65 gallon setup and recently tore it down.

I would love to hear more about this!

@Ratherbeflyen thank you. I am super intrigued by the overhead sump idea and am going to seriously consider both. Part of me just wants to drill another overflow and use the existing sump, since I have it. By the way, will drilling twice into the same pane of glass weaken it more? This particular tank has the (internal) overflow drilled on the side panel, not the back. If I go for a new overflow, should I chose a different side for the new spot? Can I stick with an internal overflow, if I chose to do this?

 

[fish farmer]

Here's a short discussion from last year, I summed up some of my experience with my 65 in this thread.

Saltwater Paludarium?

What do you guys think of a saltwater paludarium? With a beach setup and foam baffles covered in silicone to hold back water from the plants. This sound like a good idea?

www.reef2reef.com

 

[squatchaquarist]

Here's a short discussion from last year, I summed up some of my experience with my 65 in this thread.

Saltwater Paludarium?

What do you guys think of a saltwater paludarium? With a beach setup and foam baffles covered in silicone to hold back water from the plants. This sound like a good idea?

www.reef2reef.com

Ah yes, I've been reading through that thread.

I'm wondering if shallow plastic planters and pots attached and then camouflaged to the back wall would assist with preventing salt from getting to be too much of an issue. I don't have space for an adjacent tank (although I like the idea).

Do you have any pics of your old set up? EDIT never mind, I found some. Wow, that was an engaging little system.

 

[Ratherbeflyen]

I would love to hear more about this!

@Ratherbeflyen thank you. I am super intrigued by the overhead sump idea and am going to seriously consider both. Part of me just wants to drill another overflow and use the existing sump, since I have it. By the way, will drilling twice into the same pane of glass weaken it more? This particular tank has the (internal) overflow drilled on the side panel, not the back. If I go for a new overflow, should I chose a different side for the new spot? Can I stick with an internal overflow, if I chose to do this?

Of course more holes in a pane will be weaker than one solid piece. Exactly how many holes of what size and how close together is beyond my engineering skill. Having said that, I converted my peninsula tank to an external overflow. That required me to silicone a patch over 3 existing holes and drill 2 new ones.

You can see the holes and patch on the bottom of both sides in this picture.

It's been that way for the last 3 years with no problems.

I don't think you'll have any problems with drilling new holes for an overflow lower in the tank on the same pane. Your tank will be way overbuilt if it's only 1/2 of 1/4 full of water. The strength lost from the additional hole should be negligent.

 

[squatchaquarist]

@Ratherbeflyen Ha! You are quite correct there, with half a tank of water I shouldn't be worried. By the way, killer build. That rock wall turned out amazing with the SPS and other corals. Simply ("simply") building a faux rock wall and keeping the 125 full of water is also on my list. I am kind of thinking that a wider tank might be more suited to a palu project, or at least one with slightly more workable dimensions.

 

[BurlyWizard]

EDIT never mind, I found some. Wow, that was an engaging little system.

Do you mind linking or sharing them? I'm very curious!

 

[dennis romano]

@Ratherbeflyen Ha! You are quite correct there, with half a tank of water I shouldn't be worried. By the way, killer build. That rock wall turned out amazing with the SPS and other corals. Simply ("simply") building a faux rock wall and keeping the 125 full of water is also on my list. I am kind of thinking that a wider tank might be more suited to a palu project, or at least one with slightly more workable dimensions.

Cool concept. Like you said earlier, the salt will be a problem. It is so toxic to plants that it would kill just about any that you put in.

 

[ca1ore]

Don't think I have ever seen a paludarium where the water part was salt water. I have one with a freshwater section, though the plants have mostly overgrown it.

 

[fish farmer]

Do you mind linking or sharing them? I'm very curious!

Growing plants in a reef tank?

I've seen some tanks (such as the iconic tank of Wawawang) where there are air plants and succulents growing in crevices of the rockwork that's out of the water. How do they get this to work? Source: Nano-Reef

www.reef2reef.com