Journal Desktop nano paludarium.

[HardeeParty]

I’ve had this idea in my head for a couple of years now and it’s finally taken shape. The inspiration came from a local conservation area/regional park. I wanted a tall nano scape with stone/wood hardscape with a pump/filter in the rear plumbed so the outflows exited at the top and trickled down the face of the scape. Primarily a moss scape dotted with some native accent plants.

Tank: 15cm x 15cm x 25cm ultra clea low iron nano tall with floating bottom.

Light: random plant light from local store.

Substrate: random top fin black pebble gravel that came in a bag with a marketplace tank setup.

Pump: random pump from my dad’s garage from one of my brothers super old tanks.

Plumbing: extra black RO 1/4” tubing and quick connect fittings from a reptile mist kit (for another project).

I started by building the frame with divider panels. There are two ledges that propped up the hardscape, and the whole frame was draped and buffered with 3d spacer mesh (Epiweb) to retain moisture and humidity near the top of the scape without needing a lid. The mesh also helps keep the wood in contact with water, and aids establishing moss.









3d spacer mesh:



Back filter installed:



And the dry fitment test. Had to file down the rock on both sides so it fit without being forced in there. I constructed it this way so the whole scape could be pulled out at once if I needed to reset it, or just the pump if it needed to be serviced. More 3d spacer mesh was wedged in all the crevices for additional wicking.



Topped up and testing:



Additional hardscape up top to help hide all the outflows, and provide space for the finishing flora (maybe some air plants and/or orchids).

 

[HardeeParty]

The spacer mesh does a really good job keeping the areas between rocks wet. I’ve been seeding the voids with a variety of local terrestrial and aquatic moss. I chop it up, mix it with a tiny bit of bentonite clay powder, aquasoil, distilled water, and a spritz of ATP Dew, and paint it on the hardscape. I got the idea from Dendroboards and it’s working well.

Today:









I’ll eventually get some shrimp in there once it’s finished whatever cycle it’s going to do. I have an RGB pendant light is like to install over it for a bit more PAR and coverage. This works for now though. I haven’t decided if I want to keep this 100% native or not.

Plant list (so far):

Lobelia feayana
Random Cryptocoryne
Vesicularia vesicularis
Callicostella pallida
Rhynchostegium serrulatum
Sematophyllum sp.
Thuidium delicatulum
Entodon cladorrhizans
Porella pinnata

 

[Koan]

The spacer mesh does a really good job keeping the areas between rocks wet

Would be so cool to work a fog fall into this

 

[HardeeParty]

I’m actually actively working on this concept lol.

 

[HardeeParty]

Update on this little guy. I didn’t like the light on this so I moved it over to the Utricularia heterosepala / Lobelia paludosa cloche and put a Week Aqua mini pro 9 on it. It’s a better spectrum and coverage, and will pick up right where the schedule left off when the power is randomly cut off at the office over the weekend. Had a little bout with cyano which was quickly resolved with a double dose of Chemiclean. Ended up raising the water line a bit since it just looked better.

Yes I strategically placed it so the family portrait was directly behind it and perfectly framed to be visible when sitting in one of my office chairs.













Utricularia cloche. I really really really want this to flower.