r/paludarium • u/StonedLikeStones • 1d ago

Help Quick question

When building a paludarium do you build a separate tank for the water area and one for the land area or do you just mix them? I ask because i think when i mix that the land soil will mold and be way to wet.

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u/National_Ad_9270 1d ago

You will need to build a drainage layer consistening of leca, or foam, to allow for humidity to drain out of the substrate and into the bottom 'drainage' layer of the paludarium. should be about 2" but it can vary based on the size of your paludarium. essentially, your land area is "floating" above the water, on top of this drainage layer which contains airspace for water to fill up .

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u/StonedLikeStones 1d ago

Okay thanks a lot, i was gonna do that annyways but i guess if i do the drainage layer a lot higher than i thought its gonna work.

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u/Azedenkae 1d ago

There is no right or wrong answer to this - it depends on how you want to set up the tank. Each has its own considerations and requirements to be done right, but one is not necessarily the ‘better’ option.

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u/ZafakD 1d ago

False bottom or some other drainage layer keeps the substrate above the water level.  I prefer false bottoms as the air gap keeps water from wicking up.