# Frogs & Toads > Tree Frogs >  55 Gallon Paludarium

## AAron

This is the first post of the new thread on my new project a 55 Gallon "Tropical Forest Paludarium" the White's Tree Frogs will be the main focus in the build. My tree frogs love the water. I have seen them in it all the time, my female loves to swim. So I am going to have tall plants and 70/30 Water to land ratio for them. The tank will focus on Arboreal and Aquatic plants and theme. I will be adding fish to this. I used to have a Betta Fish with my WTF's and it did great. I will be putting a Betta as one of the fish in this enclosure. Another fish is one I always wanted because it's hardy, easy, and small. The Mosquitofish, which I have now, will be the other fish joining the Betta and Whites. The animals will all be sexed. 
Whites
 (Max is a female, Elly is a male)
Mosquitofish (2 females to 1 male) 
Betta Fish will be a male. I will post more on this soon. 
One of the Mosquitofish 

Elly (Male WTF) 


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Bronzino, Cliygh and Mia 2

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## bill

Looking forward to seeing this one come to fruition. The white's will love a large water feature!


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Larry Wardog

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## KMAC

I like your posts and I like your setup ideas, friendly and clear just the way they should be. I too have fish in my setup so its good to see others doing. What I personally going to aim for myself is getting fish from the same regions of the RETF but right now I have some small tetra s and mountain minnows. However 3 fish have went missing and its the frogs as no dead fish on the pool. Have you have that problem or foresee it in the future?

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Larry Wardog

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## AAron

> I like your posts and I like your setup ideas, friendly and clear just the way they should be. I too have fish in my setup so its good to see others doing. What I personally going to aim for myself is getting fish from the same regions of the RETF but right now I have some small tetra s and mountain minnows. However 3 fish have went missing and its the frogs as no dead fish on the pool. Have you have that problem or foresee it in the future?


Thank you for the kind words! My female White's sometimes went after the Betta. I think having plants on the surface of the water covering the fish for the most part is the way to save them. The frogs are not interested in the Mosquitofish right now at least. My female did eat a rosy minnow months back because it went missing and she was the only one to hunt fish. This time I'm carefully going to create spots for the fish to get away. The Betta was smart enough to realize it needed to move. The fish that are active during the day are more likely to survive tree frogs since the frogs sleep while the fish are active. 


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Cliygh and Mia 2

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## AAron

A massive update: I have had the Mosquitofish since Friday and they already mated in my tank! I can only imagine what it will be like when they are in the 55 Gallon. Here are some pics of Max and Elly in the same tank as the Mosquitofish 




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## AAron

I am working on this build now and it was a little difficult today, but a lot got done. Without the Betta Fish with the WTF and Mosquitofish it's an Australian animal Paludarium which is cool, I would make this with plants from there and try to get more fish from that climate. No pics yet of the build.  


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## AAron

I have made a final decision on Fish in this Paludarium. I will have my Mosquitofish and Male Betta Fish, along with one type of Rainbow Fish. I have found some plants from Australia as well, but not all of the plants will be Australian. 
This is my list of the Australian Plants and Animals 

Lemon Button Fern
Begonia Copper Sunset
Begonia Kevin White Cotton
Mosquitofish (Invasive) 
Oyster Creek Rainbowfish
Eastern Rainbowfish
White's Tree Frog

I'll get a pic soon. 


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## KMAC

Excellent good to see your aiming as most as you can at local setup

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Larry Wardog

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## AAron

I found some great things for this build that are going to benefit the Frogs and Fish while looking amazing. 
The female Mosquitofish coming up to the top at dusk. 


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Cliygh and Mia 2

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## AAron

So I was reading about Blue White's Tree Frogs. I started to look at Elly (my male) he was never a green color and I thought maybe it was because he was from one of the continents and my female was from the other. But in reality, Elly is a Blue morph White's. I can take a picture so others can observe also. If he is then I just paid $10 on a sale at Petco for a Blue Morph Tree Frog who has been pretty healthy. That's a steal lol

So the main lights I got for this 55 Gallon Paludarium are the Slim line lights from Zilla. They are UVB lights and I may have to use the other light fixture because it may not be as bright as I want for Australian Plants and Fish. 


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## AAron

I have made my final choices for the lighting, pumps, misting, plants, and fish for this build. 
I have 2 slim line lights from Zilla and a compact top of Exo Terra 2.0 UVB along with at night a 75W night light, aquarium LED, and a Ceramic Heat Emitter 100W. One pump is in the waterfall so not as powerful, but the other 2 equal 350 gallons of filtration if I choose. I will wait to say what the other 2 pumps are to surprise you all along with the land feature. It's going to be very unique. The Fish and Plants are as follows

Owned:
White's Tree Frogs Pair
1:3 male female Mosquitofish 
Bronze Venus Fern

Plants and Fish:
Bird's Nest Fern
Begonia Copper Sunset
Begonia Kevin White Cotton
Lemon Button Fern
Western Rainbowfish      3
Pacific Blue Eye               3

I will be using all Exo Terra misting and fogging products

Monsoon RS400
2 Exo Terra Foggers. 
I'll post more as the build comes along. 


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## AAron

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## AAron

Happy Birthday to Max my female WTF, she turns 2 today! Here is a brief trailer of the animals going into the build

https://youtu.be/5uYg85x5g4A
Max is the Big Brown Frog

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## AAron

I'm kind of surprised how bad the trailer video was received on YouTube. This tank is not finished but I want to show some support to these guys as well. The frogs and fish. I won't have another video for these guys most likely until I'm done. I have decided that the 3rd Frog going in here will be a Blue Eyed White's Tree Frog. I am also adding Pothos to this build now that I know it's found in Australia. 


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## AAron

I have the enclosure setup at the early stages. Not close to what I wanted, but I made due with what I had. 3 Female Mosquito Fish, a few snails, Max and Elly of course! Pics and a video coming soon!


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Cliygh and Mia 2

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## Xavier

Nice man, good to hear!  :Smile:

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Larry Wardog

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## AAron

Now that I have a better idea of the space, I will be using all of this:
White's Tree Frogs (Max and Elly)
Mosquitofish        3-5 (Female)
Bronze Venus Fern
Hanging Maidenhair Fern
Pothos 

Bird's Nest Fern               2
Western Rainbowfish      2

Others:
Dieffenbachia 


No mister or fogger yet, but I have a different feature for this Paludarium the 75 Gallon doesn't have. 



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## AAron

The first video of the Australian Paludarium is on YouTube! Check it out here!

https://youtu.be/_1-hdV98LCc


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Cliygh and Mia 2

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## Xavier

Yes, looks amazing man!  :Smile:

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Larry Wardog

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## AAron

Max is loving the Australia Paludarium 



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## Xavier

Yeah, looks like it!  :Smile:

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## AAron

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## AAron

Some sad news today. My male frog Elly has passed this week through a declining situation. Both of the amphibians that had a major prolapse have passed in the same year. I am happy Elly got to live in the 55 Gallon for a few months. I am planning on getting another White's but towards the spring. Max and the Mosquitofish are healthy as can be. Elly had multiple problems no matter how many vet visits, soakings, injections, and medication; he just wasn't budging. He will be missed with his calm demeanor and aggressive appetite. Rest easy Elly. 


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## elly

Sorry to hear that.

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Larry Wardog

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## AAron

> Sorry to hear that.


Thank you for the kind words. I did all that I could for the little guy. I'm thankful I have pictures and videos of his life that I can checkout. The video series is going to be harder to do with this build now that this happened. I will look for a male again, but it will be a while. Max has always been healthy however. She is currently the oldest amphibian I own. Does anyone know if she will have some weird behavior now that he is gone? They were together for a long time.

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## AAron

Here are the best pictures of Max and Elly. Here is a great tribute to the animals that were a part of the development to this build.


Elly on the light

Elly sleeping 

Max and Elly sleeping together 

Brock the first fish. The toughest fish I ever had. He fought off sickness and didn't have the space or resources the Mosquitofish have now. He paved the way. 

The last picture of Elly before his unexpected decline in health. 

The last picture of Elly (top left)


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GreenAquarist

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## AAron

Max is still doing great



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## AAron

With a lot of time to think since I'm not making more videos for a few months; I've decided that it would be best not to get the rainbow fish because the frogs could attempt to eat them. I have decided to use Australia plants and of course the WTF and Mosquitofish, but to add a Betta fish back because it's not to big and is easy to care for. It will not be an Australia Paludarium but named Tropical Forest Paludarium. It's been difficult with all of the major loss of animals recently, so I'm trying to take extra precautions with the main enclosures. This build is going to get a major face lift along with plenty of new plants, more female Mosquitofish, a Betta and another male Dumpy Tree Frog. I'm looking forward to finishing this build and having it as consistent as my 75 Gallon. 


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## AAron

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## elly

The dumpy's looking good!

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Larry Wardog

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## Xavier

Hey man, once again, sorry to hear about your losses. Never easy, and I can tell that Elly had a great life, what living in a froggy version of a mansion and what not  :Wink: . Sorry I haven't been on lately, been busy with a lot of my own things at the start of this year. I'll make a explanation post shortly  :Smile:

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Larry Wardog

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## AAron

> Hey man, once again, sorry to hear about your losses. Never easy, and I can tell that Elly had a great life, what living in a froggy version of a mansion and what not . Sorry I haven't been on lately, been busy with a lot of my own things at the start of this year. I'll make a explanation post shortly





> The dumpy's looking good!


Thank both of you! Max is now the oldest animal I have going on 3. Elly was happy but he just couldn't stay healthy for some reason. The 55 Gallon is going to get a huge make over in the spring. I'm hoping to have a series on YouTube for this, but it's been difficult with the circumstances which is why I haven't yet. I want to showcase these frogs, plants, and fish at their best. I can hand feed Max now. I'm looking forward to hearing what you have been up to!


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## AAron

Looking forward to this rebuild to the 55 Gallon Paludarium. Max is starting to become an adult now and the Mosquitofish are good. More news when the build reboots and when the new male comes as well as fish! Stay tuned!


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## AAron

I'm pleased to say the 55 Gallon Tropical Forest Paludarium will be the first project started in 2017. I have the layout nearly finished and I have been doing flip flops with what fish I'll use, well I have that decided now. Obviously Mosquito Fish are the main fish, and I'll be using Minnows and the offspring of my Mosquito Fish first, then if I need a replacement I'll add Bettas. Max will be the only Frog so far, but I'll add a new Dumpy by Christmas. I'm excited to be getting the supplies every so often, but when it's ready it's going to look amazing. Updates coming. 


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## AAron

Max is 3 months away from 3 and this has been the longest time she's alone. 


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## AAron

This build is almost ready to begin! Within the next 3 weeks I'm hoping to have the enclosure finished with just some small things to get. Updates coming soon!


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## elly

I'd be interested to know if Max has any behavior issues because of Elly's disappearance. I'm pretty sure she won't, but sometimes frogs can be surprising. 

As far as the betta fish, I'm glad you decided to add them only if the mosquito fish don't work out, but putting more than one in might be a problem. They do like fighting. (Also they do better given more space than people normally give them, but you probably knew that.)

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## AAron

> I'd be interested to know if Max has any behavior issues because of Elly's disappearance. I'm pretty sure she won't, but sometimes frogs can be surprising. 
> 
> As far as the betta fish, I'm glad you decided to add them only if the mosquito fish don't work out, but putting more than one in might be a problem. They do like fighting. (Also they do better given more space than people normally give them, but you probably knew that.)


Now that you mention it Max has gotten less active then usual. She does like company, she would always bask with him and they always stayed close to one another. I think she will be the happiest when the new male comes. She does miss Elly. I am hoping to go to a reptile expo in Pittsburgh to get the new frog. I'd like to get a snowflake and possibly mate them. So I'm 100% getting Mosquito Fish because they are nice and hardy fish. I am strongly considering Rainbow fish again now that some local stores carry them. I can't wait to build this. Max has literally been through everything and she deserves this finished build. 


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## AAron

Very excited the light has come in! I'll I'll be paring it with a compact top of UVB lighting. 


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## AAron

One of the most important parts to this build is going to be something that I can tell Max has missed for a while, and that's a misting system and fogger. She loved playing on the nozzles (she sits on the top of the waterbell and swings all over it) so I'm sure she will love more toys in her mind and a closer replica of a natural environment. I'm not giving away all of the big stuff, but I believe the mister and fogger will put this upcoming build over the top. It will be interesting to see what the fish do if they will even notice the fog or mist hitting the water. 


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## AAron

The build is set to start next week. Possibly Sunday! I'm excited and a little concerned because it's the longest time Max will be in a smaller enclosure for a few days. It's all going to work out. I don't have two pieces yet, but that's okay they can come later. 


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## AAron

Back to an empty 55 Gallon 


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## AAron

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## AAron

The build is coming along nice. All I need now is to switch the 75 Gallon with this and I can begin to add the finishing touches. I'm expecting it to be done around Tuesday, but not fully completed with the misters and fogger. 


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## AAron

Just needs a mister a fogger the fish a male frog and 4 more plants



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## AAron

Here is a first look at the Paludarium. Needs a few things, but it's up and running!

https://youtu.be/m77O_T3RbVM


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## AAron

Possible video coming next week!


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## AAron

Here is the beginning of a series I'll be doing called Showcase 
Please like and subscribe! I'll be updating the channel pretty frequently with this and my other enclosure. 
Let me know what you think

https://youtu.be/qFuaaqoUFAI


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Cliygh and Mia 2

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## AAron

So if you have followed my other build my Monsoon was starting to spazz out on me. So I found a way to salvage what I could. It had 6 sprayers and is down to 2. This will get one half of the enclosure which can be seen in the video above ^ which will be paired with a fogger at some point. Hope you checkout the video! It's nearly complete with the new additions and has almost all the inhabitants!


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Cliygh and Mia 2

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## AAron

Max shows the maidenhair hair fern that is coming back to life after dying back. Tank is doing great. Might have another video soon. 


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Cliygh and Mia 2

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## Xavier

Looking pretty good so far  :Smile:

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Larry Wardog

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## AAron

Another video was just uploaded to my channel of this build! You can checkout Max when she is not eating and see the updates to this enclosure. This is to celebrate less then 1 month until Max is 3 years old! This video mainly features her. This enclosure will be getting updated more after the chaos of the 75 Gallon is done and settled. Here is the video! Please subscribe and let me know if you want to see feeding or night time videos or whatever. 
https://youtu.be/eZxU-eNqpb4


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## Xavier

Nice! Going to have to watch that one later though, pretty busy right now. I'm sure it's amazing!  :Smile:

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Larry Wardog

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## AAron

So a small update here. 
Max is 3 years old and is doing great in her setup. A local store is starting to sell Hornworms so when I get the worms to become moths Max will love to hunt them. I understand how big the moth is but she should be an adult Whites Tree Frog at that time. Not to mention a female. I am adding a bottom Feeder fish to the tank to help clean up things and this tank will keep getting more maintenance after my 75 Gallon Build finishes settling in. I'm waiting on a young Skink to mature to get it out of my holding enclosure to put Max in for updates but also to keep the male Frog at some point. 


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## elly

All my maidenhair ferns have died a slow death no matter what I did. Max is not fully grown yet at three years? Also, good setup.

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## Bryce

Wow, I didn't know you had a maiden's hair fern. That's interesting to know, since I'll be using one. I've also been thinking about raising my own hornworms. I'm gonna look at some videos on your channel later. I hope the moth feeding goes well. I've heard some frogs don't like moths.

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## AAron

> All my maidenhair ferns have died a slow death no matter what I did. Max is not fully grown yet at three years? Also, good setup.


Yeah I'm not sure about using American Maidenhair ferns they might work but the Australian kind has died a slow death. I have a rabbits foot fern and it's doing fantastic. No Elly I don't think she is because she has not filled out and gotten big and plump. I'm not saying she has to be fat I won't let her get there but she is still kind of small for a female Frog. I think she has some widening out to do. I'm excited to see her gun the moths because she loves wax moths so something bigger she would go crazy for! I'm not sure all the types of videos I'll do with this setup and it will be more interesting when I get the male and it comes into this setup. I try to keep my animals away from dangerous food for the most part  I don't think food that could injure the animals is worth it especially for the Tree Frogs. They only get captive food. My other setup might be different with this rule but for these guys it's mainly Crickets and Wax Moths. Thanks for checking out the videos guys I haven't put one out recently because I'm working on an incredible video for my other setup and once it's finished you'll see more of this setup again!


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## AAron

Here is a short look at the Paludarium around 3 months in! https://youtu.be/WnPWNK8RPSo



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## AAron

Here are some great shots of Max!

She loves her Crickets 

Just woke up



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## Bryce

I love the way he turns to look at you. Reminds me of my Toads. Max is a really photogenic frog  :Frog Smile:

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Larry Wardog

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## AAron

This setup will be getting finished off this summer. There will be two light fixtures with built in timers and will get a fogger and I will get a second Mister for it. Towards fall I will look at a new male tree frog for my setup. I am looking more into this as a hybrid Paludarium that mainly features Australia with the frogs fish and some plants all from that climate. I am going to get more plants from Australia, but I will be integrating in more things from Asia. More plants and a Betta Fish will be from the Asia part and maybe one more surprise will join the Tree Frogs and Fish. I will update the background of this setup as well and it will have a ceramic Heat Emitter when needed to keep a warm spot for the frogs. Believe it or not the frogs are nosy and will go to the spot it's warm and will sit in it until they are too dry and then will leave. There will be more updates with videos for this enclosure as it gets finished. In my other tank I have insect in the setup. I would like to have tropical insects in this enclosure and I am open to ideas. If they breed in the tank that's okay I can also take extra if the insects would take over. Message me or comment ideas or insects you think would be interesting and I will research them and decide if it's something I am interested in. It can be Australian or Asian insects which would be preferable. Thank you. 

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Cliygh and Mia 2

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## Xavier

Hmm, very interesting, good to know things are coming along nicely! Perhaps some species of tropical cricket that comes from the area would be a good fit?

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Larry Wardog

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## AAron

> Hmm, very interesting, good to know things are coming along nicely! Perhaps some species of tropical cricket that comes from the area would be a good fit?


That's a good idea! I will research them and see

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Cliygh and Mia 2

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## AAron

A big update for the animals and plants of the 55 Gallon Paludarium! I will be upgrading the tank to a 75 Gallon! So they will have a little bit more room! More updates coming soon. 

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## AAron

A new update from Max and the YouTube Channel in the link below. Please like and subscribe to my channel!
https://youtu.be/THroO50D-tk

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## AAron

Checkout Max and her new storyline in the link below

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/top...ink_source=app

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