# What is a Riparium?



## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

Here are a few questions for you.

1- What size tanks work best for this? Wide/ Tall/ Deep, etc...

2- Filtration what is best?

3- I would love to see pics of how one of these is put together. I've recently been interested in starting a Paludarium but this seems more intruiging.

4- What Fuana are you using if any?

I may be interested in one and have a few ideas but we have our local fish auction this week so it would be a good time to find a cheap tank.

Craig


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Craigthor said:


> 3- I would love to see pics of how one of these is put together. I've recently been interested in starting a Paludarium but this seems more intruiging.


I've got some stuff that you may be interested in such as a misting system, if you decide to set one up.

Congrats on becoming a site sponsor! I think that it was a good move for your little business!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Craig, Here are some responses.



Craigthor said:


> Here are a few questions for you.
> 
> 1- What size tanks work best for this? Wide/ Tall/ Deep, etc...


I would say that the smallest size that you could get away with is a 20 High (24 wide X 12 deep X 16 tall). Most of the emergent aquatics that grow well in ripariums are more coarse than many popular aquarium plants, so it is difficult to scale them to really small tanks. The enclosure also needs to have a minimum height to accommodate the vertical growth of the plants and still leave some room for water--it would be difficult to plant in a tank shorter than 16 inches. Lastly, it is difficult to hide the foam and plastic riparium planter accessories in a small tank.

My favorite size is a 65 Gallon (36 wide X 18 deep X 24 tall). This design is plenty tall to accommodate many kinds of plants. It is also advantageous in that it has a good deal of space (18 inches) front-to-back, which helps the aquascape to achieve visual depth, an important element of garden design.



> 2- Filtration what is best?


For a small tank you can do well just using a submersible filter. These usually clog readily, but they can be positioned almost anywhere below the water. It is really best to use a canister filter. However, the extra air space in the aquarium creates a special challenge for plumbing configuration: the return fittings provided with most canister filters only reach a few inches below the aquarium rim.

I have modified a few filters so that their intakes and returns can reach the water in a tall riparium. Here is a picture of a modification that employed a pair of black PVC pipes, some clear vinyl hose, silicone grease and plastic hose clamps.












Have you seen this thread?:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/swap-n-shop/70351-custom-made-inflow-outflow-pipes-made.html

Perhaps fishman could put together a set of lily pipes with extra-long reach(?).

For a small tank with a light stocking list you could also get away with a sponge filter, although your water might be more turbid. Since they are planted more sparsely and are more shaded, the underwater plants in a riparium composition have less demand for dissolved carbon dioxide, so you don't have to worry so much about outgassing of CO2 as can happen with bubble aeration.



> 3- I would love to see pics of how one of these is put together. I've recently been interested in starting a Paludarium but this seems more intruiging.


I'll try to get some pictures tonight and post them.



> 4- What Fuana are you using if any?


This is what I have in that 65:


_Ancistrus _ sp. pleco (1
_Apistogramma_ sp. (4)
_Hyphessobrycon megalopterus_--black phantom tetra (7)
_Hemigrammus erythrozonus_--glowlight tetra (5)
_Puntius titteya_--cherry barb (5)
_Corydoras pygmaeusa_--dwarf cory (4)

I know that the _Puntius_ are not South American, but they are good for little splashes of red.



> I may be interested in one and have a few ideas but we have our local fish auction this week so it would be a good time to find a cheap tank.
> 
> Craig


Good luck acquiring a tank. I will post more later. Let me know if any more questions come to mind.

Hydrophyte


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

clwatkins10 said:


> Congrats on becoming a site sponsor! I think that it was a good move for your little business!


Thanks a bunch! 

Hydrophyte


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

That is a great store and a very ingenious system for a new type of planted tank. I had to tie my hands behind my back to restrain myself from immediately jumping into this new system. It is now something to look forward to.


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## danakin (Jun 8, 2007)

I'm a fan, this might be my next project. Thanks for being a sponsor and bringing this system to us!


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Man these look awesome.. when I get a bigger place I will definitely try to set one of these up! I can barely fit my ADA 60P 18g tank in my apartment right now.


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## AF888 (Jul 7, 2008)

That tank is gorgeous - definitely something I'd like to attempt when I set up my next big tank!

Can I assume you scale the equipment (heater & filter) to an estimated number of gallons (about 40% of the tank size)? 

And can you say a word about what you are using for lighting? I'm wondering if this tank could make use of sunlight - black backing under the water level and none above? (There just aren't that many dark corners in my house!)

Thanks!
-Amy


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

AF888 said:


> Can I assume you scale the equipment (heater & filter) to an estimated number of gallons (about 40% of the tank size)?


That is correct. The fish stocking list is also scaled to the total water volume. There are about 25 gallons of water in this tank.



> And can you say a word about what you are using for lighting?


The display is illuminated with a 36" Sunlight Supply Tek Light. This fixture holds four 39 watt HO T5 lamps. I am using just two Gieseman Powerchrome Midday 6000K lamps, which throw plenty of light. The excellent reflectors in the Tek Light fixture improve efficiency quite a lot.



> I'm wondering if this tank could make use of sunlight - black backing under the water level and none above? (There just aren't that many dark corners in my house!)
> 
> Thanks!
> -Amy


So the sunlight would be shining through the rear panel of glass(?). You might have pretty good plant growth with such as arrangement, but I would imagine that the plants would tend to lean backwards out of the composition and toward the window. Could you set it up at an angle such that sunlight would shine through the front panel, and still leave space for viewing? This might look really nice.

The dark background is important as a means of obscuring the planter cups. I am actually putting together another display (described here) where I plan to only paint the rear panel behind the underwater portion. This will leave a light (white-painted wall) background for the plants and I hope that this will highlight their respective shapes and growth habits.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

OK, here is an image that helps to demonstrate how this display is put together. This picture was shot over the top rim of one side of the aquarium. Notice that the emergent plants more or less cover the water over the rear 2/3 of its surface. The water surface in the front portion is mostly open. 










Here plants are numbered to reference the distinct foliage elements of the composition. Rather erect, tall background plants, including an _Acorus_ sp. (1) and an _Echinodorus_ sp. are rooted in Hanging Planters and fill much of the space in front of the rear panel of glass. Their leaves reach forward into the midground, which is also occupied by _Lippia nodiflora_ (2) and other plants supported by Trellis Rafts. A floating leaf plant, _Nymphoides_ sp. (3), resides between the midground and open water and softens the transition between the two areas. An underwater plant, _Hygrophila angustifolia_ (4), grows in the underwater foreground, taking advantage of the relatively bright conditions there.










Notice that the front aquarium panel (5) is very clean. Water spots and chalk lines show up prominently on this area of glass, more so than for a tank filled to the top with water, so I wipe the glass here with a vinegar and distilled water solution every time that I service the riparium display.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I have a couple more pictures to explain how to assemble the foliage elements in a riparium compositionr. The shot below also shows a view from the side, but I removed several plants in order to capture a cross-section view.










The next image is the same photograph with some reference numbers added. A Small Hanging Planter (2) hung form the rear pane of aquarium glass (1) holds a _Bacopa monnieri_ plant that grows forward into the composition midground with support provided by a Trellis Raft. A _Hemigraphis_ 'Red Equator' (3) also grows in the midground, supported by a Nano Trellis Raft (4). While the _Bacopa_ is rooted in Riparium Planter Gravel, the roots of the _Hemigraphis_ grow directly in the water.










The next figure is a CAD drawing, also depicting a vining stem plant (60), Trellis Raft (40) and Hanging Planter (30).










Yet another figure, this one with the _Hemigraphis_ plant removed, better shows the _Bacopa_ "lawn" (5), supported by a Trellis Raft, which is only barely visible (6). The carpeting effect created by the floating mat of _Bacopa_ contrast well with the vertical growth of the background plant, an _Echinodorus_ (7), and obscures the Large Hanging Planter that supports that large specimen. Notice that area of water in the front of the composition (8) is mostly open.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

i am going to copy this last couple of posts to the top of a new thread, "The Elements of a Riparium Composition", or something like that. i think that i will use the General Planted Tank Discussion forum for this one too.

does anybody else have any questions about what a riparium is?


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## NightSky (Feb 16, 2009)

I think that the definition between the two is one is based on land/water (paludarium), and the other is based on emersion from water (riparium). People use wood/rocks to build up emersed plants or to give them something to grow on in ripariums too so I wouldn't specify this, "the terrestrial portions of paludariums are built up with rocks, driftwood or synthetic materials", as being a paludarium only attribute. You are using synthetic materials to sustain the emersed look in your riparium after all.  Just my 2 cents.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I moved that technical content to a new thread over in *Aquascaping* http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/aquascaping/86275-foliage-elements-planted-riparium.html#post832402


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

The text below is also from something else that I have been working on. These are more general ideas. The numbered points are unique features/advantages that characterize planted ripariums in comparision with other types of planted displays, such as traditional planted tanks or paludariums.

I have a few related concepts that I can add to this later on too.


_*Carbon dioxide available to plants through air*_: All plants require carbon to build their tissues. Dissolved CO2 —the carbon source used most frequently by aquatic plants—becomes depleted very quickly in densely-planted, well-illuminated aquariums, where the rate at which the gas is stripped by the live plants quickly outpaces its replacement through biological processes. Aquarists usually resolve this problem through injection of pressurized CO2, employing the same types of canisters used to carbonate beverages along with specially designed regulators and diffusers. While this technology is well-established and fairly easy to manage, its use represents additional expense and maintenance steps. Since most of their foliage is held up in the air, the plants in a riparium do not experience this limitation: no carbon dioxide injection is required*. 

_*Strongly-limited growth of nuisance algae*_: The bright illumination and water column fertilization used to sustain aquarium plants can also encourage growth of nuisance algae. Under certain circumstances these become so abundant as to impede the growth of plants and create very unattractive conditions inside of the aquarium. Experienced aquarists use a range of methods to favor the growth of the desired aquarium plants and discourage algae, however, algae control can become challenging at times. Since much of the light emitted by lighting fixtures is intercepted by the plant foliage in a riparium, relatively less penetrates through the water for use by nuisance algae. The vigorous growth of the riparium plants necessitates heavy uptake of nutrients through their submerged roots, constituting another strong competitive force against algae. 

_*Novelty in design options and plant selection*_: Aquarists are naturally inquisitive people, drawn to the multitude of creative and scientific questions that can be explored through the development of model ecosystems. Ripariums enable the aquarium culture of a large number of plants species that are currently used very little in this the planted aquarium hobby. The combination of an aerial portion and an aquatic region in the aquarium, with a method that is much more flexible than paludarium construction, presents unique opportunities for garden design.

_*Modularity*_: the riparium planting system uses detachable hanging planters and floating plant supports that are easily moved about in the aquarium enclosure, a feature that simplifies set-up, tear-down, pest control and routine maintenance. While effective for creating certain visual effects, the terrestrial features in paludariums are more permanent, especially where they are cemented in place. Similarly, in traditional planted aquariums the plants and other design elements are set directly into the plant substrate at the floor of the tank, a configuration that can also be more difficult to redesign, especially as the plant roots develop and become entwined with each other and elements of the hardscape.

*This would of course depend upon the kinds of plants grown in the underwater portion of the riparium display. These might or might not require supplementary CO2. In most of the ripariums that I have planted, the underwater plants have functioned primarily as accents, so they were sparsely planted and in shaded locations.

More later


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## Bantam.Earth (Jul 20, 2018)

ripariums have been the centerfold of my house lately and I would love to make an input on this post for those that might run across it later down the line. Ripariums are like riverbanks in comparison to paludariums that are more like tiny islands. when you think of a riparium, think of the idea of a planted tank with fallen debris and wild plants spilling out past the water line. 

Unlike paludariums, ripariums don't have enough actual land surface to establish a healthy environment for animals to thrive above the water surface. Unlike aquariums, ripariums can have plants and hardscape grow beyond the water surface. We are currently setting up a riparian type enclosure for our freshwater pike and we think the floating flora like duckweed and immersed plants will give him an excellent environment for him to comfortably sit at the surface. I have a really in depth article that goes way more into detail about good plant and animal choices here for those interested: what is a riparium


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