How to Build a Paludarium - Michael Marcotrigiano

Botanist and master guppy breeder Michael Marcotrigiano will share tips on how to build a "paludarium," a tank that combines plants and fish to make stunning naturalistic decorations.  

"Unlike terrariums, which are intended for terrestrial life, paludariums combine the aquatic environment of an aquarium with the land of a terrarium to form a unique ecosystem where aquarium fish and terrrestrial plants thrive together in a naturalistic setting. Traditionally, paludariums are made of stone and growing medium. This creates problems with weight, soil infiltration into the aquarium, and a lack of flexibility in design.

"I have created a fully styrofoam land base with custom carved rock "pots", tree trunks, and a coco fiber wall. Unlike most paludariums, which have inadequate filtration, my styrofoam system allows the hiding of filtration systems so that in the end you are left with an unobstructed panorama of a tropical forest including a waterfall. In this talk I will go through the steps in building a paludarium from scratch. Along the way suitable plants and fish will be mentioned and I will cap off the talk with things I think I'd do differently if I did it again."

As always, there will be raffles and a mini auction of fish, plants, and equipment.  Doors open at 7:30 p.m.  Meeting begins at 8:00 p.m.

LIAS Meetings are held at SUNY Stony Brook's Maritime Science area.  Room 120 in Endeavor Hall on the State University at Stony Brook Campus, Stony Brook, NY 11790

Directions:

West onto South Drive off of Nicolls Road (County Rd 97). At the light, make a right onto Marburger Drive and then make the next right (the street has no name but there are signs indicating that you are near the Marine Sciences buildings). Follow the road all the way to the back and you will see three buildings - Discovery, Challenger and Endeavour – the last one is Endeavour Hall.

For more information, see this map on the SUNY Stony Brook website.

General Information:

• Doors open @7:30 PM, meeting starts @8:00 PM (this may change in the future)
• Please park in parking lot stalls - not along curb.
• Meeting is in Room 120 in Endeavour Hall. (After you enter building, take hallway on the right. Room 120 is first room on the left)
• For more info, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..