As for the Water’s Edge, it’s a pretty neat setup that’s provided me with a lot of joy for almost five years now. As you already know, research is an important step before putting any species into your paludarium, whether plant or animal. It’ll make long-term success much more likely! If you’re going with live plants, I definitely recommend upgrading the lighting.

If you need to be concerned with water quality, regularly check the Bio-Wheel to be sure it’s still turning. If the pump or filter media starts to clog up, the water flow can to slow to the point where the wheel stops, which will compromise biological filtration. Also, I’ve found there tends to be a lack of water movement in the right-hand side of the unit, just because of the way the “rock and log” is shaped. That’s where I put my bubble wand. I also am sure to occasionally siphon out the section behind the wall. It’s a little awkward to maneuver back there behind the scenes, but in my experience that space accumulates a lot of organic debris.

As I recall, the unit also came with a fan to reduce condensation. The fan did stop working on me after about two years, but luckily that was right about when I decided to remove the glass top and allow the plants to grow out.

Best of luck with your paludarium!