55 gallon viv

[beefcakemighty]

alright i finally got the tank finished well 80 percent atleast i still need to add some small plants and dirt with a hide ect... but i got the main part done..short story i got the tank off of craigslist from some guy for a 100 and planed on using it for a pair of croc skinks we want to get at the daytona reptile expo in august... here it is step by step..

this is the stand and other gear i got with the 55 gallon tank for 100.00..


this is the 55 gallon tank..

the waterfall/stream kit...

supplies to make false bottom(eggcrate,screen,silicone,PVC pipes,marker,ect...)

the screen cut to the size needed...

eggcrate cut to size needed

checking the fit and getting the layout for the waterfall so i can cut the corner out..


screen and PVC pipes glued in place with the eggcrate cut to fit waterfall/stream kit...

setting waterfall/stream in the eggcrate...

settting kit in place....

setting some stones and drift wood in place...



adding gravel with water filter and heater...find out heater was broken soo i returned it also had to reset the driftwood soo it was stay still and the random snake would be gideon checking everything out lol....he loves to watch people....



added water and turned everything on but didnt set uvb light yet and the water looks cloudy but the water cleared and it just has a a brownish yellow tint to it cause of the gravel,driftwood, and waterfall having a tan or brown color thats reflecting in the water...



this is with the UVB light on and the water has cleared.. for right know we added some small neon tetra and zebra fish with two alge eaters...was also thinking of getting some newts till we get the croc in august not sure yet...ill have more picture later of the whole setup and the makeshift top i made till i get a new one for the tank(girlfriend broke the glass tops) lol.....also if you have any ideas to what else i need or should add let me know.. thanks...

[rudd03]

lookin good.

[Green Ghost]

I usually don't like the plastic waterfalls but you fixed yours real nice in there. I wouldn't have gone with the extra filter/pump in the water area.

I'd suggest getting another sliding glass top rather than trying to do something makeshift. Glass tops are secure and worry free.

[beefcakemighty]

thats the only filter im using theres no filter in the waterfall or the side whole in the stream wall...i i wasnt sure about the plastic look either but i figured i try it anyway and look how good it came out heh...i still need to add soil and moss and whatnot but i dont ahve to worry since im not getting the skinks till august...

[beefcakemighty]

i got a makeshift top on for right know but im going to get a real top for it later soo i dont have to worry about anything escaping and i also decide to let my waterdragons check out the new tank so i got some pics of them in the tank

[Waterkeeper]

what I would suggest.
Now that you have it all setup nice and neat....
Why not deck out that plastic waterfall setup the same way we do the backgrounds with some moss or coco or something? It looks surprisingly good for what it is(i used to have one on a 20L REslider tank at work and it looked like Shite in there) you could use it to make a great custom background and waterfall and nobody would know what was really there.

I would also move that light to the land half of the tank. You'll get less algae growth in the water side, and more down the waterfall and stream(which is where it is most beneficial.)

[beefcakemighty]

you mean silicone the coco and moss straight onto the waterfall and then make a false background round the waterfall???? i would but i already have water with fish and two fire bellie newts(the newts are there til i get the skinks then ill get a new tank for them) in it and i dont want to remove them cause i dont ahve any extra tanks..but ill see if i cant figure something out and try it the next time i do a full cleaning of the tank just before i get the skinks, which by full cleaning i mean ill take everything out and clean it with a a bleach water solution then we set everything back in it and make any changes to hep the tank look better then what it is.always trying to find new was to improve it.. thanks for the idea... i also like the idea for the lighting thanks... i need a new bulb anyway the old one died heh...if you get anymore ideas let me know =D

[froggsong]

Those are beautiful water dragons. Mine isn't that big yet.

froggy