Water feature dilemma?

[all4x]

Hi, i wanted to know if a water feature could be bad for a crested gecko. I'm thinking about having a waterfall put into my 18x18x24. It is a exo terra self enclosed waterfall but I wanted to amplify that and make a little river that comes from the waterfall. My little dude is 10 mo. old and always stays in the trees but I have had the exo in there before when it is self enclosed and he loves it! I was curious if it could be potentially bad if a river was attached and shallow pool at the bottom.

Thank you for any help you can give me. I am from Repashy.com also and some say to stay away but others say it would be ok. I come to you guys now to see a perspective from vivariums point of view! Thanks!

-Matt

[Chu'Wuti]

The only thing that would concern me about your water feature would be humidity levels. From what I've read, CGs need about 50% humidity, which is supposedly best accomplished by misting twice a day so that they can drink the droplets of water and also so that things dry out within a few hours between mistings. It's possible that the waterfall will maintain too high a humidity.

Can you try it in another enclosure first? Build it, acclimate it, & test humidity levels prior to moving your CGs into the new build to ensure that the humidity doesn't go much above 50%.

An open screen top might help aerate the enclosure enough to reduce the humidity, but I'm not sure.

At any rate, if the humidity gets too high, IMHO you're risking skin problems and perhaps other problems as well.

[all4x]

I did make a waterfall feature before and the max it did was 60% but the way it was set up the water went from the clay balls to the soil. I kinda made a mote with that around the waterfall and built it up with clay balls also. This is how it looked from another diagram.



As you can see I used the clay balls right next to the dirt instead of using like a plastic divider or some kind. It was my first design but ended up being very wet all the time. My gecko did hate the soil being wet but the waterfall and river idea that I'm planning will keep the soil from becoming wet and the water won't even touch it unless I spray. There will be evaporation yes but I'll use that for my plants I put in.

AS far as I know from owning a crested gecko and studying up with them, getting the Rhac Bible as they call it they need about 50-80% and hopefully the way I set it up will keep it a steady humidity but still less wet then last time

[beckdg]

Crested Gecko Care How to care for your new crested gecko, Rhacodactykus ciliatus, with pictures Crested Geckos - Rhacodactylus ciliatus - Care of Crested Geckos Crested Gecko Care Crested Gecko Care Sheet

everything i see suggests between 50 and 90 %. the big deal seems to be keeping the substrate dry most of the day and still misting 2x daily. i think you will need a divider for your land and water area, a mostly screen top and a small computer fan that can reach the substrate with air flow. misting will increase humidity to around 90% give or take wherever applied temporarily. to get the substrate dry 2x and remain dry for most of the day will take below 60 easily if not below 50 especially if not using a fan. imo... the smallest fans should be used and should not be blown on plants if possible. you cannot do a f/b to run water under this one imo... you need a divider!

edit: forgot to mention... if you follow these simple rules you should be o.k..

[all4x]

sweet thanks, So just look for a divider or plastic sheet from like homedepot or soemthing? Is it possible to not have to use a fan at all? I've had it before without one and the waterfall and humidity didn't go up very high at all but stayed a constant 60%. The reason why they say to make the soil dry again is for mold and toxic reasons but if I keep them soil separate won't it be ok?

[beckdg]

you will want to mist heavily enough to provide plenty of water from droplets on your leaves a couple times a day... at least once on lazy days. this coupled with a waterfall will spell disaster if all conditions are not constantly met... i think the fan will be essential... check drs foster and smith... they have them for enclosures if you're not sure how to wire a pc fan. i believe it may also be more for like respiratory and belly rot type issues also. yes... home depot... if you try to connect glass to plexi or acrylic you may have to get creative... so best to use same material if you go that way.

[all4x]

Well personally speaking misting is sequential yes but I only mist 2 times a day very lightly in the morning where he is sleeping and also very heavily everywhere at night. I only usually mist on the walls and never on the substrate because it is able to holds water like no other:| I am using right now zilla jungle mix with is spangnum moss mixed with organic soil and using coco fiber. Would it be better all together to just use coco fiber maybe so it would dry out faster?

As far as the fans go I think that is a great idea, thanks! I was wondering though just like when we get sick from having wind with moisture wouldn't that do the same thing? I have just recently bought a Duetto 100 as a filter/pump and it has an extra mod on it for air. Would using that be wise instead of a fan? I know that might be a dumb question but I thought I'd ask.

To be honest the main reason for wanting water in my tank in the first place is for a cooling method. In the summer in Davis, CA it becomes really hot here and I can't keep the A/C on all day while I'm gone. One Its very expensive although I just moved here and had already purchased my little guy before I knew how the heat was going to be a problem. I've done everything I can from frozen water bottles, to ice, but nothing really seems to last very long. I had an old waterfall which I put in and it helped quite a bit. What is good about a waterfall is that it acts like a A/C where I can't provide it so as long as there is water and air moving I'll be doing just fine. That way when I go off to work I won't be so paranoid about finding a dead herp when I come back home

Thanks for your info again Beckdg

[froggsong]

A fan will also help cool the enclosure. I think that if you want to use water to cool the enclosure, you should make it so that a sheet of water pours down one wall. This will keep the glass cool, which will cool the enclosure. It will also raise the humidity considerably, but a full screen top should help with that. If you do that, you should probably have a fan pointing OUT of the enclosure, as well as one pointing in. This will blow warm, moist air out of the tank and pull fresh air into it. You can install the fans into the screen, with the one blowing out on the side where you have the water wall, and the one blowing in on the opposite side. When it is hot, it will be important that you do not use a light that will produce heat, so go with a fluorescent light (either tube or CFL).

[all4x]

I have a ceiling fan and its only 4 feet away from the cage itself. Would that work instead of buying fans? I'm thinking it might because I can control it to blow up toward the ceiling or down toward the tank and make it blow cool air in so it will be cooler right? Possibly how easy is it to get a divider if I needed one? Or how easy is it to cut Plexiglas for dividers?

One thing discourages me that I needed to edit this was...He loves to climb on the top of the cage:| upside down!

[beckdg]

22.5 degrees down and at one wall and one out of other side will provide enough across sustrate without drying everything else off. do this on parallel walls and water fall on adjacent so cooling affect of water can still be utilized without raising humidity in soil too much.

it doesn't have to be exact... just lay fan flat on wall and lift lower edge away from glass til it looks like half of 45 degrees... this will provide air under plants as it will circulate around the border. you can use a cooling controller if necessary.