Red Eyed Crocodile Skink Tank

[Hiide]

I'm sad to say that after two more tries, the same spot keeps leaking

I'll be putting the construction of this aquarium on hold since my Spring Break is over and I'll be heading back to college, but as soon as I have time, I will be continuing construction.


As for its future inhabitant, I'm thinking of a Tiger Salamander

I did a lot of research on them before I bought my Red Eyed Crocodile Skinks and my set up should be perfect for 1-2 of these guys, but I won't be looking buying some until this Summer.


Adios all, but I still encourage any advice, espiecally ideas on how I can label my rocks so I know how to structure them back to how they are in the picture (I keep stacking them wrong ).

[Chu'Wuti]

I'm sad to say that after two more tries, the same spot keeps leaking

Get a single-edged razor blade & take it all off. Scrape it clean; use some vinegar or some steel wool to get off the last bits. Then re-do it, ensuring that you get the silicone deep into every tiny little space.

Labeling your rocks . . . you could use a painter pen to label each one, then scrape off the label as you ensure you've got each rock in the right place. Just an idea; there are probably better ones.
Good luck!

[Hiide]

Good advice; I'll have to try that.



I'm still debating on inhabitants for the cage. I sort of want an animal I can handle, but almost all of the more common "docile" animals do not meet the cage specs (Bearded Dragons, Water Dragons, Snakes). Cage is too small and I do not want to stun an animal's growth; landlord does not like snakes

I have been looking at Tiger salamanders for there more personal attitudes, perhaps even more colorful creatures like Red Eyed Tree Frogs, but I know it is dangerous for most amphibians to be held. I'm not saying I would hold the salamanders, I won't, but that I want a more active "pet".


The main problem is that my aquarium will have a decent amount of water. My question is, based upon what you see in the pictures posted above, would it be possible for me to get an animal such as a Leopard Gecko in the aquarium and it be able to thrive?

I'll have to watch the humidity temperatures and lower them with a double screen top if necessary, but I'm wondering if the running water and rather large pool of water would stress out a leopard gecko.


Thanks in advance.

And I thought about chinese water dragons (They are amazing creatures), but my tank is too small for when the animal would reach Adult size and I cannot afford to buy a huge aquarium.

[froggsong]

Heh, they don't make aquariums big enough for a full grown CWD. You have to build them something. I don't think a setup with alot of water would be right for a leo (though perhaps someone with more experience with them might want to chime in). Have you thought of something like a mountain horned lizard? They can live in a 40G, which has close to the same dimensions as yours, so you could just add some height with a canopy. They are pretty cool. I might get one eventually when we own our own place and I get build my CWD the enclosure she deserves.

[Hiide]

Originally Posted by froggsong

Heh, they don't make aquariums big enough for a full grown CWD. You have to build them something. I don't think a setup with alot of water would be right for a leo (though perhaps someone with more experience with them might want to chime in). Have you thought of something like a mountain horned lizard? They can live in a 40G, which has close to the same dimensions as yours, so you could just add some height with a canopy. They are pretty cool. I might get one eventually when we own our own place and I get build my CWD the enclosure she deserves.

That is actually a great suggestion

The only hard part for keeping this animal though, would be keeping the humidity high after I added some height with a canopy... I could easily tear out the screen that covers exactly half of my aquarium top and add in some new walls, but when I think of canopy, I think of those screen enclosures (Thus allowing humidity to escape and too much air flow).

I'm guessing that I would just build my own top with wood? Or how would that work, I'm a little confused about that.


My main concern about the animal choice in general is that they are not CB.. or particularly hardy animals. I'm looking for reptiles/amphibians that can have longer life spans than 5 years. Though the lizard would be an awesome choice, it just reminds me of caring for parasite infested animals such as Red Eyed Crocodile Skinks. I do not think I want to try to keep the more "Exotic" pets anymore

[Hiide]

Deleted: Was a repost; thought other reply did not go through.

[jpstod]

How about extending the Tank up with Glass walls and a New Glass Top?

[froggsong]

It's easy to make a topper with just about anything. Wood, plexi (if you aren't using heat bulbs, otherwise it will warp), glass... You can even make one out of an old aquarium and just attach it on top. I'm building the one for my CWD out of wood (since my landlord wont let me build her big tank, he's afraid it will leak). If you go with glass and add enough height with it, you can make the top out of glass too and set your lights on top (with any UVB lighting you may require mounted inside the tank), with the door on the front. Imagine it as another tank turned upside down on top, with the front side able to open (you could make that piece out of lexan or something so you can drill holes to put in vents, you could use a window screen kit and make a small ventilation area at the top, or you could just install pc fans). If you have more questions or want me to sketch something out for you, just ask.

There are several species referred to as "mountain horned dragon" or "mountain horned lizard". When I was reading about them a while ago, most things I read said that they lived nearly as long or as long as a CWD, which can be from 10 to 20 years (usually topping out at 15). While captive breeding is rare amongst these species, you can probably find a captive hatched specimen, which shouldn't have parasites unless it was not properly cared for.

[Hiide]

Well Froggsong, I really like your ideas, but I don't know if I have the "constructive" abilities to create a canopy. I would appreciate it if you could give me design ideas, but the biggest problem is that to create the canopy it would go over the screen part of my aquarium.


The aquarium is 16"H X 36.5"L X 14.5"W roughly... I'm assuming the 0.5" added on, because the aquarium glass I cut for the pond enclosures were a little short, so had to be placed at an angle. Since half of the aquarium is made with a removable glass top and the other half is made with some type of screening, I would have to cut the Screen and place a canopy there. That would leave roughly 18"L X 14"W to work with, because of trim around the tank.

If I wanted the Horned Mountain Dragon to have a very suitable home, I would have to make the canopy atleast 32" in height, so that half of the aquarium is roughly 4 feet tall. This does not seem hard, but the biggest problem is having to either make the canopy removable (So I can actually clean that side of the tank and remove the lizard if needed), or I would have to make an elaborate canopy of wood, screen, and a glass door. Either way, the canopy would have to be constructed to have some air flow, since the part of the aquarium it will be ontop of is where air holes were originally. I assume that making a wooden canopy with screen in certain areas would work fine, but making a glass door is what confuses me the most.

I have no background knowledge in making glass doors.


As for the actual lizard, I assume that I could always see if I can find one at the next Reptile Expos I'll be going to in May...

I appreciate the alternatives for how to go about the tank construction and actual inhabitant, though I may need a little more help with the canopy planning if you don't mind Froggsong

Just out of time and costs though, if I do plan on going about making the canopy, I'll be making it without connecting it to the aquarium, as I do not want to ruin the aquarium screen top until I actually find a source to aquire the lizard.

[froggsong]

I have to go get started on my chores, so I don't have alot of time to post.

I will say that making the canopy removable is definitely a good idea. If you wanted to go with an animal that you need a topper for, you can even use that screen to your advantage and make a second land area (put a piece of eggcrate underneath to help it support the weight of substrate). I didn't realize that that was actually built in.

I certainly don't mind helping with the planning. It's my favorite part of the process.

First a few questions.

1. Is that an aquarium or a terrarium (as in, is the glass thick enough to hold water)?
2. Are you willing to remove and redo your "pond"?
3.How much space do you have available for the tank (up, down, and front to back)?
4. Do you have access to tools?

I have to run for now, but if you can answer those questions, I'll be able to help you out when i get back on.