I’m converting an old 29gal long breeder fishtank, and will hold one bahamian anole. I already have a 10gal tank set up for this little fella (he was a “rescue” lizard from off a pet store’s floor - yes, with permission and money) The 29gal tank will be placed in my bedroom, along the inner-wall which keeps the most heat. As I’d like this to be a temperate vivarium, I will not be adding a heater, rather letting the lights produce the heat.
I would like it to have a woods feeling with a small spring running down a hill and disappearing into the false-bottom. The false bottom won’t take up but about half the tank - maybe close to a third. There will be a hallowed-out log in the back left corner. I plan on cutting it so that it fits in the corner and has enough space to put a trailing plant in it. The start of the spring/waterfall will be at the back left corner of the tank. The water will then split and go in two different directions. The heavier fall will be closest to the spring, coming down a hill about seven inches high then twisting around in the front of the tank until it disappears in some rocks/driftwood on the left side of the tank. The second waterfall will just be a trickle of water. The water will flow along the back glass of the tank on a self and trickle down near the log and down into the false-bottom. As for plants, woodland ferns, moss (or Java moss if the natural moss doesn’t do well), dwarf mondo grass, a type of spiderplant that doesn’t have the spider-baby-making habit, English ivy (small leaved), Rex begonia, and dwarf umbrella tree (Schefflera arboricola). Lighting will be one 18” long bulb and one 36”long bulb. I have not checked wattage yet.
So- here are some pics of the taping up. I did this to leave up for a week or so to see if there would be a better way to arrange the system. …also because my mother doesn’t visualize well and there was confusion for a while… I’ve actually already changed my mind about how the background will interact with the log (on the right side with the arrow that says “log.”) I’m not going to let the background slope into the back glass before it reaches the log. That means that the 2nd waterfall (nearest the log) will be slanted facing the right corner of the tank instead of straight on when viewing from the front.
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That “2 inch strip” will either be a mirror siliconed to the outside glass, or it will be black electrical tape or other such item. The left side will have a removable 2” strip so that I can check water levels and such.
Lastly, I’ve been noticing that beginner terrariums/vivs have flat backgrounds. After looking over my plans, I fit this category :P So I’ll be making the background above the shelf a little more interesting than just being flat.
Will GS background, cover with silicone II (black) and then put choir (coco fiber) on top of that. I’ll also be putting PVC piping in the GS for plants.
The pump I will be using (I want to test it out first though which I’ll be doing tomorrow) is an Exo Terra 200. It puts out 45 US Gph and can work in ½” of water. There havn’t been a lot of reviews posted out this product online, but what I’ve read seems to indicate that this is a good pump. Any comments about it? It has no sponge filter, and I think I will construct a box or something so that it doesn’t suck up loose particles and clog up the pump.
I’m going to use screening for the false bottom cover. Is it ok to use aluminum screening for this? I have some left over from a garden pond project, and there is plenty for the job. However, if aluminum can leach into the water (when unheated) then I do not want to use it and I’ll go with fiberglass screening instead.
Ok, so… that was a mouth-full. :P
Any comments?
Yay! idea from 2008 finally coming to light!
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