Ill take any opinion, please help

rjallard17 · #1 06-13-2010, 09:14 PM

For starters, ill be honest, i know nothing about having a vivarium or a terrarium, I have a 6ft long, 24"tall 18"deep reef ready fish tank sitting in my garage, I bought it off of a friend for dirt cheap, but when i got home i realized why... It has a large crack in the corner of the tank. Too deep to put water in, I was going to make it a saltwater reef tank, but with the crack in it, it would be more of a disaster. So i decided i would attempt having a vivarium. It being such a big tank i though i would get advice on what to put in it, and how to set it up. I dont want it to be one of those huge tanks with just one animal in it though, that was my next question, what kinds of animals are good together that will be ok in that size of a tank. Thanks for the look, please leave your opinion im open to anything

beckdg · #2 06-13-2010, 09:23 PM

welcome to the site.

please give us a little background on yourself. herp related of course. things like:
how long have you kept herps
what's the most difficult species you've kept
are you familiar with quarantine, treatment and testing

let us know what you know so we know where to begin.

i will say this... if you are new to the idea in general it's probably not a good idea to mix species for a while. it's also best to do a practice tank with something smaller due to the cost of materials and equipment.

rjallard17 · #3 06-13-2010, 09:32 PM

ok, as far as keeping herps... the only thing i have ever had was a chameleon and a water dragon when i was younger, other than that i have not set up anything big. I agree with the idea on the smaller tank to start, for the cost effectiveness but I just figured, "i have a cracked 125 gallon tank... what can i do with it so its not a wast" I thought setting up something like this would be cool and i have the time and effort to put into it, the only other things that i have kept that were anything like this were salt water tanks. When i was younger i had a 55 gal reef in my bedroom, I had a 110 in my living room before joining the military, and i was going to set up this 125 in my living room until my discovery of the crack. so this is all new to me, whats the best rout to take?

rjallard17 · #4 06-13-2010, 09:44 PM

its not a 125, sorry lol, just thought about that, its a 100 gal, but still i have a large tank and would like to do something with it, rather than throw it out, I have the time, I would like to start something like this and i thought it would be smart to come to a forum and get some advice before i just threw a lot of money at this and screwed it up.

froggsong · #5 06-13-2010, 10:18 PM

I think what beck was getting at is that you should pick up a cheap ten gallon and some supplies to practice some of the techniques, like false bottoms, backgrounds, waterfalls, etc, so you can decide how to do the larger tank with a little experience under your belt. Believe me, if you do your first in a tank that big, you're going to regret not having practiced on something smaller.

Mixing species is a no-no without experience, take that from an experienced mixer.

You could do a wonderful tank for a pair of water dragons in a tank that size, if you add a topper. Or, you could do a colony of some sort of frogs or smallish lizards. If you are interested in desert species, you could do a desert tank for a couple of beardies (what exactly are the dimensions of the tank?) or some leopard geckos. It just depends on if you want something lush and green or not. Decide kindof the look you want, then pick an animal, then work out how to get the tank done.

We're all happy to help out, we just want to make sure you don't make the mistakes that others have made.

rjallard17 · #6 06-14-2010, 07:14 AM

thats not a bad idea, thanks a lot, i really do want that lush green look. i think it would be really cool in that tank. I will have to get back to you on the dimensions a little later when i have more time, but i will. thanks for the help.

beckdg · #7 06-14-2010, 10:28 AM

if you still want variety i'd suggest something that's bred to bring out different traits like maybe crested geckos. i think bronze auratus (i could be completely wrong on this since i'm not a dart guy) just happens at this point when 2 regulars are bred or vice versa. i think if you stock with them you might have a good chance some throws would be regular giving you a little variety. so there's ways to add color without risking too much.

i would definitely check out some sales on different forums to see what you can get ahold of and at what price. as well check out some vendors online and local sources for supplies you'll need. a lush tank doesn't happen overnight without putting a lot into it at first whether that be your time or money... or both. outfitting a lush 100 gal. could easily run you a thousand or 2 if you're not careful and don't capitalize on good deals.

rjallard17 · #8 06-14-2010, 11:04 AM

ok thanks, my wife works at pet land so i get all the cool parts and pieces for cheaper than normal, but i also have frieds that work at some of the spots here in pensacola fl, so as far as getting plants and stuff like that i think i can make out with some good deals, but i just wanna make sure i set it up right. I know i have the patience, i can set up salt water tanks and that takes a lot of patience and time but i want to do something different. What steps should i take first, i was thinking about the crested gecko, i found one that is really neat looking and he seems really cool. I like him a lot, and i did a lot of reading on what type of environment to set up for him. But can i put more crested geckos in with him, or gargoyle geckos? I was also looking at a pair of gold dusted day geckos. But i realize that i cant add much more with the day geckos. So if i decide to go with the crested, what steps should i take first?

beckdg · #9 06-14-2010, 04:29 PM

set the tank up, let it cycle, plants root in nicely, etc., search out and pick up your females and then add your male. there are quite a bit of variations to choose from so i'd probably look for extreme differences in patterns and colors from each specimen.

rjallard17 · #10 06-15-2010, 08:37 AM

Ok, thanks guys, i think im diving into this, im going to clean the tank out real good, go pick up soil and some plants with some of the humidy makers and misters, and get this thing rolling, i appreciate all the forsight and help, i will post some pictures and keep you all posted on how its going. Thanks again.