small critters for a 75 gal tank

[jclee]

Originally Posted by carsonc

They had several types in one enclosure and they did not seem bothered by this.
Well I am off to look up dwarf chams and day geckos.
Thanks again for your help.
Carson

Just a couple of things to keep in mind as you research:

dwarf chameleons might be a difficult species if you are just starting off.

Also, while many pet-stores mix species, species mixing is discouraged for a number of reasons (I'm sure if you search the forums for species mixing or mix species, you'll find the whole spiel in another thread). Sounds like you were on your way toward a same-species colony anyway, but I wanted to make sure you knew not to follow the pet store displays.

I vote for some crested geckos.

[carsonc]

I read a couple of posts about chameleons and they dont seem to do well with a glass inclosure, while my tank is plexy they probably would not like it either.
I looked at pictures of all the geckos mentioned and the crested ones look more like what I was thinking about.
Question : if it is bad to mix species and you can only have 1 male with 2 or 3 females, it would seem like the tank would almost be to big for just the 3 or 4 of them. Also they evidently reproduce quite a bit, what do you do with all the new ones?
When I had the reef tank, If I was lucky and got a rare coral to grow I would divide it and trade for one that I did not have, It dosent look like any of that could happen with these guys.
If these are really stupid questions say so and I will go and read more before I post more.
PS: this is going to be a "1" tank thing, I have already been down the just one more tank road.
Carson

[Grimm]

Another idea would be to house Leopard Geckos...They come in some amazing colour variations, can be handled regularly. Their tank wont require much maintenance since it will be a desert habitat. And as a bonus, it will be much cheaper and easier to build a nice looking enclosure since you wont have to buy expensive tropical plants.

Another thing I have noticed about Leos, is that multiple different types can be housed in the same tank...This is only an observation however so a little research may be needed to ensure this is safe.

[beckdg]

chams just need air exchange and i'm sure the dwarfs would be happy to live in colonies. i'm sure that a fan for circulation, a nice humidifier plumbed in and a vented area for stale air to escape would be enough to house them comfortably in a glass tank.

if it's not what you want it's a moot point though.

anoles might be closer to what you're looking for. they're comfy in groups and if they're healthy they can be mixed with proper precaution. then again proper precaution means extra tanks or tubs for quarantine...

[carsonc]

I went to a place called reptiles unlimited in long beach ca just to look The owner of the shop must breed bearded geckos because they had a lot of small ones I think he said they were 5 days old. Really nice looking little guys, they sure are active when they are that size. They had some females that he said were recovering from laying eggs, he removed one from the enclosure and let me hold it, it was happy just to sit in my hands and seemed to enjoy it. My thought is that if they need or want that much contact they might not be happy because I am gone all day and by the time I get home they would be ready to go to sleep.
I also looked at some leopard geckos, and I asked about crested, his reply was that they are nocturnal and should not be handled .
I have looked at the frogs in a few shops and they are hard to see and do not seem to ever move very much, so I would end up with another tank of plants like I have now.
One thing he said was that you should not have a uvb lamp in a plastic aquarium because it will distroy the sides of the tank, is this true ?

I really dont have a clue as to what I should get
Carson

[beckdg]

uvb does break down many plastics. i think polycarbonate is fine with it though.

[jclee]

Originally Posted by carsonc

I also looked at some leopard geckos, and I asked about crested, his reply was that they are nocturnal and should not be handled .
I have looked at the frogs in a few shops and they are hard to see and do not seem to ever move very much, so I would end up with another tank of plants like I have now.

One thing to bare in mind about nocturnal species is that (a) some of them can adapt to becoming active during daytime (my leopard geckos actually move about quite a bit during the day, because that's when I feed them); (b) many nocturnal species will become active just after lights-out, so if you set a timer to turn the bulb off at a time of day that you'd like to watch them, you will see them move a lot. You could even have moonlight bulbs or some other dim lighting for part/all of the "nighttime" in their schedule; (c) while this is still being debated on rare occasion, it is generally believed that nocturnal species do not need UV bulbs, as they have evolved to be active after the sun is down, and therefore do not rely on UV to process calcium, so you would not need to provide UV for a nocturnal species.

Day geckos are diurnal, so that might bring the vote back toward them.

Edit: Also, leopard geckos and cresteds are well known for being handleable (or at least easily hand-tamed), so I'm not sure why he wouldn't let you hold them, especially if you were there as a prospective customer. While over-handling might stress them out, it's kind of par-for-the-course that, during their stay in a pet shop, species will get held and inspected by those who are considering a purchase. To me, that sounds a little like a used car salesman saying "I can't show you the exact Saab I'm selling, but I can show you a picture of a Saab online." It's a little sketchy.

[carsonc]

I dont think the guy was trying to any slight of hand thing I believe he just really likes bearded geckos. They were very tame and friendly.
On the nocturnal / diurnal thing, is it possible to have thier day start at say 10 am and go until 10 at night by having the lights set up that way. Or do they know what time it really is. I have done this several aqauaiurms (salt and fresh) and there were no problems. The room where they will live is not totaly dark but there is no direct sunshine into the room.
Carson

[jclee]

I don't think that will be a problem. I have four tanks on timers, and none of their schedules coincide with actual sunrise/sunset. None of the animals seems troubled by this.

[carsonc]

Thats good news, at least I can adapt when they are active to when I am home.
I think I am leaning toward a desert / slightly arid type of display. Would like to have a few live plants , suculents , the ones that look like little rocks.
I just have to find someone that would live in that enviroment.
Thanks for all the help so far I do appreciate it
Carson