Thinking of setting up an enclosure for lizards ,recommendations please.

[tomcannon]

Originally Posted by 72Fastback

Ok I hear you I will give it some thought tomorrow..

If I were go this route can you advise of what equipment I need where best to place heat lamps etc.

I'm not 100% on all of their habitats so its best if you decided on what rep you wanted and then search for its needs but in basic you would need heat and uv. Both would be roof mounted. A UV strip along the top and a standard basking lamp set on a dimming thermostat. As I said though I'm not 100% on these habitats so there may be something I've missed.

[jools]

Tom is right in what he has said. I certainly wouldn't recommend day geckos in there as another person has suggested.

If you didn't want to extend upwards had you thought about turtles? They would look amazing.

[my_shed]

Have you thought about doing a large planted viv with anoles or perhaps amphibs? That tank looks like it would lend itself to something of this type with a lid and some slight modification.

Dave

[72Fastback]

Originally Posted by jools

Tom is right in what he has said. I certainly wouldn't recommend day geckos in there as another person has suggested.

If you didn't want to extend upwards had you thought about turtles? They would look amazing.

Turtles have crossed my mind before as in a possible addition to a cichlid setup but essentially being just a couple of platforms in a fish tank. Can you give me an example species and setup layout.
Cheers

Originally Posted by tomcannon

I'm not 100% on all of their habitats so its best if you decided on what rep you wanted and then search for its needs but in basic you would need heat and uv. Both would be roof mounted. A UV strip along the top and a standard basking lamp set on a dimming thermostat. As I said though I'm not 100% on these habitats so there may be something I've missed.

Tom I'm really liking the idea of green/plumed basilisks as hail from Central America I could even have relatively biotypically correct setup with the inclusion of a few small cichlids .....
one thing I'm not sure of is the space these lizards need don't they get to around 2.5'? And are quite lively. for housing something of this size I'd expect to see an enclosure 8' cubed ...maybe I've read erroneous info. Please let me know some more of your thoughts ta.

Originally Posted by my_shed

Have you thought about doing a large planted viv with anoles or perhaps amphibs? That tank looks like it would lend itself to something of this type with a lid and some slight modification.

Dave

HI I've never got on with plants in my aquariums before but maybe non aquatic plants would be easier? Would I require any extra lightning other than whats required for the lizards? Reasons being setup and running costs .

I do like anoles though and they've cropped up in my researching a couple of times. Tell me more if you can. Or point me in the direction of some decent care sheets or profiles ta.

Agamas have caught my eye too what sort of setup would suit any of these guys?

Thanks for all your help so far.

[tomcannon]

Originally Posted by 72Fastback

Tom I'm really liking the idea of green/plumed basilisks as hail from Central America I could even have relatively biotypically correct setup with the inclusion of a few small cichlids .....
one thing I'm not sure of is the space these lizards need don't they get to around 2.5'? And are quite lively. for housing something of this size I'd expect to see an enclosure 8' cubed ...maybe I've read erroneous info. Please let me know some more of your thoughts ta.

Thanks for all your help so far.

If I'm being quite honest with you I don't actually know. When I suggested those species I was thinking more of a single lizard as apposed to a pair or group and I have very little knowledge of both basilisks and sailfins although I would have thought a 6ft high by 6ft wide enclosure would be ok for a single adult water dragon or similar sized lizard. Best take a look at their specific care sheets and hopefully someone with greater knowledge will be able to help on the subject.

[Meko]

to be honest, I'd still go for extending the height. You wouldn't need a steel frame for it as the weight of a wooden unit should hold it in place.
All you'd need to do is build the bottom, the same dimensions as the top of the tank, and lift it in place.

[72Fastback]

Originally Posted by Meko

to be honest, I'd still go for extending the height. You wouldn't need a steel frame for it as the weight of a wooden unit should hold it in place.
All you'd need to do is build the bottom, the same dimensions as the top of the tank, and lift it in place.

Thanks Meko, the build doesn't trouble me it's more what to house in it. I ideally didn't want to spend anymore on it. I do have wood possibly steel even to hand so the only cost would be the glass so will be measuring up later this afternoon.
Any ideas for a background on the top section? The bottom has a top layer of rubberized paint designed for sealing ponds so could just continue with that maybe in a green colour. ....
any ideas?

[Meko]

I used camoflage tarpaulin on the back of my crestie viv. Cheap, waterproof and tree coloured! although you need to leave it a bit baggy to help with gripping it.

CAMOUFLAGE TARPAULIN SHEET 8FT X 10FT 2.4M 3.0M CAMT1A | eBay

[72Fastback]

Excellent ! Thankyou

[tomcannon]

This could be extremely interesting! Keep us informed.