• Hello!

    Either you have not registered on this site yet, or you are registered but have not logged in. In either case, you will not be able to use the full functionality of this site until you have registered, and then logged in after your registration has been approved.

    Registration is FREE, so please register so you can participate instead of remaining a lurker....

    Please be certain that the location field is correctly filled out when you register. All registrations that appear to be bogus will be rejected. Which means that if your location field does NOT match the actual location of your registration IP address, then your registration will be rejected.

    Sorry about the strictness of this requirement, but it is necessary to block spammers and scammers at the door as much as possible.

Aquarium set up questions from newbie

D

dfree

New member
So, here come the first in my barage of questions. The corn we plan to get will be a young one, but my cousin wants to give me a 55 gal aquarium that she is no longer using. I have looked at "aquarium dividers" that apparently clip onto the sides of your tank so you can make it whateve size you want. This sounds like a good idea to me, as I can just keep moving the divider as the snake grows. But has anyone used these before in conjunction with a screen top that clips on? From photos I see, I worry that with the divider clips on the front and back of the aquarium that the screen top won't fit securely, and that the snake will get out. Also, If I go this route, should I start off only using about 1/3 of the 48" long aquarium for my baby? That would leave it about a 16x13 area. Also, has anyone ever had a problem with these clip on screen tops? I worry that they are not secure enough.
Next, I am unsure of what type of platform/stand we will be putting this on. I know I should not put it directly on the floor with the UTH underneath. But if I put it on a raised platform with plywood, is that safe? I know the UTH doesn't get that hot, but I don't want to burn the place down! Anyone have a tank this large and have it on something particular that works well for them? The tank is going hopefully under my son's loft bed in his room, and there is not a whole lot of room underthere, so we are most likely going to have to fashion our own low to the ground stand.
Thanks for all the help!
Diane
 
I have all my glass vivs on wooden tables, (thermostatically controlled0 and nothing has been damaged yet. What if you make a small 10-gallon viv, grown the snake up for a year, and then just move it into the whole thing? Or what if you just buy a yearling? They live 20+ years.
 
I wouldn't worry about getting a divider and just set up the whole 55 gallon tank. Having plenty of room to roam around is not going to stress out a hatchling as long as you provide plenty of hiding spots through out the tank. Fake plants from the arts and crafts section work great for adding hiding area at a low cost. :)
 
If you are worried about the UTH being too hot, I would recommend the Dragon's Lair heat mat from Big Apple Herp. I have two of those & one Zoo Med mat. I like the Dragon ones the best, they get hot enough to do the job, but don't reach as high a temp as the Zoo Med one. You'll want a thermostat as well.
 
Diane, I built a pedestal for my viv to protect the wood furniture beneath. I got 1"x2" strips of wood (you need a high quality treated wood so that it is flat and straight, but I still don't think I spent more than $6 total on the project) and nailed them together in a frame. I then screwed metal brackets to the outside corners so that the viv wouldn't slide off. Finally, a hole drilled in the back for the UTH cord.
It's not fancy, but not unattractive either. HTH.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top