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Converting a 55 gallon tank to a Vivarium

ArvadaLanee

ArvadaLanee

New member
I have an empty 55 gallon glass tank that was used as an aquarium long ago, and eventually, I would like to convert it into a really awesome vivarium for our new corn snake. I have plenty of time, since the snake is just a tiny baby right now, but I want to get lots of ideas so I can plan it out and buy things little by little.
The first thing I am going to need, is a top. I have seen a few online, but I am not sure if I should trust them to be escape proof. It is very important our snake never escapes because we have cats, and I don't believe in declawing, so the kitties could easily hurt or kill a snake. I could build a top, but I'm not sure how I would go about doing it. Are there any tops out there that would be safe to use, or is building one my only option? If there is one I can buy, where should I buy it? If I have to build one, I could use some ideas! One thing I know for sure, is that I want to have fairly easy access, as I plan to hold the snake often.
My next question is about lighting. Since I plan to use a UTH for heat, do I need a light? I have been considering live plants, if it's safe, but I still have a lot of research to do about that, so I may need to know if any type of LED grow light would be safe to use. I'm not quite sure if I want to get into all that, or if I would even need a light for the plant. (I was kind of thinking lucky bamboo for climbing?) So much to think about.
My next question is whether or not to use a background. Does a snake care? Are they helpful or harmful in any way? Colors I should avoid, or anything like that?
Lastly, I am looking for ideas on decor. How many hides for a 55 gallon? What kind of climbers? I like the look of driftwood, but right now I am using that bendable vine stuff with plastic leaves draped over it. Are there any type of fake plants I should avoid? Does anyone have experience using live plants? What about something like a cool waterfall water dish? Do they have those, or would that be unsafe? Does anyone use other types of decorations, such a statues, or cool looking rocks or anything?
I know this is a lot, but the more ideas I get, and the more I read and research, and see other people's stuff, the better I can plan it all out, and test ideas before ever having a snake it there. I would really love to create a beautiful paradise that is appealing to both the snake, and us humans. (Keeping safety as the first priority, of course!) So let's hear it! Throw some ideas at me, or share your experience, or pics, or suggestions! Thanks in advance!
 
Hi! The tops are readily on Amazon, I personally like the kind that open longways like the one on the top right. sturdy viv top

I do not use lights, they are much more trouble than they are worth. Corns don't "bask" in the sun, they are nocturnal, and some UV bulbs can damage the retinas of some corn's eyes. The UTH is all you need.

Background is totally aesthetic to you, your snake won't care, so put in whatever you like!

Live planted vivs have been done, search for them. I would recommend you starting out with a layer of aspen or papertowels. I wouldn't go for the waterfall, they don't need that much humidity.

Decor? Babies LOVE lots of ground cover over the substrate. I smoosh flat the ends of toilet paper rolls and angle them down in the substrate. They love plastic and silk plants, eBay has some good ones for cheap and you can usually find some at craft stores on sale.

Another idea is a snake hammock. Few of mine use theirs, but some people say theirs love it.

Lastly, make sure you have a UTH with a thermostat connected and reading a good temp (87° is a good setting, it keeps the warm side about 85° and the cool side 75°. Lots of hides, especially near the warm side, they will choose where they want to be.

Good luck!

Let us know what you come up with!
 
Thanks! It will be a while before I start to actually put it all together, but I am a person who likes to plan. I for sure think I will skip the light. I know they don't need the the light, but I didn't know some lights can hurt their eyes. I will have to read up more about the type of plants I wanted to try to see if they can be fine with natural light from the window. I like the ground cover idea. Right now she has aspen, and some moist moss in one corner that she just loves. I recently read about a type of live vine you can use for some ground cover. That might be very pretty, and I bet the snake would love it. I have never seen a snake hammock, but I will sure look into it! Thanks for the ideas!
 
There are a lot of good videos on youtube showing proper vivarium setup. Search for "zoomed snake kit, deluxe set up" she does a lot of cool stuff with cork bark and plastic plants. Cork bark is very inexpensive and looks good. Setting everything up is the funnest part.
 
Thanks. I am finding a lot of cool ideas. I still really like the idea of using a few live plants, but not going with a whole planted vivarium. I just feel like natural things are good for animals. I was also thinking about the possibility of building some super cool PVC pipe hides, and climbers. Honestly, my brain is bursting with ideas. Lol
 
I totally agree with you, when I got my first corn she was going to have a fully planted viv with a waterfall and everything you have mentioned. But the more I read, the more I realized I was planning a viv more suitable for a rainforest type snake than a corn. If you think about where corns live in the wild, you will understand what I mean.

I think you should look into also possibly getting a snake or frogs that are perfect for the viv you want. This is in addition to the other viv, which will already have your corn snake in it. You don't REALLY think you can have just one reptile, do you??? :rofl:
 
Lol! Perhaps I will end up with more reptiles, since I can't get any more cats. I think space would be the issue for us, though. When I first thought of the waterfall idea, it was more because I thought of how much my cats prefer fresh running water, and I wondered if snakes might also enjoy that. I could probably get away with a waterfall in the winter months here, since the air is SO dry. I have a humidifier running in my room 24/7, and the humidity in the current viv rarely gets over 30%. The humidifier is for us, not for the snake, but it probably is good for her since my own skin feels tight and itchy from the dryness! The plants I wanted wouldn't add humidity either, since they are succulents that can grow in very hot, dry, and even low light conditions. I was thinking of a little rock garden with some soft chicks and hens. I also wanted to consider a lucky bamboo because I thought it would be super cool for climbing, but I am still looking into that. Either way, I wasn't going to go all planted, but just thought about a small plant here or there. I'm sure I will figure it all out. I plan to have fun with it, and let the kids get their ideas in there too, as long as they're safe. :)
 
Another thing to consider is that once the snake gets a certain length and weight, all those plants will be plowed down like a bulldozer! My babies have lots of plastic and silk cover, the bigger kiddos get heavier duty plastic plants that they can't destroy.
 
Yes, I guess it is hard for me to picture her so big when right now she is so small! I may end up deciding not to do any live plants, but if I do try it, I will just have to take them out if she is destroying them. She is finally climbing her reptile vine stuff I have in her small viv now, so I know she is a climber. I was toying with the idea of a wooden ladder like you would use for a large bird, but I would secure it with suction cups so she couldn't knock it down. I am also trying to think of some cool things we could do with some PVC pipe. I think it would be cool to let the kids build her some things. They would get such a kick out of seeing her climb on/in things they made especially for her. I can't wait until Christmas when I finally get to give her to them! They may surprise me with some ideas of their own. When they had a guinea pig, years ago, they built her a whole little city/maze thing out of oversized blocks in our living room. It was pretty cool. :)
 
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