TAD & Hygge's tanks

[TAD]

Thanks to Jessica for the antler idea - it's working GREAT! They give the geckos a nice wide, smooth object to climb, and no sharp edges. Also, so far the chamois under the cork mat for substrate is also working well. I am very pleased with how these turned out!

[ohwonder]

im really into this! your enclosure is so plentiful and vibrant

my bearded dragon has a deer antler to just look at in his enclosure. It's decorative since he can't grip onto it.. can your geckos climb them well?

[TAD]

my bearded dragon has a deer antler to just look at in his enclosure. It's decorative since he can't grip onto it.. can your geckos climb them well?

Yup, they climb all over them.

[HerpRAddict]

Yup, they climb all over them.

Is the substrate reusable a few times, and how often need to be changed out?

I love these cages so much. Plenty of foliage and decor placed in there in a very practical way.

[TAD]

Thank you very much! I change things around in my tanks little by little, when I find things that seem to work better. I changed out the substrate - I am now using MagniMoist mats cut to size as the base (https://farmeryou.com/window-boxes/ - these things are AWESOME!! Not nearly as messy as coco fiber mats!), and on top of those I use either New Zealand sphagnum moss (for my Western Bearded anole and my e. agricolae), or Exo Terra moss mats (for my crestie and garg). They've been working out fantastic, and I clean out the tanks every three weeks. The MagniMoist mats make it really easy to clean, and can be re-used many, many times. I haven't worn one out yet; they just rinse off to clean, and then dry. I don't remember how I found out about them, but I'm glad I did! Would highly recommend. All of the foliage I have found at thrift shops. The vines are either Reptology climber vines, or T-Rex aqua vines, both also work really well. And TAD really loves climbing on his antler. I use cork bark for hides, mopani wood for decoration that helps with shedding, magnetic ledges, and I bought a large resin aquarium hide from PetSmart that works really well for TAD to hide in, and it's great because the humidity doesn't affect it.

I really think it's possible to make a pretty realistic looking environment, even with fake plants. My only concession was the rope ladder, and I put that in only because my little guy loves to climb on it so much.

Hygge's tank - 12x12x18 (Gargoyle)


OhGee's tank - 12x12x12 (e. agricolae - he's hanging upside-down, upper left)


TAD's tank - 18x18x24 (crestie) (Not sure why photo is sideways)


TBD's tank - 18x18x24 (Western Bearded anole) - he's on the ladder, upper left (Not sure why photo is sideways)

[Reptarstickfoot]

your tanks are very artistic...i luv that one with the basket...may i ask pls where do you put the animals when you clean these tanks...it must a take a while as they are so elaborate...
i have only spot cleaned as we have only had reptar for 2 weeks but when i do a deeper cleaning i was wondering where i should put him ...maybe back in the little cup that i brought him hoem with...i know he will be stressed out...should i do a cleaning in the day maybe, or would that be disturbing him to much?

[TAD]

It takes me about 40 minutes to do a full clean on one tank, and I rotate and clean one tank a week so it doesn't get to be too much of a chore. I put whichever gecko I am working on, in a large Gladware container while I'm cleaning. I put it in the spot behind my computer because it's a little darker, he doesn't see a lot of activity that way, so not much stress. Sometimes if they're sleeping in a cork tube or other hide, I can lift it right out into the Gladware and they just keep right on sleeping.

[espiroth]

I'm really curious about those antlers, TAD - are they basically dog chew antlers that you're using as interesting climbers?

[espiroth]

And, actually, I love that cargo net on the door of TBD's tank! You've got some great vivs here

[TAD]

Thank you! One of the antlers was a gift, and I bought some others off eBay because it worked so well. I found the dog chew ones to be already cut up into small pieces, and pretty expensive. It was cheaper to buy them whole. They have worked out really well, and I find TAD climbing on his every night.

I also made a long braided paracord rope for TBD for the other side. He loves both of his ladders, and climbs on them both regularly.

[rees_cup]

Love the look of your tanks! The antlers are a particularly nice addition. I'm just curious, what type of lighting setup do you use? I'm getting my enclosure ready for my first crested and I want to get everything right.

[TAD]

I am using one Arcadia 12" UVB bulb & fixture (sold here by Pangea), and in another tank that doesn't need UVB, I have a small LED light with 3 settings (white light, blue light, both) that really brightens up the tank, and works very well - https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1