Pets for your pets???

Hi There,
Long time no post, been busy in life and my beardie is doing well so really I've had no questions. If anything he's ridiculously overly-domesticated.
However, this I've noticed over the past month or so...It just sort of made me think, should I?
When I first got my beardie, I had a 75gallon freshwater fish tank that I had on the floor stretching behind my couch until a custom stand could be made. When my beardie got big enough, I'd let him run around on the floor while I made supper. Every 10 minutes I'd check up on him, and he'd always be sitting in front of the fish tank watching the fish curiously swim up to him. I'd pick him up, move him somewhere away from the fish tank, and every time he'd end up back there, sometimes behind the fish tank so I'd have to move the couch to get him (sneaky!) Once he hit puberty, he'd occasionally come at the fish tank at just the right angle to see his reflection and he'd puff up and bob at it, which was funny, but most of the time he'd just sit and watch.

I had to get rid of the fish once he got older and outgrew his little tank, he inherited their tank. I currently have it in the living room near our window on the stand we had made, he seems to enjoy looking outside at the birds that fly by occasionally or the bee that bumps up against it once and awhile. He mostly sits and watches us, the cat, outside, or nothing at all while he basks.
There is a new channel that we got for free to try a few weeks ago, its a national geographic channel that seems to be featuring a lot of programs about fish. Large fish, prehistoric fish, newly discovered fish, etc. I like national geographic so when I have a moment, I turn it on and see whats going on. I've noticed that if there is a lot constant underwater scenes, that my beardie will come down off his basking hammock and set up shop on the log closest to the television and just watch. When it switches to commercials, he'll lose interest until theres at least a good 5 minutes of constant fish footage and then he's back watching it.
I've been getting a kick out of this, he likes fish, or at least watching their movements. However this free channel is over in a another few weeks, and I don't really want to pay for it.
I have an old 5 gallon fish bowl that I'm not using, I'm almost wondering if it's a smart/safe idea to put the bowl in his tank (He has space to spare) and let him get used to it and then get him a fish. I bet he'd really like watching it during the day when there is nothing going on.

What do you think, is this an utterly ridiculous idea?? Or is it maybe sort of a good one?


Thanks for your time!
-K

I think it would be an awesome idea, as long as there is nooooo way that he can get to the fish, as in, eat them :lol: sometimes in the summer, i would take my female don't to a creek by my house, and she would swim around and catch little minnows. :bleick: hahaha i wouldn't recommend just putting a bowl in there, with no lid because, 1. he could knock the bowl over, and 2. wouldn't want him to eat the fish :wink: but otherwise, i think he would really enjoy that

I would definitely have to put it on the cool side of the tank and fashion some sort of metal mesh cover thats secure and with no sharp areas, and at 5 gallons I highly doubt he could knock it over its way too heavy.

I think I might do it, I have everything all I need is a fish basically. And I have to come up with a convincing argument for the fiancee as to why I need to buy the lizard a fish lol :lol:

haha sounds like an awesome idea good luck! :lol:

we've wanted to do this with Mr Dargon. he also loves fish. we take him to the petstore so he can watch the fish (aka the aquarium).

a 40 gallon tank is too small for that, but your 75 gallon should be just fine, just monitor the humidity. you may have to add water more often since it will be pretty warm.

and put up pictures!

I think I'd be okay on humidity, I actually used to have a small bath area set up for him on the cool side I used to keep full and it didn't affect the humidity. I stopped doing it however when I realized he was not even the slightest bit interested in using it. Plus I have an open top tank, meaning there is no lid or anything in the way to stop the evaporation from escaping. I think it could definitely work, I'd have to change the fish's water partially every few days anyway since its a bowl and really the only thing that could live in it would be a Betta.
Next paycheque, I think I'll investigate. I'll have to do this on the sly there is no WAY he'd agree to letting me do this if I asked lol

I suggest you put the fish tank next to his tank so he can watch the fish from his home and the necessary heat in his tank won't be to hot for the fish.

I have a few Saltwater Reef Tanks in my room with them and they too like to stare at the Fish.

They are very curious Lizards.