exo-terra 36x18x36 tank..is this too big?

[budzoboy]

hello everyone
I have had beardies before, but this is the first time I had a tank of this size. wondering best way to light and heat it. (used reptisun 10.0 previously, with heat and basking lights)
substrate pro's and con's. (used crushed walnut shells, never had a problem)
has anyone used a tank of this size?

I would appreciate any and all opinions!

thanks

Joe

 

[VenusAndSaturn]

So if im correct its 36 long, 18 wide and 36 high?
If so thats not big at all trust me, once full grown they need at least a 75 gallon or 4x2x2 enclosure for a permanent home so I wouldn't worry about how big the enclosure is unless the beardie is easily freaked out by large spaces.

Heating and UVB really depends on the height and where the basking spots will be.
For a Reptisun T5 HO 10.0 tube light the basking spot needs to be within 12-14 inches.
For a Arcadia 14% T5 HO tube light it can be a bit farther away for the minimum distance, around 15-16 inches according to lightyourreptiles.

Personally Id go with the higher percentage, my beardies love the 14% bulbs and seem a tad more active compared to the 10% bulbs, they also are a bit brighter it seems.

You'd probably want a bulb thats 34" with a reflective fitting fixture so then when you upgrade to the 75 or 4x2x2 you wont need to upgrade the fixture.
And depending on where you are whenever petco's tank sales are on you can get a 75 gallon for a fairly good price, around 97 which compared to Petsmarts 200-300 dollar 75 gallon is a lot cheaper.

For a heat lamp just make sure it's bright white light and heats the basking spot surface to 100-110.
You'll have to mess around with wattage's to see what works.

As for substrate you'll want to use tile, paper towels, newspaper, possibly austroterf, reptile carpet maybe, or non-adhesive shelf liner.
This way it has a more NATURAL texture rather than a non natural texture like particle substrates have. Which are not natural for them at all.

Most particle substrates will cause impaction, scale rot, eye infections, fungal infections, joint damage over time, it'll be a prime bacteria breeding ground, sometimes stained scales, and sometimes will cut up the eyes and insides of the animals depending on how sharp it is. Which sadly crushed walnut shells are known to do that.
If you feel them really closely and apply pressure somewhat it'll feel quite sharp.

They come from areas where the ground is hard and mostly dirt, clay and rocks with shrubs and trees around.

A bit like this.

 

[budzoboy]

HI
that tank measures out to roughly 101 gallon.
I will get rid of the crushed walnut shells I am using, but since they are digging reptiles, what do you do for that aspect? I heard of a clay type substrate? and thoughts on that?

 

[VenusAndSaturn]

More floor space is always best for them rather than height, though they are semi-aboral to an extent and good climbers to an extent, but more floor space is a lot better which is why 75 gallons or a 4x2x2 enclosure is preferred, it has height but also tons floor space.

As for them being diggers that isn't entirely true, at least not for my three beardies who only dig inside their caves when going to bed and even then half the time my two females just stay up high in their branches or hammocks at night rather than their caves.

I've even offered all three of them digging spots before with soil and they completely ignored it, my juvenile female would even go as far as avoiding it entirely by trying to jump from her basking spot, to her hide and then up to her hammock rather than simply walking over to the hide, and jumping up onto the hammock.
I do put shredded or tons and tons of paper towels inside their hide so if they want they can dig in there, old shirts and fleece also works.

As for a clay substrate, that might work, though if your thinking about using excavator clay just know it's a pain to work with. I tried using it for my leopard gecko, making tunnels and caverns of sorts for her when she was in a 20 gallon. I wanted it to be more natural for how she would live in the wild however it didnt hold up well at all even after drying a bit and collapsed quite quickly.

 

[budzoboy]

I was just going to use it as a base..not sculpting anything
just to get rid of the walnut shells, which ironically, I used with 3 different
beardies and none ever showed any problems...
and she loves her branch..new tank will have a hammock in it

 

[kingofnobbys]

HI
that tank measures out to roughly 101 gallon.
I will get rid of the crushed walnut shells I am using, but since they are digging reptiles, what do you do for that aspect? I heard of a clay type substrate? and thoughts on that?

Only time a dragon needs to dig is when it's laying a clutch of eggs.

Other than that, a dig-able substrate is NOT NEEDED.

 

[kingofnobbys]

More floor space is always best for them rather than height, though they are semi-aboral to an extent and good climbers to an extent, but more floor space is a lot better which is why 75 gallons or a 4x2x2 enclosure is preferred, it has height but also tons floor space.

As for them being diggers that isn't entirely true, at least not for my three beardies who only dig inside their caves when going to bed and even then half the time my two females just stay up high in their branches or hammocks at night rather than their caves.

I've even offered all three of them digging spots before with soil and they completely ignored it, my juvenile female would even go as far as avoiding it entirely by trying to jump from her basking spot, to her hide and then up to her hammock rather than simply walking over to the hide, and jumping up onto the hammock.
I do put shredded or tons and tons of paper towels inside their hide so if they want they can dig in there, old shirts and fleece also works.

As for a clay substrate, that might work, though if your thinking about using excavator clay just know it's a pain to work with. I tried using it for my leopard gecko, making tunnels and caverns of sorts for her when she was in a 20 gallon. I wanted it to be more natural for how she would live in the wild however it didnt hold up well at all even after drying a bit and collapsed quite quickly.

Give them a few layers of paper towels, my dragons have aways enjoyed the stuff to create a nest in at night.

 

[budzoboy]

Hi again..
OK..i am keeping the 36x18x36 tank..i am doing some mods to bring the lighting down closer, as the screen lid was toast when I got the tank
Question...I currently have a exo-terra twin 15" t-5 uvb fixture with a halogen basking spot in the mifddle.
I realize I will have to place it lower in the tank, but would this fixture suffice? I am using reptisun 10.0 bulbs in it now

 

[Taterbug]

That’s a pretty typical tank, a bit taller than average but far from too big. I’d personally consider it on the small size and plan to upgrade to at least a 48”x24”x24” for an adult.

2 reptisun T5HO bulbs may actually be overkill for that setup, how are they arranged? Are they side by side? Still. That should be plenty even if you mount it outside the screen and will give you the best use of your height. I would be very hesitant to put a 36” Arcadia 14% on that enclosure. You will have very little gradient and you want your dragon to be able to get in and out of the UV light.

Everyone will have a different opinion of what’s necessary based on what they’ve personally observed. A digable substrate offers a beneficial enrichment opportunity, but for some the maintenance or potential health risks are too high. Non-ingestible alternative are also a possibility. My one dragon loved to sleep in sand, but when I switched to fleece shreds after getting scared off of sand he avoided it like it was lava. If you have a dragon that shows digging behavior it’s worth considering offing something (or trying a few things) so they can express that behavior. Some dragons never show the slightest interest.
Similarly some dragons prefer to use vertical space over horizontal space. My guy spends almost all his time in the top half of his enclosure or perched on his sticks, very little time ever on ground level. In the end a larger enclosure will give you the ability to provide more choices for your dragon and they can decide how and wear to spend their time.

 

[budzoboy]

Hi Again,
I checked the fixture, and they were t-8's NOT t-5's.
also, they were 15" bulbs, which I am finding , are hard to locate
the fixture is PT-2230 exo-terra
2-14 watt bulbs, side by side with a 35 watt halogen in between them.

just hate to get rid of the fixture

 

[Taterbug]

Hi Again,
I checked the fixture, and they were t-8's NOT t-5's.
also, they were 15" bulbs, which I am finding , are hard to locate
the fixture is PT-2230 exo-terra
2-14 watt bulbs, side by side with a 35 watt halogen in between them.

just hate to get rid of the fixture

Even if your able to locate bulbs, the fixture you have is about half the strength of the equivalent in T5HO lamps, both in UV production and visible light. It’s dissapointing to replace equipment, maybe you can use it with daylight bulbs for some extra brightness?

 

[budzoboy]

YES, I HAVE JUST RESOLVED MYSELF INTO GETTING A NEW FIXTURE

PROBABLY A SUN-BLASTER 24" T-5 FIXTURE..
AND JUST USE A SECCORDARY BASKING FIXTURE...