beardedlarry
Member
Hi all
We got Larry about 4 weeks ago at age 9-12 weeks(?), and he seems to be doing quite nicely. He eats about 30 crickets each day, and has a freshly grated salad each morning as well. He also enjoys a little treat of dried Flukers and some Zoo Med gourmet blend. He has been pretty skittish about being held, but we just discovered that he (she) LOVES being swaddled in a towel with his head and front legs out. After purchasing Larry, we realized that we had not done much research and relied on a pet shop owner who was not exactly interested in Larry so much as Ben (Franklin $$). Now that we are thoroughly in love with this little guy, we have decided to improve his living conditions. Bellow you can see our setup; before you gasp and start typing, I have read the FAQ's and am aware of the popular issues with this tank.
I have since purchased and am about to furnish a 40 gallon 36"Lx18"Dx16"H enclosure. I have a few questions and am open to any suggestions you might have regarding my proposed setup and my current feeding regimen.
Lighting: Basking fixture will have two tiers, 8" and 11" from top lip of tank.
Deciding between interior mount or hood mount, T5 or T8, 5.0 or 10.0. I have read several articles, and found quite a bit of information (overloaded!!). My preference would be an interior mounted fixture, with minimal visible hardware and DIY visual ugliness. My thinking is a low profile T5 might be nice but am open. So, length, strength, and mounting location would be very helpful. I would like the basking bulb to be stand mounted as shown for ease of enclosure opening by my family. Bulb suggestions welcomed.
Feeding area: I know the thinking on this board is that walnut substrates are undesirable, and I do not intend to argue that point. However, as a note, I have not see a single grain of sand in Larry's droppings, which are regular. I wonder if anyone has made a tiered setup with a tiled feeding "pit", perhaps 30% of the tank, with the basking area floored with a more enjoyable surface.
We got Larry about 4 weeks ago at age 9-12 weeks(?), and he seems to be doing quite nicely. He eats about 30 crickets each day, and has a freshly grated salad each morning as well. He also enjoys a little treat of dried Flukers and some Zoo Med gourmet blend. He has been pretty skittish about being held, but we just discovered that he (she) LOVES being swaddled in a towel with his head and front legs out. After purchasing Larry, we realized that we had not done much research and relied on a pet shop owner who was not exactly interested in Larry so much as Ben (Franklin $$). Now that we are thoroughly in love with this little guy, we have decided to improve his living conditions. Bellow you can see our setup; before you gasp and start typing, I have read the FAQ's and am aware of the popular issues with this tank.
I have since purchased and am about to furnish a 40 gallon 36"Lx18"Dx16"H enclosure. I have a few questions and am open to any suggestions you might have regarding my proposed setup and my current feeding regimen.
Lighting: Basking fixture will have two tiers, 8" and 11" from top lip of tank.
Deciding between interior mount or hood mount, T5 or T8, 5.0 or 10.0. I have read several articles, and found quite a bit of information (overloaded!!). My preference would be an interior mounted fixture, with minimal visible hardware and DIY visual ugliness. My thinking is a low profile T5 might be nice but am open. So, length, strength, and mounting location would be very helpful. I would like the basking bulb to be stand mounted as shown for ease of enclosure opening by my family. Bulb suggestions welcomed.
Feeding area: I know the thinking on this board is that walnut substrates are undesirable, and I do not intend to argue that point. However, as a note, I have not see a single grain of sand in Larry's droppings, which are regular. I wonder if anyone has made a tiered setup with a tiled feeding "pit", perhaps 30% of the tank, with the basking area floored with a more enjoyable surface.