I'll make a longer introductory post at some point, however right now I have a few questions. Some of my questions may be redundant - however I have long been a keeper and breeder of Cichlids - and it has always been my experience that asking fellow hobbyists in the know yields better results than webpages and pet stores.
I've been doing some research BEFORE buying a dragon, and I have begun to set up the tank. The tank is a 20 Long for now - I already have a 55 acquired when the size demands it.
The base of the tank is ceramic tile. After reading about sand with Juveniles I decide to go with this - also because I just finished tiling our kitchen and bathroom and we have some left over - the stuff also just happens to be a natural earthy look that works great for a desert themed tank. I picked up a screen top, and from reading the propaganda on the boxes - purchased what seemed like the best bulb - a Repti-Glo 10.0. I'm now seeing from this forum that this was likely a bad decision and it will be returned tomorrow. I am hoping to pick up a Reptisun 10.0 if I can find it - otherwise I will be ordering online.
So far I have picked a digital thermometer and am waiting for the hydrometer's to arrive back in stock. I have also picked up a cave structure that is stone that can provide another basking spot on top, and shade below. I also picked up a water dish - however I have read that keeping water in their tank is a no-no - and I read that some people keep a small sand pit for the dragon's to "play" in - which was my idea in buying this.
For my setup - what do you all recommend as the primary heat source? I have seen alot of you prefer ceramic heat lamps. I looked at both the heating rock and heating pad - but common sense told me that they could burn themselves on this.
Any help would be greatly appreciated as I am hoping to get the tank safe for inhabitants soon - I found a rather cute female in the local Petsmart tank that I would like to bring home before someone else does.
I've been doing some research BEFORE buying a dragon, and I have begun to set up the tank. The tank is a 20 Long for now - I already have a 55 acquired when the size demands it.
The base of the tank is ceramic tile. After reading about sand with Juveniles I decide to go with this - also because I just finished tiling our kitchen and bathroom and we have some left over - the stuff also just happens to be a natural earthy look that works great for a desert themed tank. I picked up a screen top, and from reading the propaganda on the boxes - purchased what seemed like the best bulb - a Repti-Glo 10.0. I'm now seeing from this forum that this was likely a bad decision and it will be returned tomorrow. I am hoping to pick up a Reptisun 10.0 if I can find it - otherwise I will be ordering online.
So far I have picked a digital thermometer and am waiting for the hydrometer's to arrive back in stock. I have also picked up a cave structure that is stone that can provide another basking spot on top, and shade below. I also picked up a water dish - however I have read that keeping water in their tank is a no-no - and I read that some people keep a small sand pit for the dragon's to "play" in - which was my idea in buying this.
For my setup - what do you all recommend as the primary heat source? I have seen alot of you prefer ceramic heat lamps. I looked at both the heating rock and heating pad - but common sense told me that they could burn themselves on this.
Any help would be greatly appreciated as I am hoping to get the tank safe for inhabitants soon - I found a rather cute female in the local Petsmart tank that I would like to bring home before someone else does.