Hello Chile from USA
I'm glad you're enjoying. I've been really busy on other things, but I wanted to thank you for following. No need to automate.. just a bit more work is all.. One idea I've used for the drip watering system without a pump/timer is to just use gravity, which I understand is available worldwide LOL
. If you can get ahold of the drip irrigation hose what you can do is put a container of water above the enclosure and just fill it with "X" amount of water every week and it will drain into the irrigation hose and disperse throughout the enclosure. I have done this on smaller enclosures.
Simple analog light timers are ok too especially for lighting. If you can get the Arcadia Lumenize stuff though, the timing is built right in so that's really helpful. Spyder Robotics and some of the reptile branded controllers if available are alternatives to the smart plug/timers albeit more expensive. More than one way to do things. The good thing about having different options than others is that it forces you to find different ways to accomplish the same result.. often times finding a better way!
Love to see the pic. Post a link here if you'd like.
Thanks for the suggestion of using a dripper - this might be an option when being away/ on vacation and just somebody is checking in. I suggest that.
If you can get the Arcadia Lumenize stuff though, the timing is built right in so that's really helpful.
No, that's not available here, checked into that before buying everything; only Zoomed, no Arcadia (and it's even sometimes hard to get the UV lights at all, so I always keep multiple spare ones if I can get them). This is why I use the analog timers.
Other controllers and especially reptile-branded things are not available here, or it gets _really_ pricey. (I'm a lot into electronics because of my job - and for many things I was keeping an eye on for buying them for a hobby I finally I thought: No, better not getting it here, it's overly expensive.)
Keeping reptiles is quite an unusual thing here. There is not a single store in town that sells reptile equipment; also ordering online is difficult, as of: often not available, steep prices plus high shipment costs.
"Pet" here usually means cat or dog, and they even consider a rat or rabbit as "exotic animal"
I remember when I checked out what is recommended (using US websites), and then looking up what I can buy here: nope, oh would be nice but that's also not available, no, and also this no... Was happy that I can get at least the required lamps and some of the insects.
(I lived in the US for seven years and saw how easy it is to get the equipment there.)
I used to have all glass setup. The challenge for me in that setup was getting the ambient temps high enough.. Foam board can work wonders in this case.. Heck even a nice wood veneer over the glass (sides and back) looks nice and helps hold heat in too.
Yes, this makes totally sense in a bit a colder climate.
Before buying the enclosure, I checked into options (MDF, repurposing used furniture, getting an Exoterra (here horribly expensive and too small), or getting something made by a glass company).
Here, in the part of Chile where we live, it's so warm/ hot all year long that one can wear t-shirts and sandals during all the seasons, and even new, upper-scale houses aren't even equipped with heating as it's just not needed. Think of: A climate very similar to Southern California.
So keeping the temps all year long is no problem at all. (I was, though, surprised that it's also not overheating as the enclosure stands right by two windows. If that had been the case, I had taken care of that, of course.)
I might have suggested the non all-glass enclosure in case of living in a more moderate climate, as there typically I had heating (of the room) off at night as I'm very much of the "rather put a sweater on and use a blanket instead of cranking up the heat" type.
(I'm from Germany, but lived in the US some years in the L.A. area and some years near Nashville, TN.)
For the link: It is already here, that's Taco's tank:
