The start of a Home!

[A.VinczeBTs]

So, here is the beginnings of a home! Nothing says commitment like a giant, hard-to-move tank!



This is my 4ft tank (48x20x24), which will be moved soon over to the living room with much more room and support than it currently has on my dresser. Decided on the living room after seeing the tank, it's just too big for my bedroom! Hope the BTS likes tv, because one side of the tank will have a good view of it where it will be moving soon.

What substrate is good for blueies? I was thinking coco husk chips, just because aspen tends to make me sneeze, so it might be dusty for a skink too.
How high up should the substrate be? I was thinking as high as the vent screen is?

How strong of a light will I need to provide heat for such a large tank? (It's higher than I wanted, but I can't find any 18" high in my area for a reasonable price, got this for $250)

Hope my BTS will someday fill this tank and enjoy it, because I doubt something this heavy will be leaving the house again.

[Kbell31]

They make aspen chips if the shredded makes you sneeze, I am thinking of getting that next time around. I think if you put the substrate up to that screen that would definitely be plenty high for burrowing. Just make sure you have some good hiding spots and maybe cover three sides of the tank for privacy if it will be in busy place such as your living room. As far as heating it all depends on your home environment and it would be difficult to suggest a wattage.

[Fatal_S]

Coco-husk makes pretty good substrate. I wouldn't do any substrate more than an inch or so, otherwise you may never find your skink in there I agree with Kbell in having good hides and covering some of the sides to make your skink feel safe and secure. And yes, many skinks seem to be pretty good about having a TV to watch.

As for heat, what kind of top does the tank have? I'd personally probably go with a Mercury Vapor Bulb for such a pretty and large tank. Whatever bulb, start with a low wattage and work your way up. If the heat on the warm side (~85) seems good but the basking spot isn't ideal (~100), consider a raised basking spot to bring it closer to the heat.

[A.VinczeBTs]

Thanks guys, I might be splitting the tank while s/he's a baby. If I give the whole tank, I won't put as much substrate until older. Just so I'll be able to see he/r sometimes!
Otherwise I will be providing a background, which will also block the back, and something on the sides as well. I know a thing or two about comfort for shy animals (ball pythons). I was thinking having two cave hides, one on both sides, and a log in the middle, a basking spot, and some fake plants...Anyone try real plants? Do they work well?

For lighting/heating, yeah I'll have to experiment I guess. It is a high tank, so I'll try some test bulbs (friend has some turtles, and many lights, snag one to try for a day or two) and if those don't work I'll look into mercury vapor bulb. Again, will be testing these long before the pet arrives, so I'll have some time to test.

The tank has a screen/mesh, is that a problem at all?

[Susann]

Thanks guys, I might be splitting the tank while s/he's a baby. If I give the whole tank, I won't put as much substrate until older. Just so I'll be able to see he/r sometimes! I was thinking having two cave hides, one on both sides, and a log in the middle, a basking spot, and some fake plants...Anyone try real plants? Do they work well?

I personally wouldn't split the tank unless you need the other half for something else. There is no such thing as "too much space" with BTS, they don't get stressed like some animals do; as long as there are plenty of places to hide and relax they do fine with lots of area to explore.
And what you have planned with logs, plants, and hides sounds perfect!

As long as you do spot cleaning (pick up poop as soon as you see it) you really don't need the substrate to be deep. Like Fatal said, an inch is plenty if there are enough hides.
I don't think real plants work very well for a couple of reasons:
1) BTS eat them, so you have to make sure they are safe to ingest
2) BTS eat them , so they tend to to be way too "rough" for real plants to survive

SUPER job on getting everything figured out and set up before the animal arrives!

[Fatal_S]

Real plants tend to get killed very quickly. Not only through eating, but BTS like to re-arrange their tanks and that seems to include digging up plants and climbing all over them.

Screen is fine. If it's a very fine screen though UVB light won't be able to get through so be sure to supplement with calcium+D3.

[A.VinczeBTs]

No real plants, sounds like they'll treat real plants like my cats do...I'll find them in pieces, knocked over, sat on, and munched.
The screen I can take a pic of later, but it's not as thick as some, but enough that it might just block UVB, so I'll certainly get the vitamins with calcium+D3 and a multivitamin for every now and then.

So not as much substrate, as long as enough hides are provided. Hopefully I'll be able to macgyver something with the lighting and heating. Anyone know how much a mercury vapour bulb will run? In case the standard bulbs aren't enough?

I'll have something to cover the back and sides for sure, so he'll (the s/he thing is annoying, haha) not have to see every little thing go by on all sides.

Thanks you guys!

[Fatal_S]

MVBs are around $60 here. The wire lamp needed is about $30. Try to find one that provides a warranty. The great thing about MVBs is that they should last several years and provide lots of heat and UVB the entire time (most UVBs stop producing after 6 months). Downsides are they can not be dimmed and need a wire lamp to allow lots of airflow (don't want bulb overheating, it stops working).

[A.VinczeBTs]

Thanks! I'll be looking around for them then, as it sounds like a better solution in the long run in terms of both heat and UVB. Dimming is not necessary, I can just attach it to a timer, and have it go out at a certain time of night. How should heating be done at night? I'll have to measure how cold it gets at night in our house, but I doubt it gets below 65. Should I add a UTH during the night? Or will the colder drop be alright?

Again, very helpful! The more I get ready the more questions pop up, haha.

[Fatal_S]

Cold is fine for Northerns and IJs. Meraukes and Indos would probably need at least 70 at night. Providing a warmer area is nice for any species though.

[A.VinczeBTs]

Well I have extra UTH from Boyfriends past pets (he had geckos, snakes, beardie), so if he needs a little extra heat at night when the light turns off the UTH will turn on, not very high temp, but probably around 75-85ish?

This is so exciting, getting everything all set up! Even if the BTS won't be here until the new year.

[Fatal_S]

I started my set ups about a year before I got my skink. I built 2 tanks. But no skink So while I waited for my babies I ended up putting little toy lizards inside

[A.VinczeBTs]

Hopefully I won't get that bad of empty tank syndrome....
I'll be getting one soon, until then I'll have enough fun making it the Best Tank Evaaaa

[Susann]

A good nighttime heat source is CHE--a Ceramic Heat Emitter. Works like a bulb but doesn't put out any light.
In my huge cages (60 X 24 X 24) I've been using UTH, CHE, AND MVB to get the temps right! Sometimes you just have to play around to get it right. But I also have Meraukes, so nighttime temps need to be higher for sure for them. I think the Northerns are the most resilient, can take fluctuations both up and down better than most, so if that makes a difference then that may be a good species for you to consider?

[A.VinczeBTs]

Yeah, Northern is the one I'll be holding out for. They seem to take a bit of a better time with temps, but if I still need multiple heat sources it's fine, already set on the mercury vapour bulb, maybe a ceramic heat emitter as well, and have the UTH already. So he'll be a comfy little dude for sure, by the time he gets here.