Closed or open top? Housing BTS in aquarium

[JoeDLefty]

Hey guys, I'm new to the forum so I REALLY apologize if this has been answered, but I could not find an answer. I am planning on getting a BTS in about 2 months. I want to be sure I have everything properly set up before then. I currently have a 50 gallon (36x18) fish tank/aquarium I plan on using as housing. The aquarium currently has a glass top, covering the openings on top of the aquarium. Is this okay? Should I leave the top open freely? Should I get a screen instead? Also, if it's okay to keep the glass top cover, is it okay to put my basking light on the glass top? Thank you! Anything will help!

[kingofnobbys]

I'm not a fan of using fish tanks with mesh tops to house lizards - very hard to get a good stable microclimate and good stable thermal gradient with this silly kind of lizard tank , I'd opt for a front opening tank with sliding glass doors , made of timber (solid lid) that's the best way to house your skink indoors.

[JoeDLefty]

What are the negatives to keeping a skink in an aquarium?

[kingofnobbys]

What are the negatives to keeping a skink in an aquarium?

1) You will be always taking him out by grabbing from above --- this will freak out a skink (esp one who is small and very timid , as this is will look to him like a huge looming predator)
2) very much harder to maintain a stable microclimate inside an open system ( glass tank with mesh (essentially open) top, warm are created by the basking lamp during the day and the CHE or heatpad at night will simply rise and be lost and will not circulate in the tank.
3) you need more wattage in the basking globe during the day, the CHE during the night to achieve the same basking spot , warm zone and cool zone temperatures.
4) temptation to mount the UV globe or tube and fitting ontop of the mesh lid , mesh will essentially block over 1/4 of the UVA and UVB emitted
5) difficult to mount light fittings from the mesh lid
6) very hard to make cat proof ( seems lots of lizard keepers have one or more cats too )
7) impossible to secure the tank to keep unwelcome / unauthorized people out of it if you have a mesh top
8 ) mesh tops provide zero insulation from the room temperature.
9) reflective surfaces at the skinks eyelevel can cause the skink to act out.
10) glass is a poorer insulator than timber.

[JoeDLefty]

What are the negatives to keeping a skink in an aquarium?

I have a full glass cover I can place on top of the aquarium. Will this eliminate most problems?

[Susann]

You sent me a PM with these questions, I'll answer you here, if you don't mind, so others looking for the same answers can see as well.

I want to be sure I have everything properly set up before then.

That's awesome!
Many of your questions are probably answered, at least superficially, on the General Caresheet and in the
General FAQ section. Start by reading through those.

I currently have a 50 gallon (36x18) fish tank/aquarium I plan on using as housing. The aquarium currently has a glass top, covering the openings on top of the aquarium. Is this okay?

Should be fine. If it's glass or see-through all the way around, many of us find that our skinks do better if you cover up at least 3 of the sides with something to make your skink feel more secure, and not like he's exposed at all times --which can cause some reptiles to live under a constant state of stress and hyper-vigilance.

Should I leave the top open freely? Should I get a screen instead?

It depends on several things.
1) how tall is the tank? Once you put substrate and some hides and things on the bottom of the tank, will your skink be able to reach the top of the tank in any way to escape?
2) do you have pets, kids, visitors who will be able to simply reach into the tank to get access to your skink?
3) what kind of temperatures and air circulation is in the room? Some people can keep an open tank without having any issues keeping the correct temperature gradient and humidity in the tank, but many of us find this difficult to do without covering at least a portion of the tank up.

Also, if it's okay to keep the glass top cover, is it okay to put my basking light on the glass top?

As long as you can provide the proper temperature gradient and a spot with a high enough basking temperature for whatever species you end up getting, whatever covers, or doesn't cover, the top of the tank is fine. What you do have to keep in mind though when placing any kind of heat source right on top of, or right underneath, a sheet of glass is, can the heat source handle it without heating up so much it becomes unsafe for the animal, the integrity of the glass, and/or the heat source itself. For example: following the instructions of the device, if you attach a heat mat to the bottom of the glass, generally you must elevate the tank up off the table it sits on to allow airflow to keep the mat from overheating and malfunctioning. Similarly, if you have any kind of bulb inside an enclosed "dome" or fixture, will the bulb produce enough heat to withstand burning out (or up!) inside the dome if it's placed right on top of a sheet of glass? Not to mention, will enough heat get to the bottom of the tank for your skink?
And, like mentioned before, UVB rays do not pass through glass and are greatly diminished by screens and distance, so you must read the instructions and recommendations for the type of bulb you get, if you choose to provide UVB light.
So CAN you do it? It all depends on the type of bulb, the type of dome, the type of mat, etc. you get. And what your particular circumstances are and what the needs of your skink are. Nobody can answer these questions for you because it depends on what you have, what you get, and what you need. I recommend carefully following the manufacturer's instructions.

[Richard.C]

Depends on species,i find its always good to have a lid ,be it open with mesh or more enclosed,to keep them in and keep other things out,if u have an indo it may be better having a more closed environment,aussie stuff will be fine with a mesh lid

Fush tanks are fine for creating temp gradients,actually very easy to do

[kingofnobbys]

Depends on species,i find its always good to have a lid ,be it open with mesh or more enclosed,to keep them in and keep other things out,if u have an indo it may be better having a more closed environment,aussie stuff will be fine with a mesh lid <<<< just bare in mind many (most ?) aussie BTS keepers and breeders will not use aquarium style vivs, the standard is a timber viv with sliding glass front doors , no mesh lids .


Fush tanks are fine for creating temp gradients,actually very easy to do

[BD99]

Hey man. Speaking as an aussie owner here.

I argue the wood viv is better for the following reasons

1 - comfort.
Blue tongues are naturally a ground dwelling lizard. They are big and heavy with small little legs. Their predators are birds, who swoop in from above to flip them, or peck at the back of their head and neck until they kill them. As someone who's seen a number of brutally killed bluetongues from bird attacks, I would say instinctively that coming in from above is replicating an attack and even if momentary causes a natural stress to the animal.

Coming from the side allows you to come on their level, less threatening and guarenteed to be in their line of sight. That eliminates the BIG BIRD shadow that wants to kill them. Takes away the threat.

2 - accessability.
With sliding front doors, not only do you come in at the bluey's level, but you can also invite your blue tongue out at the same level. With a shy bluey been encouraged to enjoy humans, an open door, on the level offer is almost irresistable. Be it a quick slide of banana, a quick pet on the head or full on asking your bluey out to play, again coming to them on their level elimates the threat of eveything. Plus sliding one glass pannel aside is easier than potentially disrupting your lights and lifting all the complex lids you can get.

3 - tempreture effectiveness
Wooden vivs can be designed to hold heat more effectively, thus reducing your bills and the lizards discomfort. A GOOD way to see a comparison is with bearded dragons. You'll note duller dragons are usually in full glass vivs. They dull due to inconsistant heat.
Sometimes learning from other reptiles and their conditions can help us decide for blueys.

4 - durability
A fact of life is moving. While glass tanks are easier to shift around, they also run the risk of fractures and the likes. Once glass wears down a little, it becomes gritty, a bluey can eat this grit and injest glass. Wood can be repaired cheaper and without replacing the whole *darn tank. Also, traveling wise, wood is less likely to break than glass. If a panel breaks, you can get new sliding doors cut for barely $70 Aussie, which is $45 american roughly.

5 - versitility
LOTS of people do furniture conversions and the likes with their wooden vivs, which is quite useful. With the more durable nature of wood, you could *darn well build a cage into a window chair. Compacting your space with your Bluey. Could convery a bookshelf level or four, yet still keep shelves for books.

With a glass tank, you have to strap on lights and buy stands. In the end, it can be much harder to blend a tank into useful home life. Especially if you have family or a partner who are less than thrilled with the idea of dedicating useless space to a reptile ((the baffoons don't know what they are missing))

[vana]

You might want to look into a PVC cage. There are a lot of makers. I am having one made by animal plastics, a T13 cage, with a sliding glass front.

[splashy07]

I have quite a few of those AP cages. I find them to be perfect for my BTs. Many size options and very economical in comparison to other brands. I recently came across some PVC cages by Dragons 4 You, a beardie breeding company that designed its own cages not liking what was on the market for them. They are very nice also, I got four of them from a friend who was downsizing. Used glass aquarium type cages for many years, now there are other and much better options. The PVC is durable, lightweight and simple to clean, and they are enclosed keeping in heat and/or humidity and making my blueys feel safe. Absolutely love 'em.

[Susann]

As far as the wood vs. glass goes, there are pros and cons with both. Both can be top or side opening. Both can be made plenty comfortable for your skink.
Some of the things left without mention previously is that: a wood tank can be very heavy and difficult to move; can be harder to deep-clean or sanitize; unless tall enough or has screened light "wells", keeping lamps out of reach from skink may be hard; undertank heaters can't be used; wood absorbs liquid and would require a coating with a waterproof or repellent material to make it long-lasting --and the safety of those can be difficult to ascertain.
Which is better all has to do with what you need, like, want to pay, and have access to.