Best setup?

[Bryson26]

Im getting a skink here soon and it’s 6 inches and so I got a 20 gallon tank because apparently if I get a 40g Breeder it will die so I have the 20g with a reprobate cypress mulch mix. Will that be ok? I also have an under tank heater underneath the hot side hide. On the cool side I’m gonna get another hide for the cook side. I also have a water bowl and food thing. So what else should I get I was told I don’t need a heat lamp but tell me what you guys think. and what else I need

[kayla990]

Hello Bryson - it seems you've been told some strange things (in my opinion). First off:

if I get a 40g Breeder it will die

I can say that this is not true our little one is having a blast in her 520L (around 142gallon US) tank, and she wasn't far off the 6" size when we got her. But - smaller 'grow-in' tanks are common as you can keep a closer eye on things. I would say it's more of a preference. As they can grow quickly, I would argue a 40g would also work if you're leaning that way already. If you decide on a larger tank - it would be good to set up multiple mini habitats (so a few water and food dishes dotted around the tank, so they can always find a source of water/food). In some cases - a larger tank can provide a better temperature gradient compared to a very small tank (which may overheat quicker).

Do you know what sub-species you'll be getting? It's important to know if it's an Indonesian or Australian species - as humidity is different between the two (and affects the choice between the substrates). Is "reprobate cypress mulch" a brand? Tried to find it online, but couldn't find anything - so can't comment much on it! Cypress mulch can be used for Northern I believe; and a mixture of sphagnum moss, coco coir and cypress mulch is commonly used for Indonesian types (as a mix can hold humidity better).

As Bluey's commonly dig under substrate you may find most people advise against a under tank heater - unless it's regulated by a thermostat. Bluey's run the risk of burning themselves if they fall asleep on the mat/too close. While an opinion - I would say for Blueys an over head light/lamp would be a better choice, as we see ours basking a lot (which also contains UVA/UVB).

Just curious where did you get your information from so far? There's great resources on this forum for setups (along with recommendations of ReptileMountain.TV on youtube or articles from another user on here Reptifiles). To me there seems inconsistencies with the information you've been told (mainly the tank size and not needing a heat lamp). But can also depend on your own environment (as some people living in Aus can keep Northerns outdoors with natural sunlight )

[Bryson26]

Hello Bryson - it seems you've been told some strange things (in my opinion). First off:

if I get a 40g Breeder it will die

I can say that this is not true our little one is having a blast in her 520L (around 142gallon US) tank, and she wasn't far off the 6" size when we got her. But - smaller 'grow-in' tanks are common as you can keep a closer eye on things. I would say it's more of a preference. As they can grow quickly, I would argue a 40g would also work if you're leaning that way already. If you decide on a larger tank - it would be good to set up multiple mini habitats (so a few water and food dishes dotted around the tank, so they can always find a source of water/food). In some cases - a larger tank can provide a better temperature gradient compared to a very small tank (which may overheat quicker).

Do you know what sub-species you'll be getting? It's important to know if it's an Indonesian or Australian species - as humidity is different between the two (and affects the choice between the substrates). Is "reprobate cypress mulch" a brand? Tried to find it online, but couldn't find anything - so can't comment much on it! Cypress mulch can be used for Northern I believe; and a mixture of sphagnum moss, coco coir and cypress mulch is commonly used for Indonesian types (as a mix can hold humidity better).

As Bluey's commonly dig under substrate you may find most people advise against a under tank heater - unless it's regulated by a thermostat. Bluey's run the risk of burning themselves if they fall asleep on the mat/too close. While an opinion - I would say for Blueys an over head light/lamp would be a better choice, as we see ours basking a lot (which also contains UVA/UVB).

Just curious where did you get your information from so far? There's great resources on this forum for setups (along with recommendations of ReptileMountain.TV on youtube or articles from another user on here Reptifiles). To me there seems inconsistencies with the information you've been told (mainly the tank size and not needing a heat lamp). But can also depend on your own environment (as some people living in Aus can keep Northerns outdoors with natural sunlight )

And I read about everything you said but apparently they need more belly heat. So I just got it but I’m getting a lamp and bulb tomorrow. And it’s an Irian Jaya. So I’m going to mix the reptibark with cypress mulch. And I also maybe need other stuff suck as moss for the cool hide to aid in shedding. Everything is in a 20g rn.

[kayla990]

Aha, yep heard mixed opinions on the belly heat too! Some say they'll receive the belly heat from the bulb if the ground can also absorb the heat (such as a dark rock underneath the lamp). Good to cover both options as you are planning to presume the heat mat will be hooked up to a thermostat to stop burning?

With your Bluey being an Irian Jaya, humidity recommendations are from 60% on average. Some owners aim for 80% standard. Should be good with the reptibark & cypress mulch mix. Agree it'll be good to get the moss for a humid hide! The moss can also be mixed directly with the substrate too, but you can choose depending on how your humidity holds up

Goodluck!

[Bryson26]

Aha, yep heard mixed opinions on the belly heat too! Some say they'll receive the belly heat from the bulb if the ground can also absorb the heat (such as a dark rock underneath the lamp). Good to cover both options as you are planning to presume the heat mat will be hooked up to a thermostat to stop burning?

With your Bluey being an Irian Jaya, humidity recommendations are from 60% on average. Some owners aim for 80% standard. Should be good with the reptibark & cypress mulch mix. Agree it'll be good to get the moss for a humid hide! The moss can also be mixed directly with the substrate too, but you can choose depending on how your humidity holds

Goodluck!

Thank you lots! I’m gonna upgrade to a 40g in the future. I’m also gonna get some fake plants and maybe another hide

[Bryson26]

This is my new bts set up. I haven’t got the heat lamps yet but the black thing is the cool hide and the rock is it’s basking rock. It can also burrow underneath the rock if it wanted. I’m getting more stuff tomorrow to make it look better. I have an under tank heater buts it’s trash. What else should I get? Oh and I’m getting a thermometer with a hygrometer.

[kayla990]

Looking good so far you're definitely on the right track! That's great you'll be getting hold of a hygrometer/thermometer, along with fake plants. Once you've got your setup ready, it could be be an idea to test both sides of the tank so you know the gradient. And while it's not necessary, a heat gun can be a quick and (relatively) cheap way to check temperature in different spots of the tank.

Let's see, can't think of too much other than the depth of substrate (a little tricky to guess from the images) but looks like it'll be fine depth for a little one to bury through. If you're after a few more ideas - 'cork bark' wood are great items as they hold up well in humidity; and it's easy to make natural looking bridges or tunnels with them.

Unlucky the under tank heater doesn't work well - they can be very slow to heat up.. it may work better if it's squished between something insulating (such as polystyrene sheets) but shouldn't be much of a worry as you'll be getting a over head lamp anyway

[Bryson26]

[quote="kayla990"]

Let's see, can't think of too much other than the depth of substrate (a little tricky to guess from the images) but looks like it'll be fine depth for a little one to bury through. If you're after a few more ideas - 'cork bark' wood are great items as they hold up well in humidity; and it's easy to make natural looking bridges or tunnels with them

Thank you! I will definitely probably get a cork bark to sit either on he rock or the cool side what do you think?

[kayla990]

Cork bark should work on either side - more of a decoration/play thing for them

[Bryson26]

I have everything I need except for the lizard and a screen lid which I’m getting. The big rock is the cool hide because it sucks at absorbing heat and getting that nice belly heat they love.underneath of that it can burrow and is almost like a tunnel. I filled it with sphangum moss and underneath it is a heat pad to boost humidity so basically I have a humid/cool hide that doesn’t pass 80 degrees but stays at like 90 percent humidity. On the hot side I have a black hide box that’s gets really good heat and inside is some sphagnum moss as well. The heat lamp I got for 8 bucks at Walmart!(you’re welcome) I also got a 4 pack of 65 watt spotlight bulbs for 9 bucks(yes I took the cheap route) I also have a combo thermometer/hygrometer for 8 bucks. The substrate is mainly cypress mulch mixed with reptibark. There is a lot more reptibark then mulch. And I just placed sphangum moss where needed. I worry about the temps dropping too low during the night because I have a super cold room. The tank is a 20 gallon I’m getting a baby Iran Jaya.so basically I think I’m ready to go but would like some opinions on how to get the night time temps up. I have a heater in my room but it doesn’t work great. My house doesn’t have central heat. Any help will be great.

[Bryson26]

Here’s pics

[kayla990]

Looking good! With night time temperatures, we use a ceramic heater (150w, but smaller tanks wouldn't need as much) that is hooked up to a thermostat. If we suspect it's going to be a cold night, we use it in combination with an additional night heat lamp on the same thermostat (which gives off some light, but as they bury at night - it doesn't impact the sleep cycle). Interested how others do it though

Just something else to add: we've had problems with both cheap and pricey combined thermometer/hygrometers - but can test it by putting in a ziploc bag - with a bottle cap of salt and water (easy to find tutorials on google for this test). As we've had about 3/5 defective!

[splashy07]

Agree on the therm/hyg issue, I've found the hygrometers to be highly inaccurate on the dual type units, regardless of price. The thermometers usually work within a degree or two.