Adding a water feature

[Brunok9]

Some people may remember my striped keelback from awhile ago. He's still alive, so I'm making plans for an improved version of my viv now. My idea is making 1/3 of the viv water while the other 2/3 remains land/cocoa substrate. I'm making plans before I start so my snake is in a temp tank for the least time possible. How do I keep the water from spreading to the substrate side? I have an idea of using one of the barriers from petco, but this just seems to simple and easy to work.
Any other ideas to help would also be appreciated.

[finaldecember]

Unless you've been getting information on ISKs from a source I haven't yet found, they don't really need a water feature at all. At the very most, your little guy should be fine with the moist cocoa substrate and a water dish large enough for him to get into should he decide to.

[Brunok9]

My goal was to put fish in there with him, so they could live for some time more than in the dish. Visually, this would look better as well, besides the extra water space.

[count dewclaw]

One problem with a permanent water feature is keeping it clean, snakes tend to poop in their water. Do you want your snake eating out of his toilet? Sorry to put it so bluntly, water features can look nice, but are they healthy for your snake? I guess, if you're willing to put in the effort to keep it really clean, you could make it work. I have mossy frogs that require a lot of water in their enclosure. I have an aquarium filter and do lots of water changes to keep their water as clean as possible. Maybe I'm just thinking I don't want to do that for my snakes if I don't have to.

[DrKate]

I second LeAnn's concerns about cleaning. Maybe you could figure out a way to put a fishtank filter in there, but you'd still have to siphon all the water out and clean the surface pretty regularly.

But if you want to go ahead with it anyway, I believe I know of someone who got a piece of glass or plastic a few inches high, maybe 1/4" thick, and just as long as the width of his tank, and glued it in place with aquarium sealant (aquarium sealant should be available at your local herp or aquarium store, and probably hardware stores too). If you've got TAP Plastics stores in your area, they'd be a good place to get a sheet of food-grade plastic cut to size. You need a very good fit, and you want to run a bead of aquarium sealant around the sides and bottom on both sides of the plastic partition, to make sure it's water tight. Fill one side with water and put substrate on the other. Voila!

OR... Just go to your local kitchen store (or Target or Walmart) and get a pyrex baking dish that will fit the width of your enclosure. Set it in the bottom of the tank, and then put the substrate around it so that it's nearly to the rim of the dish. You can also get those "disposable" Glad or Ziplock containers in large flat rectangle sizes like 9"x13", those would work too. Get two, and then you can pull one out and put it in the dishwasher when it gets dirty.

[drache]

a couple of years ago, a member showed how she had done both of the above: created a barrier to keep the substrate in place, but then used a dish that fit exactly in the space created for water, so that she could take the whole thing out and clean it - seemed pretty convenient and attractive

[bsol]

I built one last year... Looked great! I used all live plants and made a partition to retain the water. I used an underwater filter system and everything. It was a pain to keep clean and eventually it fell victim to these little flies that burrowed in the soil! Needless to say I deconstructed it and went an easier, low maintenance route!!!
The link is below for the build and here's a pic

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j231/98frontier/IMG_5479.jpg?t=1245589601

http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/enclosures/4290-vivarium-build-lots-pics-sorry.html

[GarterNovice]

I built one as well and while the poop thing can be a factor a decent water filter/pump works just fine. If you'd like to see mine just check out the "Sku's New Crib" thread.

[guidofatherof5]

I built one as well and while the poop thing can be a factor a decent water filter/pump works just fine. If you'd like to see mine just check out the "Sku's New Crib" thread.

Nice to see you. Please remember us when your wife has the baby. No, I don't mean naming it Thamnophis but Radix would be a cool middle name:D

[brain]

LOL ya “Radix” or “Moon Glow” the kid needs to grow up with that name ….LOL

[guidofatherof5]

LOL ya “Radix” or “Moon Glow” the kid needs to grow up with that name ….LOL

I wish my middle name was radix. Heck, I wish my first name was radix.
It might as well be that, since I smell like one most of the time.

[mtolypetsupply]

hi there! Depending on the tank and how elaborate you are willing to get with your construction, a water feature is definitely doable.

One option, to ensure you can drain all the water if you make a permanent feature, is to drill a hole in the bottom of the tank on the water side, and use a sump setup, even having a waterfall or trickle to return the water to the tank. The hole could also be drilled very low on one side of the water feature.

If you're reluctant to go the cut glass barrier route (acrylics and plexis tend to warp under high humidity and heat), why not just put a barrier of Black Pond Foam across the tank? You can lay it down in any fashion you like, a simple curve, S-curve, make it look like a pond bank or river bank instead of a straight barrier. It's waterproof, then you can coat it with silicone in brown or clear, and add sand or other decorative matter to the silicone before it cures to cover the foam if you don't want it just black. While the foam is wet, you can also set rocks, driftwood, etc into it, for a very natural look. And there is a SMALL window while it's curing where you can sculpt it a little, not like modeling clay, but smooth it here, dent it there, etc.

The foam can also be used up the sides of the tank to create your waterfall, etc. If you're going to run tubing, wires, or anything else in the pond foam wall, be sure to make a PVC channel, don't just foam in the wires and tubes. If one fails, you'll NEVER get it out! LOL

If you use the foam, but think that at some point you may want to remove it, coat the area to which you'll be applying it with silicone first. The foam doesn't come off well at all, but the silicone will, with some elbow grease and a scraper.

Good luck, and I'd love to see pics when you get it going!

:)

[adamanteus]

Just a 'heads-up' for those of you who are considering using a permanent water feature in your Garter enclosure..... have a read through this thread (especially from post number 9). Water features aren't always such a good idea.

http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/general-talk/153-some-new-garters.html

[Brunok9]

I have time to clean the water side, so it wouldn't get dirty very fast. One thing I do have experience with is turtles/tropical fish, and I've been prepared to use the water pump to clean out the water. And because I can only have one snake in the house, I have all my spare time to focus on this viv.
However, the threat of disease does pose a problem. I keep my snake in a clean environment, but these things can happen out of nowhere. The glad container sounds like a good idea, especially because it is removeable, the only issue I can see is that it would be cloudy, which would almost be defeating the purpose in the first place..

[GarterNovice]

I appreciate the sentiment but I think we'll stick with Lukas for a middle name:)

[bkhuff1s]

I have read on other snake forums where the snakes actually crawl into the plumbing...so be carefull...If a Green Tree Python can do it I'm sure a garter'll have no problems. lol

[GarterNovice]

I haven't had my snakes for a great deal of time but in the six-eight months I've had them I've never once caught either one of them trying to use the pond as a bathroom. And if they do it while I'm not looking the filter I have is three times the size necessary for the amount of water it's in so I'm pretty sure it cleans the water thoroughly. And since the filter resides inside the tank I don't have to worry about any curious residents poking their snouts where they don't belong.

[adamanteus]

Just a quote from the thread I flagged up earlier.....

"I'm not sure how they were contracted (I think by cryptos you never can be sure what it was..). But the most obviously thing is my watercourse that i have installed in one of my cages. I thought i can keep the watercourse clean, but now i know that this isn't possible. it was a bad mistake that i've done! i never would do something like that again".

I think anyone considering recycling water through their snake enclosure should read the whole thread. Cryptos cannot be filtered out, the only way to kill it is through ultra-violet radiation.
Some new garters (http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/general-talk/153-some-new-garters.html)

[TheArtist]

I found a website a little while ago about building what mtolypetsupply (http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/../members/mtolypetsupply.html) was talking about, except it was for frogs. But I think you could make it work to you're advantage. I can't find the site right now unfortunately. But if you look up "adding a water feature to vivarium" you can find lots of ideas on different ways to do it, a lot of the sites also include how to hook up the pump and filters so you don't notice them as well :)
I think the problem you're also gonna find is that the fish are gonna die very fast in the water feature because if your snakes releasing itself in the water they are living in, the ARE going to consume that poo and that's probably not good for the snake which will then eat them.

[drache]

either way you cut it, you're going to have to do frequent water changes
most aquarium hobbyists will tell you that even with just fish, filtration cannot replace water changes, and the bigger the fish . . .
one poop from a snake and the water will need to be changed or your filter will be loaded with crap
I don't think it's worth it to even bother with the filtration idea
I give some of my snakes fairly large water tubs - litter pan size in a couple of cases - and it's no problem to completely wash and refill them every two or three days, or even twice in the same day, if need be
I don't like my cages to be barren looking, but I have found that being able to easily clean them is extremely important to me, and I think I've found a workable balance
everything in my cages can either be dunked in chlorhexidine, baked in an oven, or tossed
there is nothing glued in, or permanently installed
the idea of maintaining a water feature in a reptile enclosure frankly sounds like a nightmare in the making
of course I'm probably biased - I did give up all my fish

[mustang]

U all are lucky...i cant a cage like that till it gets big enough to the point where i convince my parents the checker has out grown his cage