My new enclosure (still work to do)

[Barak666]

Do you thinks it is possible to keep a group of guppies into the aquarium with plenty of hide?

Having prey so close will the garters risk eating to much, eventually consumes them all and be overfed or might they just eat there needs and allow the fiches to breed?

I did that with my dragon, hopping he will delight on them, but he was never fond on fishing, so now the aquarium is full with these tiny fishes. By the way, I don't intend to put the guppies from my dragon tank to my garters tank, just to make sure I did not bring something undesirable with them.

[Stefan-A]

I don't recommend it, unless you have a problem feeder. I think over-eating may be a slight risk, but what might also happen, is that the snake starts to just grab them and then let go of them somewhere outside the dish when it has eaten enough. I've seen it happen with some of my snakes.

How many guppies do you have? With a small population, there is a real risk of the snake exhausting its food supply. Again, we need to use a little math. The increase in biomass in the fish population, must be equal to, or larger than the biomass removed by the snake.

[Barak666]

... How many guppies do you have? With a small population, there is a real risk of the snake exhausting its food supply. Again, we need to use a little math. The increase in biomass in the fish population, must be equal to, or larger than the biomass removed by the snake.

Into my dragon tank, I stopped counting them long ago, I started with ten and they are around 70-80 now (the population seems stable). Otherwise I have access to some others guppies at my job.

[ConcinusMan]

I don't really have others pictures of the water system, but it is quite simple, an overflow (black), a plastic container under it where is the submersible filter and the pump (and a UV sterilizer as soon as the budget allow it). So the pump bring back the filtered water to the tank (blue thing)


The dry side is 38" long in the back, 30" in the front 24" wide.
Is it not enough?

At worst if the aquarium doesn't work well (too wet or anything else), it will ended up with a dry substrate and an hide or something like this

With this information do you have other interrogations and amelioration idea?

I was just wondering about the thing on the back wall. Was that intended for planting? BTW, I think you'll find that the fake plants was good idea. You don't have to worry about the plants needs (you can place them under hot lights and they don't need water/soil) and so much easier to clean. I would have went with a filter system that pulls water through a layer of sand and/or pebbles on the bottom. (under gravel filter) is that what you did?. One established, beneficial microorganisms in the gravel under the water act as a filter, a very good one.

The more I see the setup, the more I'm thinking you should use fir bark substrate. Setup looks really nice. I think it would look much better with cork tiles for the back, but they're not cheap.

[Barak666]

Yesterday I rinse the aquarium with hot water and at the end of day I notice a small leak, so I will finally forget the aquatic part. I wasn't surprise, so it will end up to be the cold side with fake plants and other hides. For water, I have bought a 2L Pirex container. I will put my pump and filter into the closet up to the next project. Will take a picture soon

[Barak666]

Here what it is look like today. The aquatic part is dead, and I find that a skull is a good representation of death, so that why I put it into the new cold side







The biggest looking lamp is a 26W CFL bulb and the smaller one is a 60W incandescent bulb. The temperature seem to stay at 19-21°C near the skull and 24-25°C on the plants just under the 60W bulb, is that correct as temperatures? The substrate is coconut husk.

[guidofatherof5]

Very nice looking setup.
Looks like your running between 62-69 degrees if I converted it correctly.
I run warm sides between 80-85 degrees(27-29°C)
I give mine a warm side so they can thermoregulate from there.
I think there will be a lot of varying answers to your question.
Much depends on what your snakes want and what you want to do.

[ConcinusMan]

Seems a bit cool but turned out awesome! very nice setup.

If I were you I'd use a bulb designed like a reptile incandescent. They focus a narrow beam straight down to provide a nice hot spot without flooding the whole enclosure with heat. Be sure it's not too close to plants and be sure snakey can't get close enough to burn himself.

I run cool sides at 70-75 (try not to go higher than 75) and that usually makes the hot end 85-90 My adult concinnus will sit there at 90 degrees all day, they seem to like it a bit hotter than most garters. However, all heat and light is turned off at night. I think it's important that they get uninterrupted darkness and a significant cool down.

[Snakers]

looking like it is coming along nicely!

[lestat]

It looks very good. Cant wait to see some little ones in it. Hope they enjoy it.