Wtf am I going to put in a 55 gallon

Arachnaeoccult · 01-17-16, 03:36 PM

So being a fiend for cheap tanks my old roomate offered to sell me a big 55 gallon one for 30 bucks. I don't know what I'd ever put in it once I get it. Maybe 20 scorpions. Who knows. Halp?

havoc_vulture · 01-17-16, 03:38 PM

Brb and bioactive set up?

Arachnaeoccult · 01-17-16, 04:05 PM

A full sized adult iguana maybe? A chameleon? This tank might not have the height of a chameleon tank (but close! Taller than my 20g for sure) but its got plenty of medium sized reptile space. Thats medium if we're thinking large water dragons as medium-large... Right?

dannybgoode · 01-17-16, 04:17 PM

Way too small for iguanas or water dragons and not nearly heigh enough for chameleons.

Both iguanas and water dragons get to 3'+ and need height to their enclosure as well as length. A 55 would be far too short and not nearly heigh enough.

Chameleons need at least 3' of height as well - a total viv of 2'*2'*3' as a minimum.

Assuming it used to be an aquarium why not some water and some fish?

Tiny Boidae · 01-17-16, 04:55 PM

Yeah, no water dragons. My two girls are in a 6'x3'x6' indoor enclosure when the weather is rough, but spend more time in a 10'x10'x8' chicken-mesh enclosure. They're very active and need a lot of room.

If you can describe your dream animal for this enclosure though, we can help suggest some animals that suit your needs.

Bandit · 01-17-16, 05:02 PM

Waaaay too small for iguanas and water dragons. Not too familiar with chameleon setups, but it sounds a bit short for them.

Jim Smith · 01-17-16, 05:50 PM

What if you made a very nice toad viv out of it with several different species of toads. Easy to keep with lots of personality. Just a thought...

**Minkness** · 01-17-16, 06:01 PM

Some toads may eat eachother though.

It would be good for an IJ carpet, possibly a BRB or CRB. A smaller boa like a hog island maybe (but those are also $200+).

Could do a bearded dragon...but would need an adult as that size would stress a baby out....

Also, if you just kept it for a while would make a killer display tank for your corn snake when she's full grown.

Arachnaeoccult · 01-18-16, 09:36 AM

This enclosure is 4ft long 2ft tall and 1 ft wide

dannybgoode · 01-18-16, 10:02 AM

Not big enough for a beardie . A couple of small geckos maybe or as I said earlier - an aquarium.

Watching fish swim around is strangely relaxing...

Nightflight99 · 01-18-16, 10:11 AM

How about using it as a holding tank, feeding tank, or quarantine enclosure? This might be less exciting, but very useful.

Arachnaeoccult · 01-18-16, 12:16 PM

Fish are dirty and expensive to upkeep though!

dannybgoode · 01-18-16, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arachnaeoccult

Fish are dirty and expensive to upkeep though!

???????

Not really. Certainly no more expensive than reptiles to keep and dirty?? No not at all. Weekly water change (25-50%) depending and your good.

A marine tank is a commitment and can cost a bit to keep running well but a tropical tank isn't. Fish food is cheap and water comes out of the tap...

Tiny Boidae · 01-18-16, 12:56 PM

My dad builds saltwater tanks as a hobby of his. Has a bunch of marine tanks and I used to have to take care of them when he was gone for weeks or months at a time. Those, I assure you, are expensive and time-consuming.

I used to keep freshwater tanks a few years ago, and those are a walk in the park compared to marine fish. My favorite was a rope fish I had, the little bugger would come and eat bites of shrimp out of my fingers. The aquariums have no odor to them, although I used to have to do water changes with tubing and a bucket, and I'd have to suck the water up to get it started. That can be kind of icky, but I'm sure there are more sanitary ways to do it than what I did. The part that would probably drive you up a wall would be the filters, and the never-ending sound of running water. I used canister filters which you could make pretty cheap by throwing some biological and mechanical filtration into pvc piping. Let gravity pull it down under the tank and use a pump to push it back into the aquarium.

If you want to just entertain the thought of a fish tank though, liveaquaria.com has a good selection to choose from.

dannybgoode · 01-18-16, 01:11 PM

@tiny - the secret to getting a good syphon going is just to get the hose out of your mouth before you get a gob full of water!

I use the good old fashioned suck on the hose method and 99/100 is goes according to plan. The other alternative is to get a cheap water pump and just put the pump into the water to the level you want to empty the tank to and just turn it on and it do its stuff.

Filters can be near silent too. My in tank Fluval U4 hardly makes a sound and my canister can be set up so the water re-entering the task is very quiet.

A nice, well planted tropical tank is a happy medium. Very attractive but way easier to keep than a full marine set up...