Yo, folks. Very new here to the scene. Twenty gallon for corn snake?? Ball python?

[NeonAera]

Hey, guys! Pleasure to meet you all. Total newbie on reptiles, go easy on me!

Okay, so what do you guys think of a regular, high 24x12x16 20 gallon for a corn snake or maybe even a ball python? A bit too tall? Or perhaps go with a 20 gallon long? Thing is, I already have a regular 20 gallon setup as a fish tank right now and I plan to turn it into a terrarium snake tank or something in the future. I’m on a pretty low budget right now, so yeah, really looking to use what I already have, not really looking to shell out too much money on new stuff! But if I have to pay up for the really important key equipment and materials, I’m gonna do it.

So any helpful tips or expert advice on setup and care would be awesome.

Thanks a lot guys. Hope you guys have a chill day.

-William

[Minkness]

First off, welcome!

To answer your question though...either of those snakes would be fine in a 20 gallon as babies, but both would need much larger enclosures as adults. The smallest I would do for them as adults would be 3x2x1. But it can take 2-3 years to grow that big, so if you started a baby in something like a standard 20 then moved up as it grew, that would be fine.

Honestly, tubs are a great way to grow snakes. They are cheap, easy to clean, come in many different sizes, and easily replaced. They also hold humidity better.

I have experience with tanks, tubs, and 'professional' enclosures and there is a difference to each one. So whatever works best for your animal (then you) is what you should think about.

[macandchz]

welcome to the forum. i think you'll find the tank people and the tub people are pretty evenly divided on here. minkness is right , it's whatever suits you. i started out with 20 gal. tank when i got mac. he's close to 2 years old now and i have him in a 44 in. breeder tank now. i like watching him all the time and the tank is pretty to look at.

[toddnbecka]

If you're starting with a hatchling a plastic sterilte tub would be a good start. Cheap to buy in a suitable size, and particularly for a ball python, holds humidity much better than a glass aquarium with a screen top. Likely costs less than the screen top anyway, lol. You'd be better advised to sell the aquarium setup and use the cash for setting up your snake. (Been there, done that already myself...)
You will need a heat mat and thermostat in any case. I started out with the zoo-med stick-on type heat mats, then switched over to ultratherm heat mats from reptilebasics.com. They're much better quality, and won't get hot enough to melt plastic tubs or cook your critters if your thermostat fails.
Regarding thermostats, plenty of folks use the cheap ones available from the bean farm w/out any problems. Personally, I use herpstats or helix, depending on whether I need a night drop option on the temp settings.
One really good item to have on hand is a cheap laser thermometer, usually around $10 on e-bay. I have several tubs set up on top of ultratherm heat mats, and I shimmed the tubs to get just the right height for the proper temp w/out using a t-stat at all. That's where the laser comes in to check the temp, and it's more accurate than placing a regular thermometer on the surface.