Better to convert a fish tank, or buy a viv?
I've had the idea for a while, and I've seen it done a few times, but without much info. Is it possible for me to turn a (circa) 30gal tall fish tank on it's side (so that the top is now facing out) to make a taller viv? The tank itself is wider than it is tall (I want to say it's about 25-26in tall, and it's 30in wide), and I know my tokay gecko would appreciate the added height. I have a basic idea of how to do it, but my main issue is heating. I've read that if the glass is clean, light can still penetrate without much loss of UVA/UVB (I've got live plants), but I can't imagine there'd be much heat transfer, plus there's the risk of the glass getting too hot, and my gecko burning his feet. If I were to get a radiant heat panel, how could I fit it inside the viv but also making room for the lights?
If it's better to just buy an arboreal tank, I'm leaning towards ExoTerra's medium X-tall viv. Would that just be better? Or is there an even better alternative? (that doesn't include building from scratch, I'm not good with glass-work.)
