Is my tank too big?

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Originally Posted by Brimstone111888

Some put in the hundreds of $$ to make the enclosure suitable, but most don't .

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this is where i have to disagree with you i have a 70 gal and have the temps and all right where they need to be but outside of extra bedding and a few more things i put inside to heat it and keep the humidity where it should be i spent only 15-20 more on my 70 than my 20.
i have to budget alot im married

Dane, sounds like you worked really hard on your enclosure - I can't even begin to IMAGINE how long it takes you each month to break it all down and completely disinfect everything! :O

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Originally Posted by 771subliminal

this is where i have to disagree with you i have a 70 gal and have the temps and all right where they need to be but outside of extra bedding and a few more things i put inside to heat it and keep the humidity where it should be i spent only 15-20 more on my 70 than my 20.
i have to budget alot im married

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I am kind of shocked by this, considering it would almost take $20 worth of bedding to fill that thing, let alone you purchasing the tank and a thermostat. Are you running a thermostat ?

Most larger tanks have the same floor space as a 40 gallon theyre just taller. In my experience with trying to get a 60gal to the right temps/humidity it was damn near impossible. Much of this had to do with the fact I live in upstate NY where winters are so dry and cold. If it was summer time I would have had no problem getting them where they needed to be but it wouldnt do much good bc come winter time it would go back to being whacked out. I wouldnt suggest any new BP owner use a glass tank be it 10g or 70g. Plastic is overall the better choice just because it holds humidity better and costs much less than glass. If you live in the southern states its probably much easier to keep temps/humidity up in glass but I bet its not as easy as plastic tubs.

Surprisingly it isn't that terrible. My plexiglass is attached to the screen, so that stays with it. The lights are the only annoying part, and thats a 3 second removal. once the top is off, the misting system is 100% not in the way. It is attached under the center top support, and the two side supports. The nozzles are 90 degree nozzles, so they are right up against their respective borders.

As for the rest of the stuff in there, the big log comes out, then each hide, then I scoop the bedding out and its all seperate. For cleaning I use a two bucket system. I have 2 5 gallons from pepboys and I fill one with the bleach/water mixture and the other with clean hot water. I first put each hide the first bucket and scrub a little with a moderately stiff brush, then I put it in the other bucket and give it the once over. There is little to no transfer of germs or bacteria because they are mostly killed by bucket 1.

Then putting it all back in is easy. I have a 10 gallon rubbermaid under the tank with aspen bedding and i just put that in with my scooper. done! Most of the time between cleanings, however, I'm of course spot cleaing the aspen, overturning it and adding new stuff. Whenever I change the water, I try and give the bowls a good cleansing. Surprisingly enough, with no mites and limited bacterial growth in the tank, and the new addition of the flowing water (mister), the water bowls are staying pretty clean on their own. I think they never get a chance to go down, because of the new water so they keep clean.

That tank looks and feels like a jungle...now only if balls were fromthe jungle, haha. I do have a Het Albino female coming from Vin Russo's acclaimed high contrast line, but I think she will be going in my rack sytem. The same with the high contrast albino male from Vin. Since they will be breeders, I want to make sure they will be regulated within +-.9 degrees F of their ideal temps. My lil thermostat will take care of that. Seymore is my family snake though, haha.

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Originally Posted by Brimstone111888

I am kind of shocked by this, considering it would almost take $20 worth of bedding to fill that thing, let alone you purchasing the tank and a thermostat. Are you running a thermostat ?

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And just a response: For me, I can get a 10 lb bag of aspen (the size of a super large dog food bag) for $16, this will last me probably a year with month to month and a half changes. Howeverm the rest of the cost comes from a large heat pad ($40+), 2+ heat lamps and light bulbs ($5 for each cone at Walmart or Home Depot, $10-$25 per bulb. I use non-light emitting bulbs for round the clock heat, 75w on the cool side and 150w on the hot. I then add a ceramic bulb, 150w, at a distance pointed at the side of the tank to add a little ambient heat). The the plexiglass ($8 at menards) to keep the heat and moisture in. Then the humidty...that's kind of expensive, even when built yourself. But oh well...So, after about $230+ in stuff, you can do it relativley easy (in the winter, summer should be a breeze.)

Then I also have a 4' fluorescent light thats on a 12 hour cycle (8am-8pm).

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Originally Posted by Brimstone111888

I am kind of shocked by this, considering it would almost take $20 worth of bedding to fill that thing, let alone you purchasing the tank and a thermostat. Are you running a thermostat ?

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http://www.reptiledepot.com/substrate.html

25 quart bag $12.99 and i use 1/2 a bag plus half a coconut husk brick that goes for $3.49

but yes i do use a thermostat but i also use a thermostat on my 20 the only things that i added to my 70 that i didnt have to on my 20 are 2 extra feet of flexwatt and piece of 1/8 inch plastic that i cut to cover the screened top of the cage thinking bout it now i only spent $10 extra there. clearly i had to buy the cage but i was talking bout the heating and humidity aspect of it all i only spent 10-15 more

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Originally Posted by Danegerous

For me, I can get a 10 lb bag of aspen (the size of a super large dog food bag) for $16, this will last me probably a year with month to month and a half changes. Howeverm the rest of the cost comes from a large heat pad ($40+), 2+ heat lamps and light bulbs ($5 for each cone at Walmart or Home Depot, $10-$25 per bulb. I use non-light emitting bulbs for round the clock heat, 75w on the cool side and 150w on the hot. I then add a ceramic bulb, 150w, at a distance pointed at the side of the tank to add a little ambient heat). The the plexiglass ($8 at menards) to keep the heat and moisture in. Then the humidty...that's kind of expensive, even when built yourself. But oh well...So, after about $230+ in stuff, you can do it relativley easy (in the winter, summer should be a breeze.)

Then I also have a 4' fluorescent light thats on a 12 hour cycle (8am-8pm).

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cover your sides with a heat refleting matter and switch to 11 inch flexwatt, im only running 3 feet sides covered top sealed i have a heat lamp but only turn it on when my humidity goes up a little higher than i wanted from over misting from time to time.

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Originally Posted by JoshJP7

If you live in the southern states its probably much easier to keep temps/humidity up in glass but I bet its not as easy as plastic tubs.

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im in south florida (Cant get more tropical and south than that) and its a BEAR trying to keep humidity up even in our bins... forget trying to do it in a glass enclosure!

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Originally Posted by 771subliminal

cover your sides with a heat refleting matter and switch to 11 inch flexwatt, im only running 3 feet sides covered top sealed i have a heat lamp but only turn it on when my humidity goes up a little higher than i wanted from over misting from time to time.

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wow, that's impressive. I wasn't trying to discredit you at all, I was just saying that's what I did. I was thinking about the reflective, but unfortunately I'm a little vain when it comes to the looks of the tank.

Here is my tank, the pics are kinda crappy since it just got done misting. But you get the idea.

http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/2825/tank1yv2.jpg
http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/9797/tank2xq0.jpg

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Originally Posted by Danegerous

wow, that's impressive. I wasn't trying to discredit you at all, I was just saying that's what I did. I was thinking about the reflective, but unfortunately I'm a little vain when it comes to the looks of the tank.

Here is my tank, the pics are kinda crappy since it just got done misting. But you get the idea

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didnt mean anything bad just tryin to help your electric bill my lights killed me i was dte's best friend b4