Housing adult beardies...

I have been shopping around for a large tank for the girls when they get a little bit bigger. I have been looking at both 55gal and 75gal (i know 75 is better which is why im looking at both currently) my question is...
*do you get a screen top for these or the hoods that actually go to the tanks?
*do you moniter temps the same way (with probe, exc)
*do you use long bulbs instead of dome bulbs and just put them in the lid? *how do you keep hot side on just one side?
*how difficult is it to clean? (i assume they are HEAVY)
*do you ever have difficulty reaching in to take them out? (im going to need a chair if we get it on the stand i want)

I obviously want to do it right the first time and as i said have already started shopping around...

I went to the petstore tonight where I used to work (like 8yrs ago lol) and they had the nicest beardie girl, you could tell she would be really vibrant if she had the lighting she deserved, she was fairly large.. the store manager said shes been there forever and just seems sad. i could tell she was sad!!! she didnt have the heat lights or anything, and when i asked why they didnt try to better acomidate her she jsut said cause they cant?! :mad: they just dont do it! she had adult beardie pebble food (no crickets) and lettuce, mind you there was a book right beside her cage for bearded dragons! AND they wanted $269?! for her... the whole thing really made me really sad :( i wish i could save them all

i dont know if youre talking about a fish tank hood but you should for sure go with a screen lid so that you can place the UV bulb and heat bulb on top with no problems. the UV bulb is the long bulb and the heat bulb will go in the dome fixture. they now make compact UV bulb(spiral ones) that can be placed in the dome fixture but i would prefer using the long one for bigger or longer tanks. they need a hot side and cold side just like other reptiles and you can monitor the temps the same way as other reptiles using a digital thermometer. one on the hot side and one on the cold side works best. actually lifting the tank to clean it in a big sink or bathtub is going to be hard you may need another person to help you carry it but beardies arent that dirty and you really would need to clean is their waste. depending on what substrate you are using the cleaning methods will differ but if youre going to use sand then get a good sand sifter. one thing i can suggest to you is get a stand that will allow you to access the tank without standing on a chair. from my own experience, it gets really annoying if you always have to stand up on something to get in the tank to clean, feed or water changes or even just picking up the animal and putting it back.

and yes pet stores are ridiculous.

goodluck!

I have known a few people that have had beardies and such in really large tanks and to get around the height issue of a 55+ gal on a regular aquarium stand they have used coffee tables and such as a stand instead. Or they have built their own. I think you'll find that it is going to be much more inconvenient if you are always standing on a chair (etc.) just to get them out, cleaning, and such. And you could find fairly nice and inexpensive coffee tables (as well as 55+ gal aquariums) on Craigslist. Just to throw a thought out there!!:):)

Have you looked into reptile-specific caging? A lot of those cages open from the front, so that if you do have it on a stand, it's much easier to get into them. I think you'd be able to find ones specifically for beardies with lots of floor space and less up-and-down space, since it's the floor space they really need (as far as what I've read about them goes). A lot of those reptile-specific cages come with lighting/head already installed, or have different options :) Good for you for looking into this before having two big lizards on your hands!

do you happen to have a website to refrance? or do i check with local reptile/exotic shops? (my guess is they would be very pricey) right now were looking at about $250 for a tank and stand which we can do no problem...

http://www.customcages.com/index.cfm...il&productid=2

Would this be ideal? Its a bit more than what we *wanted* to spend especially considering it doesnt come with a stand but we might consider it if we cant find something else...obviously we would want to get a stand too and the tanks we have been looking at include tank and stand but not as *nice* and pro looking as this... i know we *could* make our own but im simply not that skilled

Is NARBC around your area at all. Chris and I were very tempted in buying a few cages from there. I think it was custom cages, I'm not quite sure the maker, but they had them there for 1/2 off! These were outstanding cages, made of pvc, with front doors, helix control, and just some really freakin cool scenes.

If you cant spend that much, I think it might be more conveinant to make your own cage if you have the supplies and tools. I just dont see a huge glass aquarium being very easy to maintain. For us, it was either a nice custom cage, or building our own. I lean more towards building your own, because you have complete control how how big and fancy you want it to be. You can buy acrylic for the front side doors, and use wood or ... melamine I believe for the sides. I think there are plans on the bearded forums that I saw, some very cool setups. Hope that helps ya. ;)

I have a 3x2x2 tank right now with no problems with heat. I use a Mercury Vapor Bulb (T-Rex Active) on the warm side, which provides both heat and UV rays. On the cooler side I have a energy saving bulb for light and I don't need anything for heat. If you go with a strip light (ReptiSun 10.0), you will need an additional heat source, which is why I prefer the MVB. I don't have a screen-- I use clamps to position the bulbs.

I monitored my temps with a probe on each side, and now I use a temp gun.

Not that hard to clean. I wipe up poop asap, vaccum it out every few weeks, and wipe down the sides when they look really smudged.

I don't have problems getting Bebe out, BUT I'm 6' tall and our tank is only 18 inches off the ground. When we upgrade, I'll get the 4x2x2 tank with sliding doors. $200 here- http://www.glasscages.com/?sAction=ViewCat&lCatID=6 Shipping is high, but its not bad if you can meet them at a show or pick-up.

were in south florida.. pooey! there is another expo coming on nov 10 i think and we did plan to attend. perhaps there is a builder going to be there (guess its time to contact the show anyway and get vender names in case we want to buy something) i will run the idea by my husband and see if perhaps him and his buddy could make it..

I listed an add on craigslist stating what we were looking for (like aleeshas cages) and already had someone email me regarding a cage he made.. i have since sent him back an email asking if he would be willing to make one and i would pay him for supplies and cost of labor, just asking what his price would be to do it and if hes even willing to do so.

this is the email i got from him... it did come with a couple pics too

Quote:

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Hi,
I just finished building this enclosure for my 100% citrus beardie. It is 48LX24Wx20H, made out of 3/4” thk. melamine,

with sliding plexi doors. I am using an all-in-one bulb (UVB + Heat) with the fixture sitting on the screen at the top.

I had to special order the aluminum track for the sliding doors, but it works great.
Is this kinda what you are looking for?

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does that sound big enough??
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2078/...b971094577.jpg
does that sound right?

if this sounds good to the rest of you.. i hope i get a reponse.. the guy has agreed to sell me *this* one and build a new one for himself. i had offered to pay him half up front for supplies, exc and the other half when he was done and he suggested i just buy this one off him instead. the girls are still too young to move into something this big and we probally couldnt flip a $275 unnessesary item right now (We were thinking a month or so) i did let him know we could most likely get him money in about 3 weeks and im waiting to hear back from him. he didnt say exactly what he wanted for it but showed me a link to one that was similar for $275 and said he would sell me his for a little cheaper.. im thinking more like $200 since according to aleeshas website the supplies are only about $50.00... he is still making a hell of a profit off the cage considering hes selling me only the cage. I would still need to go up and take a look at it too though and make sure its big enough, not scratched, exc.

so thoughts?

ok, he has made an offer of $250.00 for that exact enclosure with ramp & platform included. I have requested he also include the carpet and basking rocks pictured. We will see where that gets me. I was expecting at least $200.00 for this enclosure anyway and this way I wont have to pay shipping and it has the frontal openings. He did offer to deliver it directly to my house too :gj: Ill let you know what happens.

Whats that website for the all in one bulb again? He is not including that and given the image the space isnt much bigger than the size of one lamp.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AshleyB

ok, he has made an offer of $250.00 for that exact enclosure with ramp & platform included. I have requested he also include the carpet and basking rocks pictured. We will see where that gets me. I was expecting at least $200.00 for this enclosure anyway and this way I wont have to pay shipping and it has the frontal openings. He did offer to deliver it directly to my house too :gj: Ill let you know what happens.

Whats that website for the all in one bulb again? He is not including that and given the image the space isnt much bigger than the size of one lamp.

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I have this one: http://www.reptilesupply.com/product...roducts_id=435
Mega Ray MVB are also highly recommended: http://www.reptileuv.com/megaray-sb-...d-uvb-lamp.php

thank you christine.. although this deal has fallen through :rolleyes: back to the drawing board

I was able to find not only a 55gal tank BUT a stand to go with it!:banana: