Another glass tank set-up pictorial...

I was doing my monthly clean-up of the vivs, I decided to take step-by-step photos in case anybody is interested. I have to say, I only have a cell phone camera, so the pictures aren't the greatest.

1.) Tank: I'm using a 20-Long Zilla Reptile glass tank.
http://i314.photobucket.com/albums/l...ivsetting1.jpg

2.) Cleaner: I use Natural Chemistry Healthy Habitat cleaner spray and paper towels to clean the viv and everything I put inside.
http://i314.photobucket.com/albums/l...ivsetting2.jpg

3.) Heating Element: I use ZooMed Under-Tank Heater on the underside of the tank (outside glass). It comes with 4 stick-on "risers" that stick to the corners of the tank to elevate the tank about 1/4 inch to provide airflow. In this set-up, I went ahead and used the sticky that came with the heater. Usually, though, I leave the paper backing on the sticky side of the heater and tape the heater to the glass using aluminum tape. That way, if I need to upgrade the tank, or if the tank cracks, I can move the heater to another tank. It is quite difficult to remove the sticky once it is glued on.
http://i314.photobucket.com/albums/l...ivsetting3.jpg

4.) Thermostat: I control the heat output of the heater using a Reptitemp 500R thermostat. I stick the probe right on top of the heater (outside glass) using aluminum tape. This guarantees that the probe is always on the heat source and not getting knocked about by the snake.
http://i314.photobucket.com/albums/l...ivsetting4.jpg

5.) Insulation: I use cork background on the back of the tank. This particular viv uses ZooMed Cork Tiles. The cork provides insulation as well as privacy. Usually, people put cork on 3 sides of the tank, but this one I only used cork on 1 side because my room temperature is 80F. I stick the background to the glass using velcro so it is easy to remove for viv clean-up.
http://i314.photobucket.com/albums/l...ivsetting6.jpg

6.) Thermometer, Hygrometer, and Hides: I use "AccuRite indoor/outdoor thermometer with probe and hygrometer" to monitor the temps and humidity in the tank. I use ZooMed Reptishelter for hides. I like the reptishelter because it has a floor. It gives me added assurance that the snake cannot burrow directly onto the heater.
http://i314.photobucket.com/albums/l...ivsetting7.jpg

7.) Hot side thermometer probe: I stick the Accu-Rite probe on the floor of the hot-side hide using aluminum tape. Aluminum tape is not very sticky, therefore, if it ends up on your snake, it is easy to remove. Another option is painter's tape. Although, I haven't had one stick on my snakes yet. The hide is placed right on top of the heater.
http://i314.photobucket.com/albums/l...ivsetting8.jpg

8.) Water bowl: I use ZooMed ReptiRock water bowl for a reason. I found that it provides faster evaporation of the water than the Exo-Terra Water Dish, giving me added humidity. I use a water bowl big enough for the snake to soak in. Depending on room humidity, I place the water bowl near the heater (increases humidity) or away from the heater. Right now, I needed it to be placed half on top of the heater. I also add some decor to "clutter up" the place - the log that goes over the waterbowl offers a little sense of "protection" when the snake goes for a drink. If you notice, I put all these before I add the substrate. I noticed that the snake will sometimes dig under the substrate to curl underneath the waterbowl and end up right on top of the heater. So, everything on the hot side gets put under the substrate.
http://i314.photobucket.com/albums/l...ivsetting9.jpg

9.) Substrate: I use Kaytee Multi-Purpose Aspen Bedding as a substrate. Kaytee makes bedding specifically for snakes which is better than the multi-purpose one (much finer and softer). I breed my own rats, so I use multi-purpose bedding to use for the rats as well. I put the substrate about 1 to 2 inches thick. I also put substrate inside the hide to cover the probe. Note that I put the cool-side hide on top of the substrate. This is to add more distance between the heater and the hide.
http://i314.photobucket.com/albums/l...vsetting10.jpg
http://i314.photobucket.com/albums/l...vsetting11.jpg

10.) Decor: I add fake plants and sturdy fake flowers to pretty up the viv and to make the snake feel more secure.
http://i314.photobucket.com/albums/l...vsetting12.jpg

11.) Heat lamps: During the cold months, my house temperature is set at 72. So, I use ceramic heat lamps to raise the ambient temperature in the tank. I use Day Glo and Night Glo 60W bulbs. The heat lamp is dimmable (to adjust heat output) and are controlled by a day timer and a night timer.
http://i314.photobucket.com/albums/l...vsetting13.jpg

12.) Humidity control: When a heat lamp is in use, the humidity drops significantly. To counter the drop in humidity, I cover 3/4 of the screened top using aluminum foil taped to a vinyl mat.
http://i314.photobucket.com/albums/l...vsetting15.jpg
http://i314.photobucket.com/albums/l...vsetting18.jpg

That's the easy part. The hard part is playing with the thermostat/dimmers to get the hot-side temp at 90-95 and the ambient temp at 80-85 and keeping the humidity between 50-60%! You'll need to get all that stabilized before putting the snake in the tank.

13.) Snake: And here's the snake in the viv. This is just temporary, just for the pictures. The viv is not plugged in yet right now and, if you notice, the viv is still infront of the fireplace on top of the futon. I'm moving the viv to its permanent place in my office, get it all plugged and stabilized and then put the snake back.
http://i314.photobucket.com/albums/l...vsetting14.jpg

14.) Lock: And last but not least, lock the lid to prevent unauthorized access of the snakes from visitors and the kids' friends.
http://i314.photobucket.com/albums/l...vsetting17.jpg

And that's how I have my vivs set-up. Thanks for reading!

For a noob at snakes....I like this article and I will bookmark it for when I get my setup haha.

Very nice and A good read!
Mike.

I think it is should be sticky...I could have used that a year and half ago when I was a noob in setting up my tank. Endless of errors and frustration.

Very nice job! :gj:

IMO you can put the snake back even when the cage is not at optimal levels yet... an hour or two isn't gonna hurt anything.

Nice tutorial though, one of the best I've seen for glass tanks ;)

I just realized I used the wrong picture on #6. This is the correct pic:
http://i314.photobucket.com/albums/l...ivsetting7.jpg

Can a Mod update the original post?

Thanks for the kind words guys!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DutchHerp

IMO you can put the snake back even when the cage is not at optimal levels yet... an hour or two isn't gonna hurt anything.

Nice tutorial though, one of the best I've seen for glass tanks ;)

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i agree mostly if you wait you have a chance to make sure its not gonna get too hot either. with a zoomed you dont know the temp its gonna shut off at till it shuts off.

Hi,

Replaced the pic for you. :)


dr del

very good set up. Perfect for those who want the aquarium look.

Justin

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 771subliminal

i agree mostly if you wait you have a chance to make sure its not gonna get too hot either. with a zoomed you dont know the temp its gonna shut off at till it shuts off.

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ITA with this one. My zoo med gets to 124 uncontrolled!

I think the only thing I would change is the location of the accurite and the probe. The probe placement makes sense for the kind of hides you are using but I am sure the acutal temp of the tank under the substrate and hide is much higher, if they snake ever happened to go there...yeah

Also I would move the whole accurite unit farther to the cool side and closer to the ground.

Just my 2 cents! Great viv setup and I agree, sticky!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

I think the only thing I would change is the location of the accurite and the probe. The probe placement makes sense for the kind of hides you are using but I am sure the acutal temp of the tank under the substrate and hide is much higher, if they snake ever happened to go there...yeah

Also I would move the whole accurite unit farther to the cool side and closer to the ground.

Just my 2 cents! Great viv setup and I agree, sticky!

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You are absolutely right Kaorte! I'm not using the lamps right now because it is already warm here in Florida. So, yeah, when the lamps are in use, the accu-rite needs to be moved closer to the cool spot. Good catch!

Nice writeup. I'm in the process of re-doing my tank setups, similar but still a little different. I'll have to post it too :)

Everything looks great, but except for the taped probe inside the hide. I don't suggest anyone to use tape inside a snake cage. I have seen skin ripped off the snake with pices of tape inside the cages. :colbert:

Nice Job! I would however move the cork board to the OUTSIDE of the enclosure. As insulation it will work just as well on the outside of the tank.

I like to avoid anything porous inside the tank. Just my .02

I like it. Basically the same way I keep my 08 BP, minus the lamps, I used a 75 wat blue light in the winter, but now just the heat pad. I agree about the tape though, inside the cage that is an accident waiting to happen. Otherwise looks great.:gj:

Looks great! The beautiful thing about stickies is, you can make any changes you want, as long as the basic principles are established. I think you did a good job. Thanks!

Painter's tape doesn't really "stick". It is mainly used to mask walls that you don't want to paint and designed to peel off easily after the job is done. I found that it can hold something in place like a probe and still be easy to remove on cleaning day. And I found it is easy to remove off a snake as well, especially since it would have had peeled off of the bottom of the hide before it gets on the snake further reducing its "stickiness".

Very good thread. Those of us that only have one or two BPs are generally gonna have the tank in the general living area of the home so being able to make it look a little more terrarium like is a great thing. Thanks for posting this. Ours is set up very similar but without as much inside the tank.

This is great.

As someone who will eventually move my snake into a larger tank, this is an awesome setup and example for me to follow!

:thumbsup: