Please look over a newbie's checklist!

[TheKingInYellow]

My wife and I are pretty die-hard animal lovers and through a bit of trouble with my 29g planted aquarium, I happen to have two of these tanks (30" L x 12" W x 18" T) available that I do not trust to hold water. My wife has already claimed one for a Crested Gecko that we will be getting in about three weeks, and once that terrarium is settled I would like to get a Ball Python for the other one.

I've been doing a lot of reading, and I consider myself a conscientious pet owner so I'd like to get a some opinions form more experienced herp owners to ensure I'm not making any missteps.

I have already:

29g Aquarium
Zilla Wire Mesh Top w/ 8 clips

I'm planning on purchasing:

Under tank heater - 8" x 8" or 8" x 12"
CHE bulb/lamp
2 identical hides
Large water dish
2 digital thermomter/hygrometer combos

For decorations (I greatly prefer the natural look) I was going to make a background out of polystyrene foam coated with sand, painted and sealed with a hard matte sealer, a substrate of repti-bark or coconut fibre over a repti-carpet base, and a combination of driftwood and plastic plants.

The terrarium will be in my basement which does have a very low average temperature, so I don't want to undersize my heating pads or CHE.

Does this sound like a good start? Anything else I need to consider?

Thanks!

[Argentra]

Sounds nice. Just a few suggestions:

Loose the repticarpet!! DO NOT use that stuff as it is torture to clean and harbors bacteria like nothing else. Instead, use a layer of newspaper/newsprint under your substrate layer. Much easier to clean and cheaper.

Be sure to get a thermostat to control your UTH! It can be anything from the $30 ReptiTemp from ZooMed to a $110+ Herpstat, but make sure you have your heat sources controlled.

I would recommend staying away from a CHE if you can help it and instead using a second UTH if needed for the cool side and a regular bulb of 50watts or less for ambient. CHE's really drain the humidity of any enclosure.

That background sounds awesome, but make sure you also cover the two sides as well as the back for security.

I think that's about it. Otherwise it sounds good. I'm sure others will add anything I forgot.

[TheKingInYellow]

Sounds good, the carpet is out then. I was going to cover three sides with the styrofoam as well, it should almost look like a creivce or gully when it's done. In theory anyhow.

The thermostat is no trouble, I meant to include it in the list. So should I get two UTHs, two thermostats, a double-duty daylight and basking bulb, and a nighttime bulb then? Is that sufficient for a room that hovers at the mid-to-low 60s?

[beardieguy]

you dont really need a day and night bulb with a bp if there is a decent amount of ambient light during the day.i use a black bulb all day and the day night cycle from my bearded dragons tank lights the room enough for my bp during the day

[TheKingInYellow]

I do need a basking bulb though, so won't that double as a day bulb anyhow?

As for ambient light, there will be a TON. This tank will be about eight to ten feet away from my Reef when it is set up. That tank is pumping out over 650w of T5HO lighting...

None of that light will be direct, as the reflectors do a good job of pointing it all downwards, but it will light up the room pretty well.

[beardieguy]

yea i just meant you dont need a regular white bulb and a night bulb you could just use a black bulb all day

[TheKingInYellow]

yea i just meant you dont need a regular white bulb and a night bulb you could just use a black bulb all day

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by 'black bulb'?

[Mr. Constrictor]

ditch the CHE. also cover 1/2 to 3/4 on the screen top tp hold in humidity.

[Schlyne]

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by 'black bulb'?

A blacklight bulb.

[Argentra]

You could also use a moonlight bulb. They don't make the whole room glow purple like blacklight bulbs do.

With room temps that low, I would certainly get two UTHs and two t-stats, and add a lamp over the center for ambient. Since my home is also rather cool, I use a day and night lamp for my tanks to keep up the ambient. My bulbs are only 25watt, though, so not a great deal of light and only just enough heat.

Basking bulb? BPs spend most of their time inside their hides, so their 'basking area' is their warm hide. Hence the use of UTHs. Even when they get out and about, they explore a bit then return to a hide. If you use lamps at all, it should only be low watt to boost ambient air temps in the tank, since you apparently don't need extra lighting. P.S. I'd really like to see some pix of that Reef setup! I love a good aquatic tank...