Hi,
Sadly I only have a little knowledge so please regard this as a stopgap post till the smarter people arrive.
Putting the tank near a window is not a good idea for a couple of reasons - the tank may overheat if it gets direct sunshine remarkably quickly. And the glass both in the tank and the window will more than likely filter out the uv anyway so it ends up being all risk with no benefit.
I would give uv and provide plenty of hiding spots where it can be gotten away from and let the lizard choose until you know for certain one way or another if it needs or wants it.
Making sure it can get away from it also might help protect its eyes as I seem to remember this can be a problem if nocturnal lizards are exposed to unrelenting uv light.
Can you strengthen the bookcase as water is remarkably heavy when used in large amounts?
Will this be a split base with a glass divider between the water and the land? I ask because those need filtration / (heating?) and a fair bit of planning as I'm sure you know to make sure the lizard can get in and out easily and safely without your entire substrate turning into mud.
Either way cleaning needs to be thought about from the very first step as it is a right pig to try and add later.
Belly heat does sound tricky but if the water is heated (does it need to be?) then ambients should be ok - could the heating come from a uth on either the back wall or a side wall with caves etc open on that side?
It depends on the style and wattage of the bulb I think on whether it can be placed on the mesh - I personally would leave at least an inch or two as a gap between bulb surface and mesh as long as that still allows the lizard to get close enough to get the benefit from the bulb if needed. (again that depends on the bulb and I don't know enough to be sure).
One more question - what do they eat? because water gets horrible very quickly once a few crickets commit suicide in it - and they seem determined to do so.
Have you read the Pillipe de vosjoli (sp) book (I think it's "the art of snake keeping" ) where he discusses naturalistic viviarium design? It might have some good info or ideas for you.
Do the people you are getting the lizard from have any info or tips - I take it you cannot find anyone on the net who has kept them long term? A breeder would be a godsend at this point really.
Hope some of this made sense - even if it covers a lot of the stuff you already know about.
dr del
Reply With Quote