Rachael3633
New Member
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2022
- Messages
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- Reaction score
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Hi There,
I am very new to reptile keeping - so new I don't even own one now! We are planning to get a bearded dragon to come and live with us in a big tank we have inherited. I'm super new to that and am readin loads to be a good Lizard parent!
I am an experienced plant grower however, and have a passion for growing native aussie plants - I live 5 hours inland in Oz so although we're not central I do have good experience of what arid looks like!
I therefore want to create a native arid vivarium - I've been reading everything I can online but there isn't loads of info, so I'd love any advice people have about my plans, and I'd love to post and document how it goes
Here are my plans and my questions:
Tank Large Exo Terra 90x45x45 - front opening doors and ventilation built in
Set up equipment:
Mesh roof
Heat halogen lamp
UVB lamp
Led strip grow light (will this be OK for Lizard? - it's mainly for plants...)
2 strip thermometers
Humidity measurer
Furniture:
Possibly a back wall that has climbing areas
A cave to hide in
Logs, rocks, paperbark, banksia seeds, etc. have all these in my garden - planning boil or light bleach to clean
Do I need to be very careful with this cleaning or is it not a huge deal?
I'm planning this set-up as soil:
Charcoal on bottom (I do this on plant based indoor things as a cleaner - any reason I can't do this with a Lizard?); Substrate of 2 parts play sand; 1 part indoor topsoil (indoor is treated for bugs); 1 part coco fibre, 5 inches deep
Layer of Australian desert sand for top
I have no idea what Lizards will do to soil will they dig loads?! It's not really a big problem if they do I guess
I'm planning to add these insects to the substrate as little cleaner uppers:
Powdery orange isopods
Superworms - I know lizards eat these, but I saw someone put them in well under soil and suggest that then they can hide and Lizard just finds one as a snack occasionally
Arid Springtails - I'm hoping I might not need these? They seem hard to get, and in the dryer tank mould wise are maybe not needed?
Plants - ruby red salt bush (Enchylaena tomentosa), old man salt bush (Atriplex nummularia), pigface (carprobrotus), Cynanchum viminale (Aus native succulent), native leek (bulbine bulbosa), yam daisy/murnong (Microseris lanceolata)
I have all these plants, they propagate well, and they grow well in arid conditions. They might need watering about once a month - I am hoping to water right down into the substrate to try and avoid causing rises in humidity in the tank, using a tube pushed down to the bottom of the tank - sand layer in top hopefully makes a good barrier. I'm not sure if these plants will respirate a lot though so I think that could be a concern.
The bigger concern with the plants is whether the bearded dragon will eat them - they are all edible to humans, and are pretty tasty - Australian native succulents don't tend to be spiky, so I'm worried the Lizard will eat all the plants!! Do people think that's unlikely or inevitable?!
I've read very little on arid vivariums and there is no inro at all on arid native aussie plants so any thoughts would be very appreciated thanks!
Rachel
I am very new to reptile keeping - so new I don't even own one now! We are planning to get a bearded dragon to come and live with us in a big tank we have inherited. I'm super new to that and am readin loads to be a good Lizard parent!
I am an experienced plant grower however, and have a passion for growing native aussie plants - I live 5 hours inland in Oz so although we're not central I do have good experience of what arid looks like!
I therefore want to create a native arid vivarium - I've been reading everything I can online but there isn't loads of info, so I'd love any advice people have about my plans, and I'd love to post and document how it goes
Here are my plans and my questions:
Tank Large Exo Terra 90x45x45 - front opening doors and ventilation built in
Set up equipment:
Mesh roof
Heat halogen lamp
UVB lamp
Led strip grow light (will this be OK for Lizard? - it's mainly for plants...)
2 strip thermometers
Humidity measurer
Furniture:
Possibly a back wall that has climbing areas
A cave to hide in
Logs, rocks, paperbark, banksia seeds, etc. have all these in my garden - planning boil or light bleach to clean
Do I need to be very careful with this cleaning or is it not a huge deal?
I'm planning this set-up as soil:
Charcoal on bottom (I do this on plant based indoor things as a cleaner - any reason I can't do this with a Lizard?); Substrate of 2 parts play sand; 1 part indoor topsoil (indoor is treated for bugs); 1 part coco fibre, 5 inches deep
Layer of Australian desert sand for top
I have no idea what Lizards will do to soil will they dig loads?! It's not really a big problem if they do I guess
I'm planning to add these insects to the substrate as little cleaner uppers:
Powdery orange isopods
Superworms - I know lizards eat these, but I saw someone put them in well under soil and suggest that then they can hide and Lizard just finds one as a snack occasionally
Arid Springtails - I'm hoping I might not need these? They seem hard to get, and in the dryer tank mould wise are maybe not needed?
Plants - ruby red salt bush (Enchylaena tomentosa), old man salt bush (Atriplex nummularia), pigface (carprobrotus), Cynanchum viminale (Aus native succulent), native leek (bulbine bulbosa), yam daisy/murnong (Microseris lanceolata)
I have all these plants, they propagate well, and they grow well in arid conditions. They might need watering about once a month - I am hoping to water right down into the substrate to try and avoid causing rises in humidity in the tank, using a tube pushed down to the bottom of the tank - sand layer in top hopefully makes a good barrier. I'm not sure if these plants will respirate a lot though so I think that could be a concern.
The bigger concern with the plants is whether the bearded dragon will eat them - they are all edible to humans, and are pretty tasty - Australian native succulents don't tend to be spiky, so I'm worried the Lizard will eat all the plants!! Do people think that's unlikely or inevitable?!
I've read very little on arid vivariums and there is no inro at all on arid native aussie plants so any thoughts would be very appreciated thanks!
Rachel