FBT Vivarium Preparations

[synikalspinstress]

I ordered a 60w CHE with a thermostat and lamp. My tank is at about 61*F today, so, figured it was for the best. Poor dudes. It'll be here Tuesday.

Now I just have to figure out when these guys will want to start eating. Probably when the temperature increases.

[monster]

From the pictures you put up if you didn't get the thermostat the 60 would have more then likely been to much judging by the distance from the lid to the ground, but with a thermostat you should be ok. And one more thing, make sure the dome you got has a ceramic fixture for the bulb to screw into and not plastic or something else. Ceramic heat emitters get pretty hot and it will melt plastic. I suggest you get a stand in the future that you can suspend the dome from, with it sitting right on top of the metal lid it is going to make the lid around the dome pretty hot and the dome itself will be hot so you don't want to have to pick it up every time you want to get inside. Wouldn't want you to burn yourself.

[synikalspinstress]

I... never considered how hot the lamp would get. Luckily, my lamps (both) have ceramic fixtures, so I'm good there. But a stand is most definitely in my future. Me and hot things do not get along at all.

[synikalspinstress]

Instead of making a new thread, I figured I'd just use this one instead. Because it's basically the same stuff as before. Except this time I'm gonna do it right!

SO.

I'm getting rid of my old tank and getting something that's water-proof. Whether that's a Sterilite/Rubbermaid bin or an actual aquarium (cuz Petco's still got a dollar-per-gallon sale going) , it doesn't matter. I hate my tank, my dudes hate the tank, the crickets hate the tank. We're all done with it. We're gonna reverse the whole thing.

And that's the question, I guess. Could I literally reverse it? Fill up what is currently my water pond with substrate/false bottom/plant life/springtails, and have the rest be water? I see people using, like, glass or plexiglass separators to divide between land and water, and I was just wondering if there was a reason people didn't do this? Aesthetics? Because, honestly, anything is a step up from seeing as much eggcrate as I do.

Any tips on having a mostly-water paludarium? And, in the case I do get a plastic bin instead of an aquarium, any suggestions on that? Me and my little dudes appreciate it.

[daybr4ke]

Hi! I'm sorry your current design isn't working out. I'd leave them in the tank as-is for now, so you can take your time working on their new living arrangements(unless you end up going with the reversing idea). If you go with the glass tank at the $ a gallon sale you could get a 40g for around 40-50$ depending on tax and stuff. The $/gallon sale is a great way to get a good glass tank. You can also troll craigslist, like I have in the past.
Sterilite bin-wise you can get a 90qt(around 22g) at target, but I've seen bigger, at Wal-Mart or Home Depot, 120qt.
I should have included this much earlier in the process last time, but select your plants early. Before adding them to the tank they should be rinsed off and should have the dirt mix soaked and/or rinsed off the root. This removes any possibly toxic chemical residue on the leaves or in the soil. I'll try to think of more stuff and add it tomorrow.
Also, thank you. I wasnt sure petco still did $ a gallon sales, so when one happens later I'll probably pick up a 40g sometime myself.

[synikalspinstress]

Yeah, they're gonna be staying in their current set up for a few more days, at least. The problem is they're getting between the large water dish and the glass, and getting them out involves draining the whole tub and then hoping a few stray pebbles don't crush them as I lift the tub out. Which I had to do again, today. So, there is a bit of haste in this. Thankfully, getting a basic set up for the paludarium won't be too difficult--fill with water, provide dry space.

AS I'M WRITING THIS ONE OF THEM ALMOST GOT STUCK AGAIN C'MON DUDES MY HEART

Panicked fire belly toad squeaking why Streak why

SO YEAH gotta do something ASAP.