Well, I'm currently revamping a 100ga fishtank into a terrarium for my water dragon Sal. I am unsure of a few things, but most importantly, i'm going to have a water fall (custom built) into 8 inches of water (Sal's swimming area) and I was wondering, can I use a fitlered sytem, or do I just use a water pump and do water changes? I want to keep fish in the water as well but cannot unless I use a filter system. (well i could keep Billy my Beta in there). also, I'm customizing this using plexi-glass, does anyone know of a good and SAFE aquarium glue to use? I will post pictures soon.

yes you can use a filter system and i would encourage it. Warning, your dragon will eat the fish! not to mention your dragon will poop in the water. Therefore I wouldn't keep fish in it. how much land to water ratio are you planning? I would suggest no more than a 50-50 split.

Sillicone II is nontoxic and can be used. Also, any decent fish store will sell aquarium sealant.

__________________
My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.

Hello,

The first thing I want to mention is "take pictures!". lol our experience, documented with pictures, could help someone else create something similar.

If you intend on keeping fish in the water, there will need to be places for them to hide where they wont be accessible by the dragon. As stated, your water dragon, given the chance, will eat them.

Even without the fish, I would suggest using a filter. It helps keep the water moving and will help keep it clean as the dragon uses it too. This will help reduce the frequency of water changes, and the moving water will help keep the humidity up.

You can buy aquarium sealant at Petco and Home Depot. I know both places carry it for 100% certain. (At least here they do. )

__________________
.:: Rich ::.

+ Spread The Info

Definitely go with water filtration as Liz said. It won't eliminate water changes but will greatly reduce the need to do so. Unfortunately silicone will not hold the plexiglass together. You need a glue for that. One which I've never found. It needs to be non-toxic under water. I'm sure there are some because some aquariums are plexi.

__________________
Mike
"Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you."

I don't believe he is building the entire thing from plexi, but rather using plexi to split the tank as Liz has done for her PDF enclosure. In the later case, aquarium silicone should work fine as it will be adhered directly to the glass on both sides.

This is Liz's newest enclosure:



The slope design is a very good one (easy exit and added stability using the ramps). Aquarium silicone applied to roughed plexi will hold with no issues.

I would suggest a liquid weld, used for arcylics, if it were a unit being built.

__________________
.:: Rich ::.

+ Spread The Info

well, we will see if mine holds. I did use silicone. Its a glass tank with plexi on the inside. I tried picking it off and it seemed to hold quite well. We will see over time. If I have to yank it all apart at some time, so be it and it will be a learning experience! LOL

And for your water filtration, get a much larger filter than you have water. For instance, if you have 10 gallons of water, go for AT LEAST a 20 gallon filter since you will be filtering poop, and way more poop than fish produce. The pump won't really have more pressure, you will just have a bigger filter.

I will suggest this brand of filter. I have had EXCELLENT results with it in my fishtanks and very happy fish. I"m trying to see how i can retrofit the filters from this product into my current setup for my FBTs. It has a very big holding area for water, so I think I can manange.

__________________
My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.

Well I bought a filter, and I decided the easiest way to hide it was get a canister filter.

JEBO Aquarium - Aquarium Canister Filter 3 ply 835

There is the link. It might be excessive, but it has flow control valves. Woot i say!

Okay let me explain my 12 year old nephews drawing. I have no artistic ability so I asked him to get onto paint and draw what i say.

The thin water "river" (substrate Pebbles) in front is six inches deep while the pool area(sibstrate Sand) on the left lower is eight inches. of course that is the waterfall flowing over the cliff to add to humidity and presentation. the waterfall/cliff, created by CLUELESS! is sixteen inches tall. waterfall is eight inches. the upper pool area (substrate Pebbles) is two inches deep. The lime green area represents terrarium carpet, my hope is it will cut back on the amount of substrate going into the water with Sal, while the dark green will be Eco Earth Compressed Coconut Fiber topped with Beaked Moss and Douglas Fir Bark. Climbing limbs will be available. I am converting the canopy into an upper area for him, with two basking areas available and climing vines. it will be screened in. The river/pond area will have mini tetras at first, until i see how everything interacts. Finally the two red circles are the inlet(waterfall) and outlet(river) for the Jebo Canister filter... both will have pvc drains leading to shutoff valves so i can disconnect my filter for service and or drain my entire tank. Questions? I can't wait to get started, as soon as my pump arrives I will see exactly what i need and boom.

Pebbles - Shallow Creek Pebble 25 lbs
Sand - Onyx Sand 7kg (15.4 lbs)
Carpet - Terrarium Carpets for Reptiles: Turtle Turf and Repti Cage Carpet at Drs. Foster and Smith
Eco Earth - Zoo Med® Eco Earth Coconut Fiber Substrate 3 pk #EE-20
Beaked Moss - 10 Quart Beaked Moss Reptile Litter
Douglas Fir Bark - 10 Quart Douglas Fir Reptile Litter

Attached Images

saltank.jpg (8.2 KB, 12 views)

love the MS paint.

Looking good. Be sure to use true aquarium sealant to separate land from water if you are dividing. I made a BAAAAD mistake and didn't and had to tear my enclosure apart and reseal.

__________________
My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.

Looking forward to the updates. It's going to be a great project.

__________________
Mike
"Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you."

To build the waterfall. I'm stumped. Zoopoxy? West Systems Epoxy? Plexiglass/Foam?! I was thinking of getting Zoopoxy and not using ANY plexiglass to separate water from land. just using Zoopoxy to create a natural looking rock wall. My only question is, am I going to have to paint this sucker? I can't paint worth woohoo. Suggestions PLEASE?!!!!