The finished tank
Close-up of the tank
Cricket blast marks
This was the really fun part. After pouring in about half the sand, I started arranging all the elements of Trogdor's world. The tank needs to have a hot side and a cooler side. It must be lit with a full-spectrum UVB light, and heated with a heat lamp. The UVB allows Trogdor to manufacture vitamin D3. I'm using a Repti-Glow 8.0, which spans the entire length of the tank.
The idea is to try to simulate natural day and night conditions, so Trogdor will know when to sleep and when to play, hunt crickets, and poo. I keep the UV light on fourteen hours each day, from 6am to 8pm. I use a timer so I don't have to worry about forgetting to turn it on and off.
For the heat lamp, I decided to go with a red bulb rather than a white bulb. This way, I can leave the heat lamp on 24 hours a day. He doesn't notice the red light so when the UV light goes out, he still thinks it's sleepy time, but the red bulb allows me to see him. He sleeps much like a dog sleeps, by the way; sometimes all sprawled out and sometimes all curled up.
I placed a large basking log on the heated side of the tank, which angles upward (closer to the heat lamp) so Trogdor can easily find a spot where he's thermally content. I then placed a large climbing branch in the middle of the tank, which sits half on the heated side and half on the cool side. In front of the branch, next to a large basking rock, is his food dish.
On the cool side, I placed his water dish and some imitation ficus leaves in the corner, which drape over and around the water dish at the bottom. I put some stepping stones in the dish and filled it with about a quarter inch of water. Any more than that and he could drown. He's very small.
I finished off the interior with a few well-placed rocks, poured in the rest of the sand and spread it around. At this point, the tank was ready to go. I stood back to admire my work and then realized I forgot to put the terrarium imagery across the back of the tank. Thank god I put those castors on the stand before setting it up. I wheeled the tank away from the wall, cut the picture sheet to fit, and taped it on. It looks great. During the fitting process, I sliced my finger open with the utility blade.
After checking the temperature of the tank to make sure it was in the 90-degree range, I was off to pick up Trogdor.
The finished tank |
Close-up of the tank |
Cricket blast marks |