55 Gallon Aquarium Conversion

[ArowanaLover1902]

The aquarium, soon to be terrarium, will be used primary for the purpose of growing nepenthes and a few orchids, as well as several decorative plants, but I also intend on housing a chameleon (I've yet to determine what type, I'd love a large pygmy, but have been able to find any pygmies for sale, the chameleon can't be too big or he requires too much room and will knock down some plants, too small, and he will make a snack for the pitchers). I intend on putting some level of 3-D background or even just a mountain of the stuff in the terrarium so that I can have a few different levels and a place to mount the chameleon's perches. What do I need to do to the aquarium to convert it, I water the plants with a humidifier, it works great for the nepenthes, plus I have a plan for drainage that doesn't involve bulkheads. Can someone post a checklist of chameleon supplies? Also can someone please give me some ideas for a small-small medium sized chameleon, I've been struggling to find one (under $100, preferably around $50). Thanks

 

[serenaj25]

The aquarium, soon to be terrarium, will be used primary for the purpose of growing nepenthes and a few orchids, as well as several decorative plants, but I also intend on housing a chameleon (I've yet to determine what type, I'd love a large pygmy, but have been able to find any pygmies for sale, the chameleon can't be too big or he requires too much room and will knock down some plants, too small, and he will make a snack for the pitchers). I intend on putting some level of 3-D background or even just a mountain of the stuff in the terrarium so that I can have a few different levels and a place to mount the chameleon's perches. What do I need to do to the aquarium to convert it, I water the plants with a humidifier, it works great for the nepenthes, plus I have a plan for drainage that doesn't involve bulkheads. Can someone post a checklist of chameleon supplies? Also can someone please give me some ideas for a small-small medium sized chameleon, I've been struggling to find one (under $100, preferably around $50). Thanks

you can get a Jacksons Cham, females typically get 7 to 8 inches head to tail. you can find them for around $50 to $60 on lllreptiles depending on what age you buy them

 

[jamest0o0]

Chameleon in an aquarium? Sounds like bad news honestly, though cool idea.

 

[ZacharyLeesWife]

I have a bioactive 55 long. I built it for frogs, I don't know if I would try to build one for a chameleon.

 

[InvisibleShad0w]

I would say that the air circulation is way to bad in an aquarium to to have a chameleon in there.

 

[ArowanaLover1902]

I'd use a PC fan, but I'm now considering making a free range, that sounds better in every aspect. I've got an anole in my 29 gallon terrarium now, I caught him yesterday and he's chilling atop my hanging orchid

 

[Remkon]

If you want a chameleon here's what you need to do: Sell the aquarium and buy a proper glass vivarium (of you want glass per-say), like, for example, an exo terra.

Ventilation will be bad an aquarium, with only ventilation from the top there will be little to no airflow which will cause stale air and mold.

On top of that the dimensions of an aquarium are not ideal for an animal that lives in trees and also likes to move vertically.

Using a fan like @ArowanaLover1902 suggests is also a bad idea since you risk introducing a draft, and like with all electronics, it will brake down at the worst time possible (your holiday for example).

If you're going to use an aquarium don't put a chameleon in it, they need proper ventilated enclosures with sufficient hight.

Pigmy chameleons live on the ground but also aren't the easiest species to deal with, an aquarium will also not be suitable for them.

 

[ArowanaLover1902]

"Using a fan like @ArowanaLover1902 suggests is also a bad idea since you risk introducing a draft, and like with all electronics, it will brake down at the worst time possible (your holiday for example)."

I'd have several fans, two for humidity, two for temperature control. But again, I'm going to do a free range instead.

 

[leedragon]

I hade brevicaudatus in an aquarium with soild and planted. I didn´t have a lid of it due. it worked fine.

 

[ArowanaLover1902]

By the way, heres the free range, or my idea of it. The PVC stand will have to be much more complex though, it was hard to draw with that app so I couldn't show exactly how I want it.

 

[ArowanaLover1902]

Oh I didn't include a mister or his food area in that, sorry. But I'm thinking of a jackson's or a panther

 

[leedragon]

http://www.chameleonnews.com/05JunRouthouska.html
http://www.chameleonnews.com/05DecRouthouska.html
http://www.chameleonnews.com/07FebHildenhagen.html

 

[ArowanaLover1902]

Thanks, I appreciate it, those are great references. They are all bookmarked.

 

[broderp]

"Using a fan like @ArowanaLover1902 suggests is also a bad idea since you risk introducing a draft, and like with all electronics, it will brake down at the worst time possible (your holiday for example)."

I'd have several fans, two for humidity, two for temperature control. But again, I'm going to do a free range instead.

I was curious about this as well. Not sure if a breeze (draft) can be all that bad.. Don't chams in the wild have wind blowing from time to time? I two use fans to control humidity. The last thing I want to do is hurt my baby, so I'm really interested I your thoughts as to why a breeze that circulates air and fries up excessive moisture is a bad thing.

 

[jamest0o0]

They tend to avoid breezes from what i've heard, but i've wondered the same. People say stagnant air and blowing air can both cause RIs, but that's just what they say. Also in the wild it wouldn't be a constant thing like a fan. I feel like a fan would dry out skin, eyes, etc if blowing on the cham constantly. I used a fan for drying out the bottom panel of my cage with no issues, but it wasn't near my cham and only on at night. A fan pulling air out might not be such a problem with high humidity.

 

[ArowanaLover1902]

I've got an anole in a 29 gallon plant terrarium, he literally doesn't want to be anywhere but directly in the fan's path. I keep humidity high, nothing is ever really dry in there, plus the fan has a 15 minute shutoff, when humidity spikes and that kinda waters the plants.

 

[jamest0o0]

you can't compare an anole to a cham.

 

[AZChamFan]

I haven't read every post here in detail but I keep my chams in glass terrariums and I would not use a 55 gallon aquarium for my chams. There are almost always exceptions but even if you somehow provided proper ventilation that tank is not high enough even for a Jacksons. The width is great but they need more height to be happy and feel comfortable. Even my glass terrarium for my Jackson's is 3 1/2 feet high. If I remember correctly a 55 gallon fish tank is barely over 20".

 

[ArowanaLover1902]

I was more saying that it's not affecting any aspect of his physique, he moved out of it today to go skulk inbetween some plants. I will admit, it does dry out some of the plants directly below it, but I've placed plants there I want a bit dryer than my CP's, i've got a lily of the nile, a banana tree, and a N. Alata, which surprisingly, seems to love it.

Also, I have no intention of placing a jackson's in a 55 gallon, it would be cruel. However, a pygmy chameleon seems to be an organism well suited for the enviroment. Like I said, I also don't even intend to use a 55 gallon anymore, I want to use a free range method.