Would this vivarium be ideal for a hatchling?

[Zezima]

I live in the uk and unfortunately I’m unable to get a vivarium off mark so have been doing some research online to see what would best match the vivarium that are considered better for mimicking there natural environment requirements and have come across this one.

Terra-Plus Terrarium, 120x60x50cm, RepTix

<ul class="checklist"> <li>RepTix plastic<ul class="checklist"> <li>smooth, water-repellent and very insulated</li> <li>does not mold and does not absorb moisture</li> </ul> </li> <li>sliding glass doors with smooth edges</li> <li>lockable</li> <li>ventilation holes can installed where...

www.electric-fence.co.uk

If anyone can find a better one please feel free to post it in here, Thankyou.

Zezima

 

[Blackdog1714]

That looks like a nice enclosure style., but it looks like you have to add the heat and light. It should last you for a good while

 

[Tom]

I live in the uk and unfortunately I’m unable to get a vivarium off mark so have been doing some research online to see what would best match the vivarium that are considered better for mimicking there natural environment requirements and have come across this one.

Terra-Plus Terrarium, 120x60x50cm, RepTix

<ul class="checklist"> <li>RepTix plastic<ul class="checklist"> <li>smooth, water-repellent and very insulated</li> <li>does not mold and does not absorb moisture</li> </ul> </li> <li>sliding glass doors with smooth edges</li> <li>lockable</li> <li>ventilation holes can installed where...

www.electric-fence.co.uk

If anyone can find a better one please feel free to post it in here, Thankyou.

Zezima

That looks like it can work.

 

[Zezima]

That looks like it can work.

Hi Tom first of all thankyou for providing me with hours of information and research and advice that is priceless you really are an ambassador to these beautiful animals.


If I were to drill a hole in the top so the electric lead can go through it for the basking lamp and another hole for the UV strip lamp would this work?

what basking lamp should I get for a hatchling in this vivarium and also what Uv strip light would you suggest Tom? I’ll be buying from Arcadia as I like how there products are built and it looks like they know what there doing.

Zezima

 

[Tom]

Hi Tom first of all thankyou for providing me with hours of information and research and advice that is priceless you really are an ambassador to these beautiful animals.


If I were to drill a hole in the top so the electric lead can go through it for the basking lamp and another hole for the UV strip lamp would this work?

what basking lamp should I get for a hatchling in this vivarium and also what Uv strip light would you suggest Tom? I’ll be buying from Arcadia as I like how there products are built and it looks like they know what there doing.

Zezima

I would not drill holes in the top. Hang the lights from the top using coffee cup holders, or use flush mounted sockets. Run the cords out the back of the enclosure.

There are four elements to heating and lighting:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. You'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night.
3. Light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in bulb types are both fine.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In the UK, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12%. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html

Problems with MVBs:
1. They run too hot for a closed chamber, which is what you should be using.
2. They cause too much carapace desiccation which causes pyramiding.
3. They are fragile and break easily.
4. They are temperamental sometimes and shut themselves off for 20 minutes at a time.
5. They are expensive.
6. Their UV output runs from one extreme to the other. Some produce way too much UV, and other produce none at all after two or three months.

 

[Zezima]

Thankyou for that advice Tom I am going to definitely go with everything your saying, when you said get something like a coffee cup holder do you mean like a hook that can screw to the roof of the vivarium and then let the wire hang off it?

 

[KarenSoCal]

If anyone can find a better one please feel free to post it in here, Thankyou.

Zezima

Here's another one...not necessarily better.

https://southdown-aquatics.co.uk/product-category/8ft-vivariums/

 

[Zezima]

I would not drill holes in the top. Hang the lights from the top using coffee cup holders, or use flush mounted sockets. Run the cords out the back of the enclosure.

There are four elements to heating and lighting:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. You'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night.
3. Light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in bulb types are both fine.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In the UK, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12%. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html

Problems with MVBs:
1. They run too hot for a closed chamber, which is what you should be using.
2. They cause too much carapace desiccation which causes pyramiding.
3. They are fragile and break easily.
4. They are temperamental sometimes and shut themselves off for 20 minutes at a time.
5. They are expensive.
6. Their UV output runs from one extreme to the other. Some produce way too much UV, and other produce none at all after two or three months.

So I have decided I am going to be purchasing this pcv terrarium to maintain the best humidity levels, here in the uk from what I have gathered from lots of reptile websites and Facebook groups pcv terrariums haven’t really taken off yet and more people swear by open top tortoise tables and others say wooden vivariums are good.

it’s just unfortunate there isn’t a bigger market for these here.

in your four elements of light and heating you mention that on number 3 that

• Light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in bulb types are both fine.
  
  If I buy an arcadia Pro t5 kit would this give the light needed aswell as the UV rays or would I need to buy an LED Bar aswell to hang on the roof of the terrarium next to the Arcadia pro t5 strip light? Also in this terrarium that I am buying would the Arcadia pro t5 be to strong for a hatchling or would it be perfect?
  
  If the T5 can do all of the things for light this would be great I just don’t know how the layout of a pcv terrarium should look and I wouldn’t want lights and strips in the wrong locations and not providing what they should be for the hatchling so if you could send some pictures of how it should look I would really appreciate it along with how many vent holes I would need. I also thought the UV-B strip light had to be on for 12 hours a day and 12 hours off?

 

[Zezima]

Here's another one...not necessarily better.

https://southdown-aquatics.co.uk/product-category/8ft-vivariums/

These look ok to be fair is it the small one you wanted me to see? It’s unfortunate there not pcv.

 

[Tom]

So I have decided I am going to be purchasing this pcv terrarium to maintain the best humidity levels, here in the uk from what I have gathered from lots of reptile websites and Facebook groups pcv terrariums haven’t really taken off yet and more people swear by open top tortoise tables and others say wooden vivariums are good.

it’s just unfortunate there isn’t a bigger market for these here.

in your four elements of light and heating you mention that on number 3 that

• Light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in bulb types are both fine.
  
  If I buy an arcadia Pro t5 kit would this give the light needed aswell as the UV rays or would I need to buy an LED Bar aswell to hang on the roof of the terrarium next to the Arcadia pro t5 strip light? Also in this terrarium that I am buying would the Arcadia pro t5 be to strong for a hatchling or would it be perfect?
  
  If the T5 can do all of the things for light this would be great I just don’t know how the layout of a pcv terrarium should look and I wouldn’t want lights and strips in the wrong locations and not providing what they should be for the hatchling so if you could send some pictures of how it should look I would really appreciate it along with how many vent holes I would need. I also thought the UV-B strip light had to be on for 12 hours a day and 12 hours off?

The T5 UV tube should only run for a couple of hours mid day. You will need the LED for ambient light the rest of the day.

 

[Markw84]

So I have decided I am going to be purchasing this pcv terrarium to maintain the best humidity levels, here in the uk from what I have gathered from lots of reptile websites and Facebook groups pcv terrariums haven’t really taken off yet and more people swear by open top tortoise tables and others say wooden vivariums are good.

it’s just unfortunate there isn’t a bigger market for these here.

in your four elements of light and heating you mention that on number 3 that

• Light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in bulb types are both fine.
  
  If I buy an arcadia Pro t5 kit would this give the light needed aswell as the UV rays or would I need to buy an LED Bar aswell to hang on the roof of the terrarium next to the Arcadia pro t5 strip light? Also in this terrarium that I am buying would the Arcadia pro t5 be to strong for a hatchling or would it be perfect?
  
  If the T5 can do all of the things for light this would be great I just don’t know how the layout of a pcv terrarium should look and I wouldn’t want lights and strips in the wrong locations and not providing what they should be for the hatchling so if you could send some pictures of how it should look I would really appreciate it along with how many vent holes I would need. I also thought the UV-B strip light had to be on for 12 hours a day and 12 hours off?

You will have an issue you need to consider with the height of the enclosure. At 50 cm / 19.5 inches, the inside dimension would be 18.5". With 3" of substrate, and the fixture hanging as close to ceiling as possible = another 4" to bottom of tube, and a 2" tall baby tortoise, you will have your Pro T5 10.5" above tortoise height. That is way too close for a 12% bulb. You will need to order the pro T5 with the 6% bulb.

 

[Zezima]

You will have an issue you need to consider with the height of the enclosure. At 50 cm / 19.5 inches, the inside dimension would be 18.5". With 3" of substrate, and the fixture hanging as close to ceiling as possible = another 4" to bottom of tube, and a 2" tall baby tortoise, you will have your Pro T5 10.5" above tortoise height. That is way too close for a 12% bulb. You will need to order the pro T5 with the 6% bulb.

Thankyou for your advice mark, I will do as suggested and go with the 6%, when the hatchling gets bigger maybe 6" in height would that be better to go for the 12% bulb?

and for LED lighting will I need one strip or will I need to buy two strips?

 

[Zezima]

The T5 UV tube should only run for a couple of hours mid day. You will need the LED for ambient light the rest of the day.

Brilliant Tom, iv asked mark about how many led strips I’ll need will one suffice?

 

[Markw84]

Thankyou for your advice mark, I will do as suggested and go with the 6%, when the hatchling gets bigger maybe 6" in height would that be better to go for the 12% bulb?

and for LED lighting will I need one strip or will I need to buy two strips?

No. You don't have the height in that vivarium. The distance from bulb to tortoise is the issue. The intensity of the UV increases geometrically the closer to the bulb. A 12% bulb would be way too close and you would have way to high a UVI index at tortoise level. When your tortoise is 6" it will need much more space than that vivarium as well.

 

[Tom]

and for LED lighting will I need one strip or will I need to buy two strips?

Depends on how bright you want it. One will usually suffice. It can run on the same timer as your basking light.

 

[Zezima]

Depends on how bright you want it. One will usually suffice. It can run on the same timer as your basking light.

Having gone away and done some more research and thinking would getting a 4 ft x 2ft x 2ft enclosure work? I know I will be overwhelmed looking at an enclosure that big and seeing a hatchling inside so small but I’m thinking more long term, I will have the substrate deep enough so it’s more or less level with the glass doors that open the enclosure.

I would be using an Arcadia t5 12% D3 and an Arcadia 75 W Halogen flood lamp for basking.

For evening temperatures I would be using an Arcadia 80 W deep heat projector bulb

And for natural lighting I would be using two Arcadia Jungle dawns at 34 watts

Is this to big or is it perfectly fine to allow a hatchling to have all of this room to roam?

zezima

 

[Tom]

Having gone away and done some more research and thinking would getting a 4 ft x 2ft x 2ft enclosure work? I know I will be overwhelmed looking at an enclosure that big and seeing a hatchling inside so small but I’m thinking more long term, I will have the substrate deep enough so it’s more or less level with the glass doors that open the enclosure.

I would be using an Arcadia t5 12% D3 and an Arcadia 75 W Halogen flood lamp for basking.

For evening temperatures I would be using an Arcadia 80 W deep heat projector bulb

And for natural lighting I would be using two Arcadia Jungle dawns at 34 watts

Is this to big or is it perfectly fine to allow a hatchling to have all of this room to roam?

zezima

That is the MINIMUM size I recommend for a hatchling. No, it won't b too big.

No halogen bulbs, and 75 watts will probably over heat your closed chamber. Your thermometer will tell us.

I would not use a deep heat projector. Radiant heat panels work best, but if you can't do that for some reason, use a regular CHE set on a thermostat.

I've never used the "jungle dawn" bulb but it sounds okay. I think one would be plenty, and they use 51 watts. This might overheat things too. You'll have to see what the thermometer says.