# has anyone used an aquarium for reptiles?



## ice (Jul 26, 2003)

Hi Everyone

I'm getting into snakes in the next few weeks and thought it would be a good idea to buy a tank/ cabinet/ hood setup to keep it in so if i ever change my mind, i have a spair fishtank to use 

Has anyone kept a snake or a different reptile (not frogs) in a fishtank before? If so, pics or any advice/ tips would be appreciated!!

Thanks!


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## John27 (Jun 6, 2010)

Hey Ice,

Well 40 breeders are usually marketed for reptiles in alot of stores but people use them alot here for fish. My LFS for example has the exact same tanks in their reptile section as they do in the fish section. Long story short, most of the time they are the same thing. You won't find a reptile tank new that doesn't hold water unless it's defective (someone correct me if I'm wrong but I've never seen it).

That said, if it's been a couple years (and/or if you get the tank used) when/if you decide to add fish, leak test it for 3 or 4 days. Being dry for that long plus the heat, humidity, every thing else that goes into a reptile tank often can cause seals to fail. I've seen it many times where a person buys a brand new fish tank, a few years later switches to fish, and gets their feet wet. It can be fixed, but for whatever reason those seals just don't seem to do too well like that, it's almost like storing them on the porch.

-John


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## ice (Jul 26, 2003)

ok cool, brittle glass noted.

I guess it's more deciding how to make a lid to keep the little guy from escaping... :/ I'm not very handy haha.


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## John27 (Jun 6, 2010)

Just to clarify, it's not the glass that becomes brittle it's the silicone sealant used on the edges.

Also, as far as a lid, check craigslist. They come cheap. I've heard snakes will push the lids off though so my understanding is that you need ones that latch on to the edges of the tank to "clamp" it down, so he can't push it off.

And hey, good luck, I've got a leaking 75 and as soon as I find somewhere to put it I'm gonna dive into reptiles and get me a ball python, I just think they are cool!


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## ZeroSystem (Sep 4, 2005)

I work at one of the big box stores around here and I will mention that the reptile tanks sold there do have warnings on them stating that they should not be filled with water. Now I know for a fact that they can certainly hold some water, I've filled many up about half way or so, so I think as long as it's not filled up all the way like a regular fish tank would be, it'll be fine.

Finding a screen lid and some metal lid clamps to fit a 40b shouldn't be hard to find at any local pet store. Although craigslist is certainly a great idea as well.

Ball Pythons are cool, and pretty easy to care for! Probably one of my favorite snakes, although I'll admit I'm not a huge reptile guy. Otherwise I'd be on a reptile forum.


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## ice (Jul 26, 2003)

Yeah, i think the lid is going to be the biggest 'hard find' over here.. i havent seen any mesh ones except the mice lids, and i dont think you _can_ clamp _them_.. im going to do some research tonight though... Any suggestions on lighting? Looks like most people just place the lights onto the wire mesh, but i dont know how they stop it from getting hot.. any ideas?


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## lmhollist (Aug 7, 2009)

In the past, I've used a standard 75 to house some of our smaller turtles but it sounds like you're looking for something different. A guy in our local cichlid club was selling this awesome reptile setup awhile back. It was a 180 gal. with the bottom and back panel covered in tiles. He kept a bearded dragon in it. It looked pretty sweet. I don't recall the reason for WHY he used tile, it seems like maybe the glass was cracked somewhere, but this setup looked incredible.

Oh yeah, DO NOT place the lights directly on the mesh! One, it gets hot. Two, if the mesh is coated at all that stuff is going to melt. Most lights have some sort of clamp on them, so you can clamp the light to the side of the tank, to a board attached to the outside or perhaps to a piece of driftwood on the inside. For our turtles basking area we purchased 12x12 slate tiles and have a heat lamp and UVB lamp suspended directly over it.

Finally, I personally think a 40 breeder is going to be too small for most commonly found snakes and lizards, same for if you go for turtles or tortoises (unless you order online specifically looking for smaller growing species). Look on craigslist, there are always large tanks for fairly reasonable prices and you can usually get a stand and other accessories to go with it.


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## ladybugzcrunch (Jul 26, 2009)

Aquariums are actually not ideal for most reptiles or small mammals. If you want to get into snakes, a DIY enclosure is the way to go. Aquariums are okay for semi aquatic reptiles like aquatic turtles and for amphibians. Never ever put a box turtle or tortoise in an aquarium, it is shunned upon in the hobby for the most part. The only reptile I keep in a glass enclosure is a leopard gecko and she is in a nice big exoterra habitat.


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## kmuda (Nov 27, 2009)

Tanks made for holding reptiles use a thinner glass than tanks made for fish. When filled, they can bow, placing pressure on the corners, which will eventually leak.

Large reptile tanks can even break when filled with water.


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## limpert (Aug 28, 2007)

Kingsnake I had a few years ago


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