# Aquarium in enclosure



## Twitch_80 (Jun 4, 2011)

Hi all so I was looking through threads and noticed that amazing enclosure that just plain nuts has on show with the aquarium in the bottom. I was just wondering how many people have that in an enclosure, what sort of snakes they have in it and if they have turtles or fish in there? Has anyone had cats or plecos etc in there? Just wondering about spines etc? Also if it had a good filter and covered the bottom of the enclosure than in theory it would require less cleaning (the snake poo would be no prob if it was in the water)? Currently I have 8 or so tanks but they are not all in use so I was thinking about using one to build a new enclosure. The turtles I have at the moment I wouldnt be so inclined to put in with a snake as they have a bit of a bite on them (murray's) but I would try ELN as they tend to have a much more gentle bite. Any info or comments be appreciated.


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## longqi (Jun 5, 2011)

If you drop a clear screen between the snakes and the turtles/fish you can put anything in there
Same deal if you put say water pythons with a dry basking spot and chondros up top
Now that one looks awesome


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## Twitch_80 (Jun 5, 2011)

Yeah that makes sense but I was thinking the snake can swim and eat the fish if it wants although thinking about it Im guessing the fish wont last very long. Ah the idea of combining enclosures is very appealing as long as the animals were not just looking at each other all the time if that makes sense. Also having a tank at say 26 C at the bottom of a high enclosure and a radiator at the top would be good for temp would it not?


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## vampstorso (Jun 5, 2011)

The fish would die I imagine...as the snake droppings would overwhelm the water and make it toxic extremely quickly..you'd need a fairly large amount of water for it to be sustainable if the snake is able to excrete in it...
Fish can't handle fast changes too their water

(lol probably sounded like I was having a dig, please dont take it that way!)


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## Twitch_80 (Jun 5, 2011)

All good, no I was thinking a good canister filter would handle it as long as the fish were not too big or too many. I mean it works for the turtles and they are very messy (and have fish with them but not always for long). That and snakes poo a lot less than turtles. Im guessing the snake would eat the fish anyway but its just an idea. Ill do a fair bit more looking around before I try it though, just the start of one of those ideas.


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## longqi (Jun 5, 2011)

vampstorso said:


> The fish would die I imagine...as the snake droppings would overwhelm the water and make it toxic extremely quickly..you'd need a fairly large amount of water for it to be sustainable if the snake is able to excrete in it...
> Fish can't handle fast changes too their water
> 
> (lol probably sounded like I was having a dig, please dont take it that way!)



Im not so sure about this but would love a discussion along these lines

Reptile droppings have far less nutrients in them than dropping of fish birds or mammals
I believe this to be true because I used to design water efficient closed fish farming recirculating systems
I used water to grow fish and prawns etc with moving bed bio-filters of my own design
Used screens to remove the fish droppings
Used dropping to grow lettuces etc in hydroponics system
Used water from hydroponic system to grow aquatic worms to feed chickens and fingerlings
Used waste chickens to feed young crocs
Used crocs to make handbags and burgers
Fed used water from crocs back to hydro system

The water from the crocs had very very little impact on the nutrition levels of the hydroponic water but did drop the ph
[probably uric acid from urine??]
But the fish and chicken droppings sent Nitrates and Nitrites through the roof
After a few days in the hydro the water was stripped of Ammonia Nitrate and Nitrite by the plants and was very close to drinkable so I recycled some back to the fish [but not to prawns] with no noticeable problems

I think it is the digestive efficiency of reptiles which strips every useable bit of nutrient from their food that caused this
But Im no rocket scientist and could be totally on the wrong track


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## Just_Plain_Nuts (Jun 5, 2011)

We have built a lot of enclosures with aquariums in the bottom, in fact they are the most popular of late.
1: Do the snakes eat the fish?

I have not had or heard of anyone's snake eating the fish, having said that if you were to put in a red belly or CTS I dare say they would but it would be what you want and you'd put in fish accordingly. My diamind python used to swim happily with the fish and completely ignore them and they'd just be curious of her.

2: Does the snake poo affect the water?

I have been running this sort of setup for over a year now and find it very convenient when the snake poos in the water. As long as you dont have too many fish and a good filter (as in any aquarium setup) it's great. I only need to clean the aquarium about once a month.

3: Can you put a snake and a turtle together in a setup like this?

We have made setups like this for people before who have put a GTP in the top and a turtle in the bottom. We have not heard of anyone having any problems yet. I dont foresee it being a big problem as long as you dont put in a large snake and a baby turtle or a baby snake and a large turtle. If they are of the right size it would only come down to the individual animals , more so if the turtle is snappy and if the snake likes swimming. The worst I would think is that the turtle gets a little too curious and bites at the snake tail. But like I said I have not heard of anyone having any problems.

4: Do I think this setup works and would I recommend it?

Absolutely


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## NicG (Jun 5, 2011)

I think these type of semi-aquatic enclosures are the best for Common Tree Snakes. Their high metabolism rate means that they eat and consequently crap frequently. Having a completely aquatic bottom section and an arboreal top section means that the filter does most of your cleaning for you. Plus tree snakes are excellent swimmers, so it makes for good viewing.

The one thing you do have to watch out for, particularly in the colder climates, is the condensation produced. This can be overcome by having an internal heat source (I use a blacklight) low down in the enclosure, which helps evaporates the water of the walls. Tree snakes are smart enough and fast enough to avoid burning themselves. Good ventilation just above water level should help as well.

The same applies to Keelbacks, except you want to give them deeper water and a terrestrial dry section.

Here are some (old) photos of my setups ...


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## Bluetongue1 (Jun 5, 2011)

The great info given above made me want to add my 2 cents worth…

What will eat what will depend on the species you choose. 

Snakes that I know of that eat live fish from the water are Keelback, CTS, Red-bellied Black, Tiger and most of the aquatic species. Frogs eaters, such as the Copperhead and Slatey Grey are a good chance to be trained to do so. I know BTS can be trained to take fish from a bowl but not sure about a body of water. Water pythons may also do. Turtles will eat fish small enough to fit in their rather large mouths.

The type of fish and their size will determine if they are eaten. Those that are of a size and shape that can be swallowed and which swim in open water, especially near the surface, are the most likely to be taken by snakes.

Turtles do produce a lot of wastes due to their active life-style under water. Snakes produce a lot less. Nitrogenous wastes (ammonia, urea and ureic acid) are the result of breaking down protein in eaten food to use it for energy (and not body building) [visions of a Bearded Dragon doing push-ups and then flexing its biceps lol]. Therefore highly active animals and endotherms tend to produce large amounts of nitrogenous wastes.


*[FONT=&quot]Nitrogenous Wastes[/FONT]*
Ammonia is highly toxic and highly soluble. If you have plenty of water to drink you can afford to get rid of in as a weak solution (not too toxic) but it does mean producing a very large quantity of dilute urine. This is what fish do.

By the body expending energy, ammonia can be converted into urea, much less toxic substance which can therefore be tolerated in much higher concentrations, before needing to excrete it. This still involves producing quantities of urine and therefore requires regular access to drinking water.

Using some more energy, urea can be converted into uric acid, which is insoluble. This is a white chalky solid that does not require loss of moisture to get rid of it. This is what most reptiles and birds produce, often along with a bit of urine containing urea.

*[FONT=&quot]Bacterial Breakdown of Nitrogenous Wastes[/FONT]*
Certain forms of bacteria get their energy from reversing the conversion of ammonia to urea. Using either this or fish wastes, another form of bacteria converts ammonia to nitrites, which are far les toxic than ammonia. Yet another form of bacteria convert nitrites into nitrates, which are far less toxic again. These bacteria are used in biological filtration of aquarium water to maintain water quality and considerably increase the amount of time between required water changes. 

*[FONT=&quot]Aquatic Plants[/FONT]*
Plants are able to absorb and use ammonia, nitrates and urea as fertiliser. Therefore growing aquatic plants in your aquarium will further help maintain water quality.


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## Jazzz (Jun 5, 2011)

Just_Plain_Nuts said:


> We have built a lot of enclosures with aquariums in the bottom, in fact they are the most popular of late.
> 1: Do the snakes eat the fish?
> 
> I have not had or heard of anyone's snake eating the fish, having said that if you were to put in a red belly or CTS I dare say they would but it would be what you want and you'd put in fish accordingly. My diamind python used to swim happily with the fish and completely ignore them and they'd just be curious of her.
> ...



these sound amazing! id love to see a few photos of ones youve put together if thats ok?


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## longqi (Jun 5, 2011)

Great posts above

Ty Blue for putting real names to things
The plant one is a love of mine
Works really well in farm dams
Put in a floating dock so plants roots can reach the water but with most of the roots inside an open mesh cage
Put in fish
Put in shrimps
Shrimps will hide and breed among the roots
Roots will strip fish waste from water
As shrimp number grow fish eat extra shrimps
Harvest time eat plants shrimps and fish
cant do better than that


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## Bluetongue1 (Jun 5, 2011)

I don't want to start a self-admiration society here logqi but what a great set up. The simplicity of that that system belies the complex range of biological processes involved. In simple terms you have your producers and consumers, plenty of water and sunlight, and detrivores to hasten the recycling of matter. The shrimp quite likely also reduce competition from algae for the plants obtaining fish waste. End result, three very palatable food sources. You’re right – couldn’t do better!

Blue


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## Twitch_80 (Jun 5, 2011)

Thanks heaps everyone, made my day. It was as I though which means I have a new project. I want a tree snake as my next one so it seems pretty perfect. 

Also I cant wait till the weather is a bit better so I can finish my pond and show you guys, its going to have the larger turtles, fish (to be eaten by turtles), gipps or ewd and a bird cage over the top. Im going to use a permaculture set up to filter it and grow vegies and Im hoping the gipps also eat att the insects etc. Love my animals and love my cooking so herbs or vegies will be awesome. I havent done all the research yet so if anyone knows of any plans I shouldnt grow with the turtles or lizards let me know.


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## Just_Plain_Nuts (Jun 5, 2011)

here's the last one we did, excuse the crappy photo but i'm looking for a decent camera for low light that can open its aperture for at least a minute, any ideas not too expensive.
We are just about to start another for an APS member


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## Twitch_80 (Jun 5, 2011)

You dont use external filters?


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## Jazzz (Jun 5, 2011)

Just_Plain_Nuts said:


> here's the last one we did, excuse the crappy photo but i'm looking for a decent camera for low light that can open its aperture for at least a minute, any ideas not too expensive.
> We are just about to start another for an APS member


 
wow that looks awesome! definitely something to think about in the future =]


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## longqi (Jun 5, 2011)

Main thing is to select the correct plants
You want ones like Bazil and some other herbs etc because they are fairly hardy, dont require too much nutrient etc and most importantly dont need insecticide in most places
I never included lizards anywhere so cannot help you there
Lettuces etc grow with even less nutrient but are hard to keep free of pests
The hardiest lettuces are the red ones
Taste bloody awful though

With the pond set up it is best to be in a windy area
That way you can run water aeration for virtually nothing
Just boosting it on calm days
Best I ever got without continual electric aeration was 19.5KG per Cubic Metre
With electric aeration growing Tandanus and Silver Perch in ponds I hit 35kg which is exceptionally high
Each system has its own peculiarities and only experimentation will show you the ideal plants for your system 
With a closed recirculation type system you can hit close to 80KG per cubic metre if you grow things like sleepy cod or murray cod
Barramundi top out at about 60KG without oxygen injection


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## Twitch_80 (Jun 5, 2011)

I meant smaller fish for the turtles to eat, not for myself as the pond will only be a 1000-1500Lt. Im planning on a a sort of waterfall (nothing spectacular, just for air) and the water will be pumped up to to that end and than through rock wool or somthing similar holding the plants. Im hoping that with the lizards they eat the bugs and pests etc eliminating the need for any chemicals (which I wouldnt use anyway). Basically Im hoping for an almost self sufficient system by the time its set up and running. I have been researching it for close to two years now (except for the actual plants) so I think this spring will be the time to set it up. Not sure if Ill have the turtles in it by the summer (it really depends on the water) or if I will wait till next year but I will at least have some fish and yabbies to get it going. Most of my garden is pretty good and I dont use chemicals although I had to cut a lemon tree right back recently and the bay tree is generaly a problem but thats not unusual. It is down the side of the house so it does get wind and I have already built large fences and gates so the dogs cant get to it but Ill still be putting and avery type cage over it because of cats. (I dont have cats)

As far as plants due to the ammonia cycle etc I was thinking one permanent citrus (pruned to stay quite small) and various seasonal's that can be changed. I guess more research and a bit of trial and error will see.


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## longqi (Jun 5, 2011)

If you make the waterfall a bit "Lumpy' it will cause the water to flow unevenly
This will increase air contact and increase dissolved oxygen in the water
Turtles seem to enjoy some plants such as lettuces and bok choy etc but probably would not touch any citrus
Some of the stronger smelling herbs could also work well but trial and error is the best way


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## vampstorso (Jun 5, 2011)

hey Longqi,

I have to admit to not knowing much about reptile poo  (Havent really had enough experience to know anything about it!)

However if like you say it doesn't contain much ammonia etc then that'd certainly make it all more likely to work!

I only know the fish side of it as that's what I study... So it really would be cool if what you were thinking was right,

No doubt if you get enough bio filtration it'll be okay then.

Goodluck!


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## longqi (Jun 5, 2011)

One really simple way to lift the water to a low waterfall is to put an air stone into a pipe
The bubbles will lift the water a short distance and aerate it at the same time


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## Twitch_80 (Jun 5, 2011)

Yeah course, I was going to put ruts in it for the water to splash over. The murray's love their vegies so good point, lettuce wouldnt last. It would be interesting to put a vine or climber as it would grow on the cage but Im not sure. I know grapes are bad for dogs but I havent looked into it for reps.


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## longqi (Jun 5, 2011)

Bio filtration is extremely easy if you use a moving bed type filter
Moving because of air and water [fluid dynamics] is easiest
Best filter material is small straws cut into 5mm lengths or less
Excellent surface area and very few potential problems
Never blocks and once activated requires nearly zero maintenance


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## Twitch_80 (Jun 5, 2011)

Thats a good idea, I was going to use a pond pump and pump it from the far end of the pond to the top of the waterfall.

In theory the roots and rock wool would create the bio as well as the plants extracting the nitrogen. Its a good plan but as you said I think Ill have to do a bit of trial and error to get it right which is why Im thinking fish first, turtles next year.


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## longqi (Jun 5, 2011)

If your dissolved oxygen ran about 5 in a 1000litre tank you could have at least 5kg of brown trout or 10kg of murray cod??
Yummy

Rockwool is quite good but can tend to block up a bit so watch your ammonia spikes
Efficient biofiltration needs a little bit of aeration
But starting at low stocking densities and slowly building up will let you learn the limits of each part

Plants are excellent nitrate and nitrite strippers so you are spot on with that bit


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## Twitch_80 (Jun 5, 2011)

LOL I wish, the other half wont let me grow any animals to eat, she doesnt even like going to the farm. So its turtles with goldfish and yabbies for them to eat but of course if we end up with a yabby problem Ill have to help out  Im hoping over time I can put some other fish in.


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## longqi (Jun 5, 2011)

Anyone knows a lot more about goldfish than I wish to know but Ive read some horror stories about the result when fed to some reptiles including tree snakes
Something about the chemicals they use to treat them or something like that??
Might pay to check that out a little bit if you dont know about it??


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## Twitch_80 (Jun 5, 2011)

Yeah I know, they are quite bad. I have a friend who has a small pond and some extra fish, I would be going from there as I know their history so it will be a bit slower to build them up but worth it. The only problem I can think of with this is if the turtles eat them all too quickly. Even though I know about that with the goldfish (and some other feeders bred in large quantities I believe) everyone still buys them for turtles with little effect which I find strange. I have a breeder tank set up with fish that I feed mine but it wount sustain them when they are fully grown. You are a wealth of knowledge mate, its awesome. Any other ideas of fish that may be a bit smaller?

Maybe Ill just have to go with trout and if they escape the turtles and get big well, damn, Ill just have to eat them


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## Just_Plain_Nuts (Jun 5, 2011)

Twitch_80 said:


> You dont use external filters?


 We dont personally, we use these particular pumps because of their ability to pump water up to the waterfall height that we need. We replace the standard filters of these with wool and charcoal. We generally set them up now with a space inside behind the enclosure should the customer want to run a canister but that is up to them.


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## Twitch_80 (Jun 5, 2011)

Cool, your enclosures look great, it was the other photo of yours that put the idea in my head.


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## longqi (Jun 5, 2011)

I used mosquito fish in one small system I used to show how it all fitted together
used to catch them in the drains so have no idea what type they were
I think they were long neck turtles I used and they gobbled the fish up quick smart
Had a few big yabbies in there too and they nipped a few of the fish but were pretty much ignored by the turtles
I made a floating cage from mesh for the plants with holes big enough for the fish to get in there
That way they stayed safe until they were silly enough to wander out of the cage
Even had them breeding at some point so must have had the balance pretty close to good


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## Grylls (Jun 5, 2011)

I have a Kreffts turtle. They are a pretty common turtle and I just bought mine from the local pet shop. I had him in with another one the same size but they kept beating one another up. 

If you are going to keep fish with turtles you need to grow them up together preferably and they have to be a good size otherwise they will eat them. A few of my cod and barras have chunks out of there tails. Turtles will eat anything, it doesn't matter if it's too big to fit in their mouths. Mine rips fish to shreads with his claws once he gets a hold of one. I usually buy him feeder goldfish as they are a little slower for him to catch. I also breed platties in a bath tub in my backyard for food as well as they breed like crazy!

Also you really can't have plants in with turtles. They do need them in their diet but don't expect them to leave your $30+ plants alone. I had some really nice ones in my tank with mine and he destroyed them all in a matter of days. I just have elodi now, grow it in the bath tub and put a few pieces in ever now and then. Other than that I have just a few fake plants. It doesn't ever matter if they don't like the taste of them. They will still rip anything to shreads or dig it up. You name it, they will destroy it! 

I have introduced my snakes to my turtle. Only so they can see each other through the glass of the aquarium. The snake is fine but the turtle tries to jump out of the water to bite the snake. If It was me I wouldn't have the two anywhere near each other. It wouldn't take much for the turtle to grab the snake and claw at it. You would also need a baskin dock for the turtle as well, the water heated, a baskin light and uv light. If anyone reading this has turtles don't feed them turtle dinners or turtle sticks. Feed them hikari gold cichlid pellets. 

Here's some photos of my snakes and turtles. 










The last one is of him on his basking dock. Most people I've talked to say they don't often see there's basking. I put food on mine so my turtle has to go up on it. They will do anything for food! I've been doing it for a while now and he always goes up on the dock now to check if there is food haha! They are nice to own and mine is really tame, he doesn't mind being handled at all. They are extremely messy! I have one of the biggest canister filters I think you can buy and he still fills it up pretty quick.


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## Twitch_80 (Jun 5, 2011)

Yeah they like re-arranging stuff and destroying it, like oscars. I have a few fish in with mine but once they are large I doubt I will except for them to eat. So you feed them goldfish as well, no problems? I just find it odd that it doesnt have the same effect as snakes. If anyone can tell me why I really like to know.


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## Grylls (Jun 5, 2011)

Yeah goldfish, platties, barbs, blue claw, earth worms, prawns if washed well!, boiled zucchini (used to feed it my pleco's so I tried it on my turtle and he loves it, makes a huge mess!) .. If you really want something to feed your turtles and have the space for another aquarium then get a pair of convict cichlids. They breed every couple of weeks I think! You just have to separate the babies once they are hatched otherwise the parents will eat them if they feel threatened.


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## Twitch_80 (Jun 5, 2011)

I like convicts but no room, the oscars are enough lol. You boil your zucchini? I just peel it.


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## Grylls (Jun 5, 2011)

Oscars are awesome. I was either going to get them or the turtle and Australian native fish. I had a huge barra in my tank. He was so tame, used to pat him and hand feed him. He got too big for the enclosure tho so I had to give him to a friend. I replaced him with an archer fish ! 

One of my mates has an Oscar. It's on it's own so it's a bit lonely. It moves all the pebbles on the bottom of it's tank so it can see it's reflection. They it gets all moody lol. I think it needs a mate. It's Impossible to tell if they are a male or female. I used to have electric yellow cichlids. They were really nice ! Easy to breed as well.


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## Twitch_80 (Jun 5, 2011)

Yeah I have a huge tank that will have the two oscars, silver dollars and possibly blue yabbies in in. At the moment they are in seperate tanks just because I dont think its enough room for them to have their own space. One is friendly and likes rubs, rolls over for it and one is not lol. Have you noticed if you move the stuff around in the tank if they dont like it they move it back. Funny fish, loads or personality.


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## Grylls (Jun 5, 2011)

Haha yeah I've noticed that! In my mates tank he has a big treasure chest in the corner. When the Oscar it unhappy if goes behind it and sulks in the corner! . They will be the next fish I get I reckon. I hate having to clean fish tanks though! That's why I like my snakes !


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## Twitch_80 (Jun 5, 2011)

Yeah its a pain sometimes but the larger it is the less it needs. There are ways to make it easier but its worth it.


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## Grylls (Jun 5, 2011)

Yeah I mainly just have problems with algae growing on the glass. It a 5th tank with an aqua one 2450 canister filter.


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## Twitch_80 (Jun 5, 2011)

Yeah i have the magnetic scrapes but thats the hardest thing to keep clean, I find with the bigger tanks once its settles its doesnt need that much work. Im setting up overflow valves and a tap timer to do small auto water changes every day (small means the chorine isnt a problem as it is very unstable and disperses within a day). I have algae eaters in some tanks but none large enough to put with oscars and I prob wouldnt anyway because if they ate it the barb may proove to be a problem.


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## Grylls (Jun 5, 2011)

I had 4 pleco's in my tank previous to getting the turtle. When they were little they seemed to clean the glass a lot but as they got bigger they got lazier. They were all around 30cms in length when I sold them. They also crap everywhere and honestly seem to make more mess than they clean up! I love clown loaches hey. Great when you have a snail problem! I don't have a chlorine problem. I have 3 large 30L buckets that I fill and leave sitting in the sun for a few days. I'm pretty sure it's a good way to kill all the chlorine.


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## Twitch_80 (Jun 5, 2011)

Yeah it is, Im just as lazy as I can be  Yeah when they are big they eat more wood and vegies and do less cleaning lol.


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## Lielah (Jun 17, 2011)

Hey All, 


I am really liking the idea of having big aquarium at the bottom of the enclosure I’m planning, similar to the one Just_Plain_Nuts showed us a pic of..only bigger

The aquarium in thinking of will quite big, about 200cm from left to right (length) x about 30-40cm front to back (width? x about 30cm depth of water ...(not sure what that is in litres) 

Its for a Darwin and thinking of fish in the aquarium (gold fish or tropical ) [HELP][/HELP]

...Are there fish one can get that will keep the aquarium clean, like algae eaters ..or snails>> ? [HELP][/HELP]
(not that it'll be teaming with algae, lol-but at least this may help maintain the aquarium)

...Gold fish are pretty hardy ...tropical fish are high maintenance but at least they may be able to cope with the high temps in the enclosure..?

There are a few things I am concerned about though...your experience or knowledge will be great! 

1> Water Temps for type of fish

2> Hygiene of drinking water for the Snake [HELP][/HELP]

(was thinking of maybe just putting a small drinking bowl in the rock wall, at least this can be changes daily and the snake has the option of clean, fresh water to drink from)....??

3> Snakes waste (urine and faeces) falling into the water....

4> Am I missing anything?


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## Erebos (Jun 17, 2011)

Have you thought about using a filter in there.... That might be a good idea maybe also having a drain pipe from the bottom to drain the water. Cat fish are good fish to clean all the crap out. Thinking more if you had a cabinate underneath you could run another tank and circulate the water with a pump I think it's a bit of overkill and maintenance would be masive checking water all the time but if done right would look good also if there is a large area of water a heater might be beneficial to help with temps in your tank.


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## Lielah (Jun 17, 2011)

Hi...

yeah i spoke to Just_Plain_Nuts about the filter (he has mentioned soemthing about it on page 1or 2 here)....but will a filter be enough to circulate and filtrate the water..that the snake has pooped into??

Dont you think the heat source that heats up the hot end of the snakes enclosure will be enough to heat the water for the fish...??


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## Erebos (Jun 17, 2011)

It would depend on the volume of water I would suspect not. But how often dose a snake poo maybe a weekly water change would be needed. Trial and error! Perhaps. 

I think it's a bit more effort then it's worth but would look good with the right system


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## Just_Plain_Nuts (Jun 17, 2011)

The heating in the enclosure is generally not enough to keep the water warm enough for tropical fish. As long as you limit the number of fish and include algae eaters and catfish we find they are very easy to maintain. I only clean mine once a month.


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## Twitch_80 (Jun 17, 2011)

I was also thinking that you could make a much higher enclosure with it and not need heat mats (dont like them) at the bottom because if you had a heater in the water at 26 it would keep the low end of the enclosure at 26 and in theory you could just have a radiator or some type of heat source at the top. In my head it works and would make a great heat gradient. I really dont think the snake poo would be a problem, filters work for turtles. Thanks heaps JPN and longqi for the info on this thread, very helpful and given me heaps of ideas.


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## Just_Plain_Nuts (Jun 17, 2011)

you should see the one we are doing now with an aquarium in the bottom, its our new Aussie Bush theme and will be showcased at the Gold Coast expo


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## Grylls (Jun 17, 2011)

Just_Plain_Nuts said:


> you should see the one we are doing now with an aquarium in the bottom, its our new Aussie Bush theme and will be showcased at the Gold Coast expo


 
I bet that will look great!  whoever you're building it for is going to get one hell of an enclosure! Very lucky! Hahaha..


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## Twitch_80 (Jun 17, 2011)

Just_Plain_Nuts said:


> you should see the one we are doing now with an aquarium in the bottom, its our new Aussie Bush theme and will be showcased at the Gold Coast expo




Very jealous, when is it? Im in Melb but if I can get time off be worth seeing.


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## Just_Plain_Nuts (Jun 17, 2011)

Grylls said:


> I bet that will look great!  whoever you're building it for is going to get one hell of an enclosure! Very lucky! Hahaha..


 yeah some lucky bastard haha



Twitch_80 said:


> Very jealous, when is it? Im in Melb but if I can get time off be worth seeing.


 July 30 and 31


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## Twitch_80 (Jul 4, 2011)

I got another aquarium so I can start planning a new enclosure now..


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## Just_Plain_Nuts (Jul 4, 2011)

Let's see it form.....


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## BigWillieStyles (Jul 5, 2011)

These are the kind of enclosures I think makes keeping reptiles so much fun. Melbourne zoo has some interesting Paludarium setups with snakes and fish. I believe it was a Water Python Enclosure.


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## Twitch_80 (Aug 1, 2011)

BigWillieStyles said:


> These are the kind of enclosures I think makes keeping reptiles so much fun. Melbourne zoo has some interesting Paludarium setups with snakes and fish. I believe it was a Water Python Enclosure.



I didnt know that, been a while since Ive been to the zoo, think I might have to soon. 

So I have another snake now, might have to start that enclosure. A jungle with an aquarium. Does anyone have a jungle in an enclosure with an aquarium, what do they have in the water?


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## Daryl_H (Jun 21, 2012)

lovein the passion guys any progress? pic?


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## Jason.s (Jun 21, 2012)

They look great.


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## mareebapython (Jun 21, 2012)

im thinking about having a aquarium for bottom part of the enclosure im doing..


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## Marzzy (Jun 21, 2012)

Threads a bit old, what's with the dig ?

- Look on steins website aka stein enclosures. He's done a few since then I think lots of designs on the web page.


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## Revell13 (Jun 22, 2012)

Ive posted this in a few different threads now, but its relevant so ill post it again


In this setup I have a marbled gecko, a coppertailed skink, an eastern water skink and 5 eastern water dragons, as you can see, 1/3 of the floor of the tank is water, with a few areas for the reptiles to climb out (log, gravel up to surface in the front corner). I have some live plants in the water, as well as around 12 guppies (M+F breeders) 2 paradise fish, 2 platties, 2 bristle nose catfish and 2 other bottom feeders (can't remember the name). I also have 2 large fresh water snails and a frog and I'm about to add a few more water plants (dwarf green rush and Riccia) 

I have found the AquaOne Aquis500 filters everything very well, no algae blooms or chemical spikes in the water, the fish are all alive and well, and no one has drowned.

I would recommend a living water area in any terrarium setup, it adds so much to the overall feel and when all my reptiles are asleep or hiding, I can still watch the fish


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## Just_Plain_Nuts (Jun 22, 2012)

we have done a heap of these since as they are very popular. They work very well in my opinion, and transform an enclosure from great to WOW. Our finest ones all have these including the mother of all enclosures that we are building now....a massive 4 cubic metre croc enclosure with a 700L artificial planted aquarium tree roots and all. This will be the most awesome enclosure we have ever made and I can't wait.


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## Twitch_80 (Jun 22, 2012)

I cant wait to see pics of that!!


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## Daryl_H (Jun 22, 2012)

Marzzy said:


> Threads a bit old, what's with the dig ?
> 
> - Look on steins website aka stein enclosures. He's done a few since then I think lots of designs on the web page.


 just cause the thread's old dont mean it aint worth keeping up.... kids theses days!


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## Twitch_80 (Jun 22, 2012)

My phone is a week old, I should get another one..


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## Daryl_H (Jun 22, 2012)

Twitch_80 said:


> My phone is a week old, I should get another one..



nice !!!!


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## Zinga (Jul 30, 2012)

hi check this one iv nearly finished its got a 3ft tank in it with a water fall buildind it for juvi water dragons


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