# DIY Chinese Water Dragon Enclosure.



## Hoyle00cdn (Apr 8, 2011)




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## bucket (Apr 8, 2011)

do you have a photo of your chinese water dragon never seen one before. we have water dragons in australia i wonder what the difference is in size & looks


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## Red-Ink (Apr 8, 2011)

nice bike..... oh the enclosures nice too


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## Hoyle00cdn (Apr 9, 2011)

bucket said:


> do you have a photo of your chinese water dragon never seen one before. we have water dragons in australia i wonder what the difference is in size & looks







Mine are still Juveniles so they aren't nearly full grown. You can google them for adult pictures. Personally I think Aussie water dragons are much more beautiful. They're very rare to find in Canada and usually cost anywhere from 300-400 dollars; whereas the Chinese water dragon can go for about 50-70 a piece. The obvious reason has to do with your exportation laws, which may be a good thing, given the amount of wild caught CWDs that don't make it past their first year from a variety of poor husbandry practises in pet stores.

I plan on breeding my pair to help lower the wild caught population. They carry very similar body structures, but no they can't be crossbred, since there are from different species. However I have heard of cohabitation between the two. As adults the CWD tend to grow more elaborate crests than the AWD, but not as colorful. CWDs don't have a brumation period either, which makes them easier to care for year round.


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## peteandkel (Apr 9, 2011)

awesome looking dragons, my son has an australian water dragon, it a juvenile too and a beautiful dragon but I love the colour of yours!


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## nico77 (Apr 9, 2011)

looking god mate , is the second last pic where you are upto ? Make sure you put more pics up when your finished 


cheers nico


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## Hoyle00cdn (Apr 9, 2011)

Yes the second last picture is where I am too-date. I am waiting patiently for the custom made glass sliding doors to come in. I do not want to risk building any further without being exactly sure of the window dimensions.

To give a broad idea of what I have left to do; my main goal is to make this vivarium look as natural as possible. The interior walling is going to be covered with a layer of pink insolation styrofoam. Then the styrofoam will be covered in sand grout to give a more wilderness look and feel. Also I am hoping the grout and insolation will help lower heating costs. The tub (barring any complications) will have its own pump and filter system running over a custom made waterfall. Branches and ledges will be added as necessary as well as a mixture of bot real and fake plants.


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## Gecksta (Apr 9, 2011)

the bike is in every photo


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## dexta (Apr 9, 2011)

nice cage bud. you a builder?


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## Serpentess (Apr 9, 2011)

Looks good. Keep us posted.


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## Hoyle00cdn (Apr 9, 2011)

dexta said:


> nice cage bud. you a builder?


 Hah, no. First major project I've ever done, but my mother's father was a handyman, so perhaps it's just an itch in my blood.


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## gillsy (Apr 9, 2011)

Are you putting a filter in the water, I would highly recommend it.

It would save a hell of a lot in cleaning.


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## nathancl (Apr 9, 2011)

is there any finish product shots?


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## Hoyle00cdn (Apr 9, 2011)

gillsy said:


> Are you putting a filter in the water, I would highly recommend it.
> 
> It would save a hell of a lot in cleaning.


 Yes I plan on running the pond like a fish tank, but NO aquatic life.



nathancl said:


> is there any finish product shots?


 No because it's not finished.


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## Daryl_H (Apr 9, 2011)

very cool are you going to have fly screen doors on the front or glass?


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## gillsy (Apr 9, 2011)

Hoyle00cdn said:


> Yes I plan on running the pond like a fish tank, but NO aquatic life.
> 
> 
> No because it's not finished.


 
I would drill a hole in the side of the tub, going out into a filter kept in the stand. The return flow could be made into a waterfall back into the tub. I would still have a few fish in there. It would provide a bit of entertainment for the dragons to chase and would also keep the water on a stable nitrogen cycle. If they don't defacate in the water, there is nothing feeding the good bacteria and therefor will die off negating the effects of biological filtration which is by far better than mechanical.



nathancl said:


> is there any finish product shots?


 
I was going to send you the link for this, it'd be good for the Mitchelli and Mertens.


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## Hoyle00cdn (Apr 9, 2011)

Daryl_H said:


> very cool are you going to have fly screen doors on the front or glass?


 glass doors, Canada doesn't permit the weather for screen doors.



gillsy said:


> I would drill a hole in the side of the tub, going out into a filter kept in the stand. The return flow could be made into a waterfall back into the tub. I would still have a few fish in there. It would provide a bit of entertainment for the dragons to chase and would also keep the water on a stable nitrogen cycle. If they don't defacate in the water, there is nothing feeding the good bacteria and therefor will die off negating the effects of biological filtration which is by far better than mechanical.



Thanks for the advice...I was thinking something very similar, I'd prefer a filtration system outside the tank. There are a few reasons that would make aquatic life in the pond difficult.
* Chinese Water Dragons prefer to do their business in the water.
* They will eat the fish, which would make expensive fish costly, and feeder fish like goldfish and minnows can carry disease.
* I find myself fighting red/green algae wars more than enjoying the fish.
* I'd prefer to empty the tub once a month and give it a thorough clean. Fish tanks always need to maintain 1/3 of it's water for bacteria balance.

All-in-all I know an aquatic setup is completely possible and maybe eventually I'll tackle the idea, but I'm not as good with fish as I am with lizards.
This is there current setup.


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## gillsy (Apr 9, 2011)

Cool no worries, I don't know what desease can be passed on from fish to reptiles, I have fish eating snakes and never had any issues. 

Your algae issues are going to come from your defacation, changing the whole tub once a month with filtration is going to harm more than help, as you will kill the bacteria each time that feed on the nitrates and ammonia coming from defecates.


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## Hoyle00cdn (Apr 9, 2011)

gillsy said:


> Cool no worries, I don't know what desease can be passed on from fish to reptiles, I have fish eating snakes and never had any issues.
> 
> Your algae issues are going to come from your defacation, changing the whole tub once a month with filtration is going to harm more than help, as you will kill the bacteria each time that feed on the nitrates and ammonia coming from defecates.



Hmm perhaps you can help walk me through a proper fish setup when the time comes.

Any for some reason you seem familiar, like maybe from another forum or something


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## dihsmaj (Apr 9, 2011)

Hoyle00cdn said:


> Hmm perhaps you can help walk me through a proper fish setup when the time comes.
> 
> Any for some reason you seem familiar, like maybe from another forum or something


 
Just take out 75% of the water


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## gillsy (Apr 9, 2011)

Hoyle00cdn said:


> Hmm perhaps you can help walk me through a proper fish setup when the time comes.
> 
> Any for some reason you seem familiar, like maybe from another forum or something


 
I seem familar, not sure why. I was mod for a short time on Turtle Forum, but I didn't have the time to do it.


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## Hoyle00cdn (Apr 9, 2011)

gillsy said:


> I seem familar, not sure why. I was mod for a short time on Turtle Forum, but I didn't have the time to do it.


 Nope, maybe a youtube account?



gillsy said:


> Cool no worries, I don't know what desease can be passed on from fish to reptiles, I have fish eating snakes and never had any issues.


 [Follow up Post]

"They are fatty as well as having very little in the way of vitamins and minerals in therm but also the contain a chemical called thiamesse this stops your pet absorbing the vitamin thiamine (vitamin b1) a deficiency of this can cause both neurological problems and cardiovascular problems."
Are goldfish really bad to use as feeders? - Yahoo!7 Answers

Guppies on the other hand breed like rabbits. I went to an aquarium specialty store yesterday and explained to them what I was doing. They suggested a simple aquatic setup as well (go figure), so I might think of adding a couple things. We'll see.







This will be the locking mechanism used to hold all three of the main pieces together (12 in total).


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## gillsy (Apr 11, 2011)

Hoyle00cdn said:


> Nope, maybe a youtube account?
> [Follow up Post]
> 
> "They are fatty as well as having very little in the way of vitamins and minerals in therm but also the contain a chemical called thiamesse this stops your pet absorbing the vitamin thiamine (vitamin b1) a deficiency of this can cause both neurological problems and cardiovascular problems."
> ...



Who said anything about goldfish, you read any of my keelback posts, and they all say I don't like feeding goldfish for the thiamase issue. 

I just said fish, I use native rainbows, there are plenty of fish you can use. And if you are using dusted crickets and insects, whole pinkies etc you wont have that issue anyway.


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## Hoyle00cdn (Apr 11, 2011)

gillsy said:


> Who said anything about goldfish, you read any of my keelback posts, and they all say I don't like feeding goldfish for the thiamase issue.
> 
> I just said fish, I use native rainbows, there are plenty of fish you can use. And if you are using dusted crickets and insects, whole pinkies etc you wont have that issue anyway.


I've only been a member here for a week, so unfortunately no I haven't read your keelback posts. apologies.


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## Chris1 (Apr 11, 2011)

cage looks fantastic, so do its future occupants!!!


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## Hoyle00cdn (Apr 13, 2011)

Here's the finished framing waiting on the glass sliding doors now


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## Specks (Apr 13, 2011)

nice its really coming along
will have to keep us posted and thanks for joining our forum, we need a bit of a change.
Canadians are popping up over here in Australia.
at my school just this year i have had 3 Canadian teachers come to my school.


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## Sterlo (Apr 13, 2011)

That looks mad keen to see the finished product


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## Hoyle00cdn (Apr 13, 2011)

Specks said:


> nice its really coming along
> will have to keep us posted and thanks for joining our forum, we need a bit of a change.
> Canadians are popping up over here in Australia.
> at my school just this year i have had 3 Canadian teachers come to my school.


 A lot of Canadians go to Australia for teacher's college. It's very very common.


















The styrene gluing has begun


















I used liquid nails as slayer suggested for an adhesive, but I wasn't too sure how well it would hold the weight of the grout that will covered the siding, so I used addition nuts and bolts to give added anchor support between the foam and the wood.




This was a last minute decision. This hole will serve as a cup holder for a live pot plant (probably a pathos). This way the plant can have full drainage at the bottom of the pot


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## Hoyle00cdn (Apr 18, 2011)

There will be more branches added, but this is the concept so far.









I'm going to add a couple more shelves, then it's finally on to grouting.


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## Dinoizmadragon (Apr 21, 2011)

Super keen to see how this turns out, excellent looking build so far


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## Hoyle00cdn (Apr 23, 2011)

[video=facebook;10150158877404420]http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150158877404420&comments#!/video/video.php?v=10150158877404420&comments[/video]


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## zack13 (Apr 23, 2011)

Video doesn't work.


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## Emilie (Apr 23, 2011)

Awesomw. Looks like lots of work. Can`t wait to see it the finished product


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## Hoyle00cdn (Apr 23, 2011)

Let me know if it works now





People were asking how it disassembles.





I had extra insolation foam so decided to put it on the bottom since the enclosure will be on the tile floor in the basement.





And the grouting has begun





Waterfall entrance.


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## Hoyle00cdn (May 4, 2011)

This is the plumbing setup for the waterfall. The hose 










The Canadian elections are finally over (depressing results mind you) so I have the time to get back on track with my vivarium.
Sorry for the delay guys.

Acrylic sealer time


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## Hoyle00cdn (May 8, 2011)

Wall Plant mounting
I came across a particular problem while building my vivarium. I guess no building project is without a bump or two in the road. Originally I sufficed with merely poking my fake vegetation into the wall and letting them hang, but the more I thought about it the more I realised this might end up being a disaster. Anyone who owns a CWD, or any lizard for that matter, will know that reptiles have a hard time distinguishing between decoration and perches. It would only be a matter of time before my dragons decided to climb all over these plants and rip them out along with the grout work.
So this was my solution.





First I grabbed aluminum tubing like so. It's not actually a tube, it's more like a coil, and I will explain why.





I drilled a hole through the grout, insulation foam and wood, then cut a piece of aluminum tubing to fit inside the hole. The hole I made was the exact diameter of the aluminum, but since the tubing coils like a spring it keeps the piece snug in place. (If anyone familiar with this type of product feel free to name it)





Here I slid the stem of the fake plant through the aluminum and staple gunned it to the plywood. I also used an adhesive silicone to plug the hole so no potential bugs can get in or out of the opening.





And here is the end result. It's must more stable than before and the aluminum gives enough support for my lizards to climb on without stressing the grout.
------------------------------------------------------------------------





This is the ventilation system. There is another one on the opposite side and both can be adjusted open and closed. There will be two more on the lid to provide an adequate circulation of air.













Here I drilled small holes into the perches and slid fake plant stems into them. For the most part the holes were just big enough to fit the stems while keeping them snug in place. 
When I began this project I was actually adverse to using fake plants, but I've come to realise that they are an excellent source of basic vegetation. You can craft them to the exact look you want with the freedom of growing live plants in and around them.


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## hurcorh (May 8, 2011)

looking awesome mate!


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## Dinoizmadragon (May 8, 2011)

Wow, great to see the progress - and incredible logs you've got there


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## cleothecoastal (May 8, 2011)

My coastal carpets are lookin at this now and thinking that im a stingy bastard haha


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## Hoyle00cdn (May 9, 2011)

Second road bump. The waterfall was leaking, so I had to break off the covering rock and examine the problem. What I eventually decided to do was remove all the pebble rocks and completely silicone the waterfall basin (as directed at LizardLandscapes.com). I let the silicone completely cure then gave it another test run...voila no leaks (so far, fingers crossed). I glued most of the pebbles back on and then some more to help disguise the silicone the best I can. When it comes to custom waterfalls I've learned that simplicity and quality always trumps aesthetics. Once I have added enough acrylic sealer I will regrout the wall and mount the covering rock back in place. Hopefully then I can have a video of the waterfall working.













I couldn't resist giving the little guy a tease of his new home.

Thanks for all the comments guys....
When everything is done, I may go back and put together a pictorial walkthrough of everything I did, so others can benefit from it as well.


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## melluvssnakes (May 9, 2011)

I've been following this from the start and I cannot wait to see the completed enclosure. Would love to recreate something similar for my Eastern Water Dragon one day

There are a couple of branches that are only attached to one side of the enclosure. What have you used to attach them that they aren't too top heavy?


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## guff_man (May 9, 2011)

Amazing work mate, awesome looking dragons too


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## Hoyle00cdn (May 10, 2011)

I did the lid today. It consists of a 6x3 plywood sheet with 2x4s outlaying the perimeter on both sides. I cut two holes for two additional vents. The vents were then screened to prevent bugs from getting in or out.













The locking mechanism for the lid is done with 4 dowels and a drill bit.









I regrouted the waterfall where i had to break the covering rock off to reseal the leak i had. I will probably glue the rock back on after the grout dries and i give it a couple coats of acrylic.







melluvssnakes said:


> There are a couple of branches that are only attached to one side of the enclosure. What have you used to attach them that they aren't too top heavy?


Excellent question. I will take better pictures to show how it was done.


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## Pinoy (May 10, 2011)

Really admire your work and appreciate the time and effort you have put into making this journal of your progression. 

Thank you for sharing 

Those Dragons look awesome, but I still like our Big Eastern males better


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## saximus (May 10, 2011)

Dude that looks amazing. I finally decided to check out why this thread had hit three pages. All I can say is well done and add my thanks for sharing in such detail


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## Hoyle00cdn (May 10, 2011)

Pinoy said:


> Those Dragons look awesome, but I still like our Big Eastern males better


 I do too.



saximus said:


> Dude that looks amazing. I finally decided to check out why this thread had hit three pages. All I can say is well done and add my thanks for sharing in such detail


 Everyone's encouragement has made this project that much more enjoying to complete.





Here's the UVB lighting system I will be using. It is not a canopy so I won't lose ceiling space from it. I will have to cut holes in the lid however to slide the cables through.













It took me a while to decide whether or not to add this to the enclosure. It's one of those Exo-Terra magnetic fake rock hides for smaller lizards. I glued the one half to the wall and grouted over it to make it match the texture. I have decided not to house my Haitian Curly tails separately anymore, but I am undecided whether I will sell them along with the enclosure or simply place them into this one with the water dragons. If I do the latter this hide will be perfect for them and I'd probably set that entire ledge up with foliage and a separate feeding dish to make them feel secure.









As per requested by Bamboo, here is the move.









That pink spot is the only damage received during the move. A quick regrout and a couple layers of sealer will fix that.









And that's with the glass doors in.


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## Dinoizmadragon (May 13, 2011)

So in love with this. Hopefully when I'm on break I can give something like this a try.


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## sammy09 (May 13, 2011)

can you get some photos of your Haitian Curly tails please


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## Hoyle00cdn (May 13, 2011)




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## Pinoy (May 13, 2011)

They look so cool!

Is the background staying that colour?
Or are you going to paint over it with a more natural colour?


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## Hoyle00cdn (May 13, 2011)

Pinoy said:


> They look so cool!
> 
> Is the background staying that colour?
> Or are you going to paint over it with a more natural colour?


 The background is staying that color. I wanted a more rocky look than a wood look. I may velcro some chord piece and glued some dried up mushroom ledges in the future, but for now I'd just like to get my guys in there.


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## Sezzzzzzzzz (May 13, 2011)

That looks fantastic!


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## melluvssnakes (May 14, 2011)

Hey, you never answered my question about how the logs are attached to only one wall without being too top heavy...


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## Hoyle00cdn (May 14, 2011)

melluvssnakes said:


> Hey, you never answered my question about how the logs are attached to only one wall without being too top heavy...


 I used three 3in wood screws. I will more than likely tie the ends off to the ceiling to give additional support as they get older and bigger

I wouldn't be doing my proper due diligence if I didn't record any of the mistakes or learning curves I've come across in this project. There have been two in the last couple days.





A minor problem occurred with the pond. Once I filled it up with water the weight immediately started to expand it and the grout cracked all along the rim. Thinking back I probably should have filled the tub with water before I began grouting. Either way I immediately regrouted the cracks and then applied a coat of acrylic sealer, as seen in the photo.





This isn't so much a construction problem than a behavior problem of the lizards. Originally I had my window tracks closer to the front, but this gave a ledge for my dragons to sit on and rub their noses back and forth. I moved the track further to the back so there's less of a ledge to sit on.


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## bluey87 (May 28, 2011)

mate all i gotta say is this is amazing its awesome how much time and effort u have put into your dragons home building and designing this enclosure massive thumbs up mate


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## sweetangel (May 28, 2011)

looks very impressive! amazing job!


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## bt1vn (May 28, 2011)

gday champ, i thought the one that i have just finished was good but this one poo's all over it. that looks like many hours of solid work gone into what can only be described as a masterpiece. good on ya, you should be very proud of yourself


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## Hoyle00cdn (Jun 6, 2011)

[video=youtube;lpRT0vfPODw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpRT0vfPODw[/video]


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## KaotikJezta (Jun 6, 2011)

Looks amazing and love those dragons


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## Froggiestyle (Jun 9, 2011)

thats awesome man


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## Lielah (Jun 15, 2011)

Hey, your enclosure looks great, well done! Are they using the water, do they get right in it??

What are the temps in your enclosure if you dont mind me asking and How often do you find you need to change the water??

...i see there a pipe in the water is that to drain it? Are you using a filter too?


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## Hoyle00cdn (Jun 22, 2011)

Lielah said:


> Hey, your enclosure looks great, well done! Are they using the water, do they get right in it??
> 
> What are the temps in your enclosure if you dont mind me asking and How often do you find you need to change the water??
> 
> ...i see there a pipe in the water is that to drain it? Are you using a filter too?


 Apologies for taking so long to reply.

Yes they use the water frequently, I had to add some additional rocks on the pond ledges so they could actually sit in the water with their head out and soak it in. For the most part water dragons don't spend too much time in the water (despite their name)

The temps vary in my enclosure. I get an average of high 80s*F (low 30s*C) in the top end of the tank. The temperature slowly drops do about mid 70s*F (mid 20*C) at the bottom. I run the pond like a regular aquarium setup. There's some fish in there to keep the proper nitrate cycle going.

The pipe was originally for the waterfall, but I ran into complication with it, and ended up opting for a sprinkler setup instead.


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## bluey87 (Jun 22, 2011)

mate top enclosure its awesome uve done an incredible job, and good looking dragons too do you handle them much?


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## Hoyle00cdn (Jun 22, 2011)

bluey87 said:


> mate top enclosure its awesome uve done an incredible job, and good looking dragons too do you handle them much?


 Every day when i have time. They tame fairly easy.


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