Custom Tank Design

[DragoBan]

I am looking to build two new tanks for my two bearded dragons. The smaller of the two has a 9" SVL and 18" full length, and I believe the other is 10" SVL and 19" full length but I havent measured his SVL yet.

I'm missing some key information in its design and would appreciate any input.

The basic idea so far is to build a 66x30x30 tank out of PVC panels with front sliding doors, vents on the side and/or back, and a solid top with internally mounted lighting.

I have a 34" reptisun T5HO UVB 10.0 that will be mounted near the top of the tank, I believe the plan was to be between 11-14" from basking spot. The basking bulbs that I use will be the exoterra 100w basking bulbs around 8-10" from basking spot depending on how the tank heats up. Both tanks' heat will be controlled by a herpstat 2 spyderweb plus an additional thermometer probe from another device for verification purposes.

The first area that I'm currently lost in is where the UVB + basking bulb should be placed whether centered, off centered, and if off centered then how far off. Ive been previously instructed to offer 4 areas within the tank, which are heat + uvb, no heat + uvb, heat + no uvb, and no heat + no uvb. My previous tank handled this by having two floors but this is not a two floor tank like that, so I'm not sure how to handle uvb + heat, no uvb + heat, and still have a cool side of the tank.

The second area that I'm currently lost in is how many vents should I have and what's the preferred placement ie sides, back, both, etc.

If you have any questions on things I've missed explaining, let me know. Otherwise all input is appreciated and considered.

 

[DragoBan]

Since I forgot to mention it in the original post: the substrate will be a mix of Playland and topsoil that doesn't have fertilizer. The plan is for it to be about 4-6 inches deep and I'll have an 8" substrate barrier in the front of the tank. I'll make sure I clean the tracks for the sliding doors regularly as well.

 

[Sadie]

Since I forgot to mention it in the original post: the substrate will be a mix of Playland and topsoil that doesn't have fertilizer. The plan is for it to be about 4-6 inches deep and I'll have an 8" substrate barrier in the front of the tank. I'll make sure I clean the tracks for the sliding doors regularly as well.

I ve got someone more experienced w/ this than I looking at your post

 

[DragoBan]

I ve got someone more experienced w/ this than I looking at your post

Thank you!

 

[Sadie]

Thank you!

Heres his input
Setting the UVB toward the front or the back of the enclosure can make some room for the basking light and create a gradient along the depth. I've done this and it works pretty well.

As far as vents go, I'd put vents low on the cool side and high on the warm side which will allow for the most airflow due to convection.

 

[DragoBan]

Heres his input
Setting the UVB toward the front or the back of the enclosure can make some room for the basking light and create a gradient along the depth. I've done this and it works pretty well.

Would that be with the UVB tube centered across the length or off to one of the sides? I've been told previously that it's best to have the basking spot centered with the UVB so I was wondering if having the 34" UVB tube off to the left or right side of the tank and centering the basking bulb with that would be a good option as opposed to having them centered with the tank as I've seen many other people do.

As far as vents go, I'd put vents low on the cool side and high on the warm side which will allow for the most airflow due to convection.

Would that imply just having the one vent on the left and one vent on the right? Or having a gradient of vents across the back as well? I'm preferably going to use the long rectangle vents for this, so I wouldn't need more than 1 on each side and/or 2 on back.

 

[Sadie]

Would that be with the UVB tube centered across the length or off to one of the sides? I've been told previously that it's best to have the basking spot centered with the UVB so I was wondering if having the 34" UVB tube off to the left or right side of the tank and centering the basking bulb with that would be a good option as opposed to having them centered with the tank as I've seen many other people do.

Would that imply just having the one vent on the left and one vent on the right? Or having a gradient of vents across the back as well? I'm preferably going to use the long rectangle vents for this, so I wouldn't need more than 1 on each side and/or 2 on back.

I have posted to him again

 

[Sadie]

I have posted to him again

I had a 36'' tank so I placed the UVB across the front and it ran the entire length of the enclosure with the basking light on one side over the center of the tank. With a fixture that is smaller than the length, I would set it toward the side with the basking light, running along either the front or the back wall.

I think a rectangular vent on each side should be enough. Some back vents could be added but I don't think they would be necessary and might interrupt airflow. Because of that, I'd probably use smaller vents on back that can be closed off easily to help adjust temperatures as needed.