Alright, so although I am not finished with my 300 gallon newt pond project yet, I was able to acquire a pair of elephant trunk snakes over the weekend and will get them later in the week. (yeah yeah, I know, set up the tank before you buy...) Just like the newt pond, this one will require specialized aquarium knowledge and I believe this forum would be better then dendroboard/caudata or other reptile forums.
Elephant trunk snakes are different than any other snake in that they require a fully aquatic environment and don't have a rigid enough body structure to support their organs when left on land. (hence my intrest) They eat fish and have issues with sharp surfaces. They also seem to do best in soft, low PH water (similar to what I already aim for with my newts).
For the enclosure I am planning on building a 7'x3'x30" pond that has a separate 9'x4'x1.5' topper basking area.
The main pond will be built out of doubled 3/4" plywood inside a frame of 5/4 oak hardwood milled to 4/4. The topper will be built out of the same oak used for the frame. 1' will be above the ponds lip, letting the snakes bask along the edge of the pond, 6" will be below it and have space for plants/drainage.
I plan on using a single piece of 1" acrylic for the pond and using two pieces of 1/2" on sliding tracks to make a door for access to the top.
The frame will be steel and able to come apart if needed.
filtering will be accomplished with a sump, still curious to see how much bio-load the one I built for newts holds but will likely run something similar to that.
and in case you were wondering, yes, I am crazy for starting a second project while I finish my current one
Elephant trunk snakes are different than any other snake in that they require a fully aquatic environment and don't have a rigid enough body structure to support their organs when left on land. (hence my intrest) They eat fish and have issues with sharp surfaces. They also seem to do best in soft, low PH water (similar to what I already aim for with my newts).
For the enclosure I am planning on building a 7'x3'x30" pond that has a separate 9'x4'x1.5' topper basking area.
The main pond will be built out of doubled 3/4" plywood inside a frame of 5/4 oak hardwood milled to 4/4. The topper will be built out of the same oak used for the frame. 1' will be above the ponds lip, letting the snakes bask along the edge of the pond, 6" will be below it and have space for plants/drainage.
I plan on using a single piece of 1" acrylic for the pond and using two pieces of 1/2" on sliding tracks to make a door for access to the top.
The frame will be steel and able to come apart if needed.
filtering will be accomplished with a sump, still curious to see how much bio-load the one I built for newts holds but will likely run something similar to that.
and in case you were wondering, yes, I am crazy for starting a second project while I finish my current one
