New here, figured this is the best site to learn for all my different animals tanks and enclosures. Currently i'm working on the next enclosure for my American Alligator named Ulysses. I got him as a hatchling, and he's a couple months old now, and time to move him out of his tank. This next enclosure is still in the design process, but i'll be planning as i go. It's not meant to be permanent, but reuseable, so when he outgrows it, i'll get a different animal for it.
If all goes well, this next one will be 4ft x 8ft, wood and glass. his land area will sit 36" above ground, be fully enclosed, with a 3ft round pond off to one side that is sunken into the land platform. I want to keep the water itself simple for cleanliness purposes, but am going to add some sort of live plant. The land area will likely just be turf. I'll have a shelf right below for his filters, spare bulbs, etc, and an area under that part for his dry food and bulkier items.
The pond is roughly 85 gallons, and with it being pretty bare i'm confident two cannister filters will do just fine. I currently run one for his 75 gallon tank and it keeps up just fine. I have a spare, so i'll just run both at once instead of buying new.
I'll have a canopy and some sort of an access door that i haven't thought of yet. It's not too critical but more for convenience. I handle him daily and plan to continue that until one of us dies first. I'm thinking maybe the whole front will come down on a hinge to help with cleaning, and getting him in and out but i'm not sure yet.
I'm not as fancy as some of you guys, and I'm learning as i go, so feel free to chime in with questions concerns tips ideas etc as i post the build.
My current questions in my mind so far are as to what i should finish off any wood parts with for a) looks and b) any moisture. The outside area that he won't have access to i'll stain with regular wood stain and clear. I don't imagine much water spillage, but i'd like to plan for it so what should I do for the inside parts that he has access to, or the parts under the turf?
If all goes well, this next one will be 4ft x 8ft, wood and glass. his land area will sit 36" above ground, be fully enclosed, with a 3ft round pond off to one side that is sunken into the land platform. I want to keep the water itself simple for cleanliness purposes, but am going to add some sort of live plant. The land area will likely just be turf. I'll have a shelf right below for his filters, spare bulbs, etc, and an area under that part for his dry food and bulkier items.
The pond is roughly 85 gallons, and with it being pretty bare i'm confident two cannister filters will do just fine. I currently run one for his 75 gallon tank and it keeps up just fine. I have a spare, so i'll just run both at once instead of buying new.
I'll have a canopy and some sort of an access door that i haven't thought of yet. It's not too critical but more for convenience. I handle him daily and plan to continue that until one of us dies first. I'm thinking maybe the whole front will come down on a hinge to help with cleaning, and getting him in and out but i'm not sure yet.
I'm not as fancy as some of you guys, and I'm learning as i go, so feel free to chime in with questions concerns tips ideas etc as i post the build.
My current questions in my mind so far are as to what i should finish off any wood parts with for a) looks and b) any moisture. The outside area that he won't have access to i'll stain with regular wood stain and clear. I don't imagine much water spillage, but i'd like to plan for it so what should I do for the inside parts that he has access to, or the parts under the turf?
