Inhabitant Ideas

[paul112]

Hey all. I currently have a spare Exo-Terra, a 40x40x60cm one. It can hold 5" of water in the bottom if that helps at all. Now, I've been looking at a few species to put in there, but I want some honest advice. Snakes are out of the question I think, because my mum hates them. I was thinking lizards. Diurnal mind you, I can't be bothered setting a tank up for nocturnal residents.
Here are a few of the things I've looked into:
-An anole breeding quad. They are hard to come by as CB over here in the UK, so I was considering trying that out. I like the way they are a small active animal.
-Chinese Water Dragons. They look cool, but they eventually need a much larger enclosure, so I'm not sure whether or not they are a good idea. They are also a very common exotic. I know anoles are too, but the breeding factor makes them cool
-Green Basilisk. They have one at my LPS, and I love it. It's only small, about 7" inc. tail, but he looks so awesome. I've never seen them for sale before. From the information I've looked at however, they also grow large, and so they might not be appropriate depending on how fast they grow.
-Tiger Ameiva. They are fast and cool looking. They do however look very skittish and I can't find any information on them. Can someone please help out? The LPS has two, both WC, but would two be good together in a tank this size? Are they more ground dwelling or aboreal?

Thankyou all!
Paul

 

[Ophiuchus]

The anoles are a good idea, perhaps even a male/female ratio of 1:3 or 2:5.

The problem with the others are not only their adult sizes, but that those Exo-Terra tanks are more vertically-oriented. Because of their length and active nature, the water dragons and basilisks require a lot of horizontal running space. They both grow pretty quickly and even if started as babies, they could easily outgrow that cage in about 3 months.

A single tiger ameiva may be alright. They are terrestrial in nature and also require some floor space, but if I recall, they don't get much longer than 10-12".

Other suggestions are a small agama, mt horned dragon, curly-tailed lizard, or a pair of day geckos.

So why no nocturnals? IMO they're much easier to set-up due to less lighting requirements. Is it just that you don't see them during the day?

 

[paul112]

Thanks for our input I will look into those species
I don't want nocturnal, because I have just moved my White's Tree Frogs out that tank and into plastic housing because they were a PITA. I never saw them, and the tank was always a mess. I want something I can appreciate during the day, having another UVB light doesn't bother me
Paul

 

[Calgone]

I'd agree with the anoles. They are fun to watch, and you can even invest some time to creating a nice little paludarium for them, and maybe even throw in an oriental firebelly or a newt.