Hey everyone, i was refered here by a good friend who said you guys were the best source of help i could hope for.
I have decided to take on a project and my zeal may be getting away from me but it's rather large, but i was told if it can be done someone here has probably done it.
I'm building a very large enclosure, the bottom third will be an aquarium, and the top 2 thirds will be a tropical enclosure for most likely a green tree python.
I will start by going over the best case scenario i'd like to see, i understand that i am not the ultimate expert on the interaction of some of the species involved and the idea will probably be tweeked greatly.
The base is a 67 gallon tank, it measures 18x18x48, im going to build a custom stand to set it on which will also bear the weight of the upper enclosure which will be a further 3.5 feet up, they will be open to each other but with plenty of material to stop the snake from plumeting straight into the tank, not that he could not swim out if necessary on his own. I am planning on building a custom filter and have a friend who is going to help me there, we are going to then use a pump to push the water to the top of the enclosure where it will be used for the artificial rain and a waterfall style feature. (we will be exploring a valve system to turn off the waterfall when needed) it will then cascade down guided by some PVC piping and eventually land back in the tank, these pipes will also perpetually provide fresh water for the snake up above.
The structure will mostly be built from press-board and plywood, sealed from moisture as much as i can possibly manage, with a large plexiglass viewing area in the front, (tank obviously will be fully open)
Aside from the tree python as the main attraction in the tank i was hoping to get a few archer fish, given the unique opportunity for them to hunt with the open space above, along with them it was suggested that i even use scats to help minimize the impact of the snake's waste falling into the tank. I was also considering a variety of live plants and along with that possibly some surface dwelling frogs (though their relationship with the snake is up for debate)
between myself and my friend i think we have the outlying mechanics and architexture down, however i would love some input, will this work at all? i have a backup plan for a much much smaller version that basicaly consists of a much smaller tanks and just designing the top half for frogs and gecko's but if this can be done i'd love to do it.
I have decided to take on a project and my zeal may be getting away from me but it's rather large, but i was told if it can be done someone here has probably done it.
I'm building a very large enclosure, the bottom third will be an aquarium, and the top 2 thirds will be a tropical enclosure for most likely a green tree python.
I will start by going over the best case scenario i'd like to see, i understand that i am not the ultimate expert on the interaction of some of the species involved and the idea will probably be tweeked greatly.
The base is a 67 gallon tank, it measures 18x18x48, im going to build a custom stand to set it on which will also bear the weight of the upper enclosure which will be a further 3.5 feet up, they will be open to each other but with plenty of material to stop the snake from plumeting straight into the tank, not that he could not swim out if necessary on his own. I am planning on building a custom filter and have a friend who is going to help me there, we are going to then use a pump to push the water to the top of the enclosure where it will be used for the artificial rain and a waterfall style feature. (we will be exploring a valve system to turn off the waterfall when needed) it will then cascade down guided by some PVC piping and eventually land back in the tank, these pipes will also perpetually provide fresh water for the snake up above.
The structure will mostly be built from press-board and plywood, sealed from moisture as much as i can possibly manage, with a large plexiglass viewing area in the front, (tank obviously will be fully open)
Aside from the tree python as the main attraction in the tank i was hoping to get a few archer fish, given the unique opportunity for them to hunt with the open space above, along with them it was suggested that i even use scats to help minimize the impact of the snake's waste falling into the tank. I was also considering a variety of live plants and along with that possibly some surface dwelling frogs (though their relationship with the snake is up for debate)
between myself and my friend i think we have the outlying mechanics and architexture down, however i would love some input, will this work at all? i have a backup plan for a much much smaller version that basicaly consists of a much smaller tanks and just designing the top half for frogs and gecko's but if this can be done i'd love to do it.
