NEED ADVICE ABOUT SETUP- 2020

[bbohannon13]

I bred veileds years ago and have been out of the game for a decade. Decided this time that a panther would be fun. I keep saltwater aquariums so I have an extra AI Prime available. I'm a fan of automation and clean looking setups. I'm budgeting around $1,000 but can be flexible if need be. Here is what I need help with:

Enclosure: Considering Reptibreeze Deluxe. Probable have to upgrade through sizes as he grows. I like the front glass with open sides. Led lights mean nothing due to the Prime outperforming them.

Misting Unit: ?

Tree: Had a ficus back in the day. Anything better?

Substrate: I like living green moss. Absorbs water to hold in humidity and looks nice.

UVB: I like the longer tubes. Not sure which brand of bulb, I used Reptisun back in the day.

Heat: Open to suggestions. Mini or full?

Full Spectrum: AI Prime is advanced. Full sunrise and automation through app. Not sure why reptile community hasn't made a fully automated hood yet? I always found my Repti-friends were quite ingenious.

Food: What is the reputable place to order from now? Josh frogs was good for diversity back in the day.

Chameleon: A list of reputable breeders would be nice. I am only keeping one male so I'll get a nice one.


Thank you for helping,
Bohannon

 

[nightanole]

Ficus is another "hard mode" to keep alive. Long term i have only been able to keep pothos and dracaena alive and growing. I have 4-5 hibiscus, so those i pop in the tank for about 6 months before they start getting iffy, and then i rotate them out.


UVB. T5HO Reptisun 5.0 or arcadia 6% are great, one is not better than the other, and im 90% sure they are made side by side in the same german lighting factory.

reptibreeze XL is the default right now, or if you have a bit(alotabits) more money, the dragonstrand has really upped their game and can do clear sides etc.

 

[MissSkittles]

I bred veileds years ago and have been out of the game for a decade. Decided this time that a panther would be fun. I keep saltwater aquariums so I have an extra AI Prime available. I'm a fan of automation and clean looking setups. I'm budgeting around $1,000 but can be flexible if need be. Here is what I need help with:

Enclosure: Considering Reptibreeze Deluxe. Probable have to upgrade through sizes as he grows. I like the front glass with open sides. Led lights mean nothing due to the Prime outperforming them.

Misting Unit: ?

Tree: Had a ficus back in the day. Anything better?

Substrate: I like living green moss. Absorbs water to hold in humidity and looks nice.

UVB: I like the longer tubes. Not sure which brand of bulb, I used Reptisun back in the day.

Heat: Open to suggestions. Mini or full?

Full Spectrum: AI Prime is advanced. Full sunrise and automation through app. Not sure why reptile community hasn't made a fully automated hood yet? I always found my Repti-friends were quite ingenious.

Food: What is the reputable place to order from now? Josh frogs was good for diversity back in the day.

Chameleon: A list of reputable breeders would be nice. I am only keeping one male so I'll get a nice one.


Thank you for helping,
Bohannon

Dragon Strand enclosures I hear (I can’t afford) are great. If you get a Repti Breeze, skip the deluxe as the only difference is the led lights.
Mist King
Lots of plants! Check this out for some ideas. https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/
Maybe think about bioactive substrate. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/intro-to-bio-activity.2429/
Incandescent bulb for basking...I use full size dome light
Josh’s frogs still sells a variety of feeders. Also check out the forum sponsors.
For breeders, again check forum sponsors. If I were looking for a really nice panther, I’d start with Kammerflage.
Chameleonacademy.com is the creation of Bill Strand who makes Dragon Strand and has so much info there, plus podcasts.

 

[bbohannon13]

Great stuff. I'm doing research on it right now. As for the Dragon Strand, they look like the thing to buy for an adult. I am correct that I will need a juvenile cage and an adult later down the road?

 

[GoodKarma19]

I am correct that I will need a juvenile cage and an adult later down the road?

No, not necessarily. A juvenile can be placed directly into an adult cage without issue, and it saves the hassle of having to upgrade the enclosure within ~6 months. I got my veiled girl at 9 weeks, and she absolutely thrived when put directly into her 36x18x36 bioactive enclosure!

If you do opt to start with a smaller cage, i highly recommend purchasing the light fixtures you'll end up using on the adult cage and using those even with the overhang. You can always keep the smaller cage as an outdoor/temporary enclosure, anyway!

 

[bbohannon13]

First off, I appreciate the responses thus far. Very helpful. Further critiques would be very welcome, especially people who have tried this and failed miserably. I have done quite some research in the last 24 hours and here is what I am looking to do. My saltwater aquariums are pretty much fully automated except feeding. I want to do the same. Since we just moved into a new house and I am fixing up the basement, I am not in a rush on this project. I want to get everything setup and running, then get the chameleon after the biome is thriving. So far here is my plan:

Enclosure:
1. Dragon Strand Vivarium Series 4x2x4. I have watched his videos and can see he offers great product support. I am going to call tomorrow and hopefully he will let me get into his beta test.

Mist:
1. Mist King with extra nozzles mist almost all the enclosure. Not all areas will be misted, but I can add if needed.

Controller:
1. Herpstat 2 Spyderweb. I have some of the first herpstats and they work great. I even tested some for use in fishtanks for him. They work great. This will allow me to change the temperature throughout the day to mimic actual climate changes. I can also use a dimmable t5ho uvb if I choose. That is still under contemplation.

Lighting:
1. I am using a Aqua Illumination Prime HD for the full spectrum lighting. It is completely controllable.

Heat: Three Options
1. I have an email out to RapidLed, I've used them extensively in the past for aquariums, about their infrared diodes. This would be the preferable route if they can produce enough heat. I have asked if they could be retrofitted into a par 30 (standard size) bulb. The diodes also need to be dimmable and often times, infrared is not.
2. Arcadia Deep Heat. Certainly has its plusses and minuses. I'm not sure if it is dimmable.
3. Run a ceramic heater. The herpstat will control the heater so the sizing isn't critical. I was thinking 100w but if you have a better suggestion.

UVB:
1. Reptisun 5.0 T5 Ho. If I plan to dim the bulb I may go to a 10.0. Sounds like something that a uvb meter would be needed. I have a par meter for aquariums so if anyone wants to do a temporary exchange, I would do that.

Plants:
1. That is the Wife's call. She has been looking online from the link suggested above and seems to like the potato vine. I'm sure she will find more, she has quite the green thumb.

Substrate:
1. I was looking at a bio-active floor, but I do have some questions I can 't seem to find an answer. With the bottom of the dragon strand being mesh, won't the larvae isopods and other bugs get out? Bugs in house= Brent in garage.
2. Either empty or something simple like moss that can be cleaned easily.

Food:
1. Crickets as the staple with a variety of mealworms and silkworms. I have a nature's spirit incubator that does well for silks.

Supplements:
1. Repashy. Accept no substitutes.

Chameleon:
1. Ambilobe. I can see that I will want a pair at some point. Not right away. The females are quite nice as Bill says. I plan on doing a male first and then a female, because that will slow down any breeding ambitions for a few years. This is just a hobby and have no interest in starting a business again. I already have one. I am a member of Lion's Club, Ruritan, and Rotary, so I would just donate proceeds to them anyways.

 

[CrisBruns]

We have a bioactive set up but are new to it and know it is somewhat controversial. Used a dragon stand with our first cham and I just couldn't keep up with cleaning the drainage tray. For our current set up, we used a grow bag similar to what is pictured below from the biodude.
We have a 36" long by 18" deep enclosure that has a solid bottom (Reptibreeze iguanarium) so we got a larger size grow bag from our local nursery. However, there were still gaps around the corners so we filled those with sphagnum moss then put rocks around the edges. But it kept leaking out onto the table after misting so ended up putting in plexiglass around the outside which fixed that problem. At first I wasn't sure if it was leaking out of the bottom of the bag and through the bolt holes or from the wet sphagnum through the sides. I believe it was the latter since the problem resolved after installing the plexiglass. We used the terra firma (I believe very similar to ABG mix) and used dried magnolia leaves from our yard, isopods and springtails. We did use the bioshot which I think is actually this product (I use it when I garden): espoma organic bio-tone starter plus 4-3-3 plant food plus mycorrhizae. We planted it out about a month before we got our panther. Had to pull out 1 hibiscus already because I planted it where it wasn't getting enough light (have Jungle dawn LED 34" fixture) but the pothos, schefflera, 2 kinds of dracaena and croton are doing very well. Light fixtures are from www.lightyourreptiles.com. Very glad I asked their advice because I would have gotten the wrong UVB fixture for our set up. As I said, we are new to the bioactive setup so it's only been set up for a couple of months now. As far as breeder goes, we got our current cham from Chameleon Paradise (sponsor of this site) and would recommend.

 

[Gingero]

Mealworms are not recommended for chameleons due to the levels of chitin. Here are some other bugs you can feed instead. Variety is key:




Make sure you use Repashy LoD not the other kinds.

What gutload are you planning on using?

 

[Multivitamins]

??

 

[bbohannon13]

What gutload are you planning on using?


Repashy for all supplements, to include gut load.

 

[Pickle-cham]

I'm not sure your ambiant temperatures you may live in temperate zone climate. But panther chameleons benefit from a night time drop, think the ceramic heater would only be needed if night time ambient is too low.
The bulbs I've been recommended is either a normal incandescent bulb or reptile specific flood bulbs for uva both are definitely dimmable ?

 

[bbohannon13]

My

I'm not sure your ambiant temperatures you may live in temperate zone climate. But panther chameleons benefit from a night time drop, think the ceramic heater would only be needed if night time ambient is too low.
The bulbs I've been recommended is either a normal incandescent bulb or reptile specific flood bulbs for uva both are definitely dimmable ?

My basement stays mid 60's.

 

[Pickle-cham]

Panthers can go down to 60f at night fine according to chameleon academy but any lower you may need that extra heater?

 

[bbohannon13]

I am trying to keep as much extraneous light out of the equation. With the technology now, I will have to use a uvb bulb that operates in the visible spectrum. I have contacted one led company about custom made 300nm leds. That will certainly require calibration with a uvb meter. While writing this Rapid answered my question. Unfortunately they cannot put it into a bulb. I may be able to. In a perfect world, the only light comes from the full spectrum source and everything ramps in response to it. As the light ramps the hotter the basking spot gets along with uvb exposure. This makes for an "as close to natural" condition.

 

[Pickle-cham]

I think the best source for uva (heat) for this species is old filament style bulbs that we are heading away from and even banning altogether.
I'm interested in hearing anything that will be bleeding edge new technology it would be interesting to hear.
Think leds best for plants, filament bulb if you want to be able to dim the uva /heat source & a linear ho t5 for uvb source.
Cant wait to see what you come up with, sounds like its going to be a bit more advanced than your average light set up?

 

[bbohannon13]

Please give me your thoughts about this idea. I have decided to go ahead and get the dimmable t5ho kit for my uvb. The enclosure will be a 4x2x4 dragon strand. Should I get a 2ft, 3ft, or 4ft kit? I've read the academy lesson about UVB, https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-cage-set-up-replicating-the-sun/, and like the idea about gradients. If I go with the 4ft fixture it is spread across the entire enclosure and the plants will need to create the gradient. With the dimming capabilities I can dial in the zones how I want them at different times of the day. 3ft seems to be in the middle which leaves a small section without uvb or greatly diminished. 2ft only get half of the enclosure. Also looking down the road for adding a female with the other tube, is a 4ft enclosure necessary for her or is 2ft sufficient. I have read many opinions on this.

 

[Pickle-cham]

Ive got 2ft 6% on mine so half my 2x2x4 is covered think light shade method, so to give option to get uv or escape it.

 

[bbohannon13]

I'm going to vent some frustration here. So earlier when I contacted the aquarium site, I've them extensively with great customer support, they informed me that their retrofit t5 kit would work with the herpstat. Even gave them a link. Then I heard back from Herpstat guy, another good guy I used extensively when I had my reptile business, and he said nope, it can't be 0-10v dimming. I'm going to listen to the guy who makes the product. So now I am trying to find a PWM or other ballast that works with T5 HO. My gripe is why isn't there more compatibility within reptile products? LED's are seldomly used with herps, but T5s are all the rage. T5s use 0-10v dimming. Why is that not the dimming method. I know it would be easy to just use a typical setup, but I want to figure out a way to create a natural lighting and heating solution. Like I said, I'm not in a rush to get the chameleon. I am completely content to toil away for six months while I create the perfect habitat. Just frustrated tonight. I am also on day 10 of no AC and day 9 of covered in poison ivy. Grrr.

 

[MissSkittles]

I'm going to vent some frustration here. So earlier when I contacted the aquarium site, I've them extensively with great customer support, they informed me that their retrofit t5 kit would work with the herpstat. Even gave them a link. Then I heard back from Herpstat guy, another good guy I used extensively when I had my reptile business, and he said nope, it can't be 0-10v dimming. I'm going to listen to the guy who makes the product. So now I am trying to find a PWM or other ballast that works with T5 HO. My gripe is why isn't there more compatibility within reptile products? LED's are seldomly used with herps, but T5s are all the rage. T5s use 0-10v dimming. Why is that not the dimming method. I know it would be easy to just use a typical setup, but I want to figure out a way to create a natural lighting and heating solution. Like I said, I'm not in a rush to get the chameleon. I am completely content to toil away for six months while I create the perfect habitat. Just frustrated tonight. I am also on day 10 of no AC and day 9 of covered in poison ivy. Grrr.

I can’t help with you T5 problem, but can suggest a cool bath in colloidal oatmeal to soothe the heat and rash.

 

[bbohannon13]

. My wife forced to do the online doctor thing today and he prescribed prednisone. Feels a bit better. Ice also helps.