Ya Ive done reef tanks for quite awhile, but because of time contraints, and more limited funding due to paying for school and some other stuff right now I want to take a quick break from reefing...well at least reefing in my home...we have a tank at the office, and I also service a friends tank which is like my tank away from home. im pretty stoked to be getting into keeping chams
New to Reptiles
- Thread starter clayw
- Start date
Jonasburns
New Member
IMO Clay, you shouldn't have any problem moving from salty's to reptiles. I have kept freshwater tanks for many years and recently decided on a change myself. I consider anyone who can successfully manage salt tanks to be an expert keeper.
Good luck in your new endeavors.
Good luck in your new endeavors.
Thanks Jonas, honestly, Im not to apprehensive about reptiles because everyone always claims what a pain and how hard it is to sustain a thriving reef tank, true it does take a lot of discipline, attention and funds, but its not to bad, at least I didnt think so. Im sure keeping a cham will work for me as well. Im interested in building my own auto mister, the only thing I like about the mist king is that you can set it to go off multiple times through out the day. I know I can program my reefkeeper controller to enable a timed setting more than once through out the day, so i could probably use that, but im not sure i want to figure it out. Digital Aquatics had a booth next to mine at the Apex expo this weekend and they said they had a HerpKeeper coming out in the next few months, same basic function as the pondkeeper or reefkeeper, but the herpkeep can measure relative humidity as well as temp in different areas of the enclosure, might be worth purchasing.
-clay
-clay
Jonasburns
New Member
np mate, you can get multiple setting timers @ home depot but i don't know if they have smaller intervals than 1 minute. the one i use can take 20 individual settings it was like 20 and change.
Did you get a good look at what pump mist king uses... mainly the PSI rating? Just curious as they look relaly simalr to booster pumps in our ro/di units.
update.. lol google helped... upto 125psi... whats the actual psi anyone ever measure? have pretty much what i think is the same type of pump but pumps at 100psi from an old RO/DI unit i dont use anymore wondering if this would work? have the selenoid switch which shuts water off immediatly, just would need some tubing and nozzle i would assume... now im thinking what if I just remove the DI stage of the unit and have it hooked up directly... plus timer... alwasy RO filtered water, never any standing water in a reservoir or anything?
Sorry Clay off topic(not my thread) but some of us reef keepers have this equpiment lying around over the years, and trying to get some ideas along with you lol. Also email Digital Aquatics about the HerpKeeper Software and if you can flash/update your reefkeeper, to be a Herp Keeper at the cost of software update or by sending it in? They as what it looks like use a rklite contoller with same acdesories etc. might be possible??
Havnt looked into it but would or does the herpkeeper's timer able to go in seconds maybe 30 second intervals??
-J
JCDenton
New Member
Chams aren't that hard to take care of. The tough parts are that they are very expensive, doing the initial setup right takes a lot of effort, and you have to read a LOT at the start because even the best caresheets/articles don't cover every detail. Once you get rolling though, the maintenance and day to day care is minimal. Just automate the lights and the misting...the cham will be happier with the consistency anyways. Make sure you have access to water devoid of flouride and other bad stuff. I have a 5 gallon jug I fill at the grocery store for $1.75 and it lasts for 2 weeks of mist king use.
Hey Jason, no worries man, yoru questions were good i was wondering the same things you were. Are you going to be getting a cham? I'll be finished building my enclosure tomorrow, I ended up going 22"x16"x24" to give the little guy a bit more room.
Jason, do you think a Sicce pump would work for an auto mister? its 650gph...to much? Ill definitly email the digital aquatics guys about that.
-clay
Jason, do you think a Sicce pump would work for an auto mister? its 650gph...to much? Ill definitly email the digital aquatics guys about that.
-clay
Im sure they are not, just if we have stuff around instead of paying 140 for a mistking and I/we have access to the products which basically make a mist king at the fraction of the cost(cause its in my closet collecting dust) mine as well ask, also with the controller know its not needed but I also have a Apex unit and if I can put it to use mine as well right? cant hurt to ask and see if anyone has more information on the topic to add.
Yes, looking into a Ambilobe Panther, Getting a day off tomorrow and going to try out mkaing my own somwhat like diycages with window screen framing, have Advanced acrylics make my a tray 2" larger than the enclosure, which will will have an angle toward the center for drainage with a "flush" bulkhead to drain into a container for drainage. This tray/enclusure will be inset into a 24-30" stand. (this idea is for an adult enclusre). First Cham will be a baby Ambilobe which will start out in a 16or18" x 16or18 x 24" high. will just use a tupperware lid to catch runoff/drainage.
But I am also looking to have everything setup running smoothly and have everything where I want it before introducing my first Cham. Seems like it might be a ittle overkill cause it really doesnt require that much into it but i like to make sure I can provide for any animal to my best capabilities and even if its overkill with controllers, mists, humidfiers cause they are really not needed most of this stuff seems like makes things easier on you and or your Cham. So why not. specially when you have stuff sitting around.
Im assuming to get a good fine mist its going to be more about pressure not GPH, but thats just me assuming.
cool man, ill be picking up a panther as well. i dig the nosy b's though to along with the ambilobe, im interested in seeing what you come up with for the adult enclosure. I built my enclosure out of something slightly smaller than a 2x2 cut from birch, stained with some deck sealer so the water wont tear it down in time, and screen mesh also. Let me know how it goes with your auto mister, i also want to have everything set up well before I get the cham. Will you be attempting to build the auto mister tomorrow then?
I hope to... just havent even walked into a LRS(find that forums such as these have much more wealth of information than a local reptile or petstore would have to offer me being a newb and all they could sell me whatever they wanted if i didnt check this pace out along with many other places lol) to see if they even carry mist king nozzles which im assuming they do, or if ill have to order them online. If I can get the Nozzles at a local store then yes. If not the answer is obvious. Picked up 18" reptisun 5.0 tube from work and already had left over domes and basking lamps with my turtles.
So hopefully everything is ready and working and set up tomorrow. Seems pretty basic if I fail at making my own enclosure prolly just go out and buy one and start working on adult enclusure and learn from my mistakes lol.
Just still deciding what material to use for the screen, cheap stuff(which i highly doubt ill use), Fiberglass, or Aluminum screen, prolly going with the aluminum screen in the end just depends on durability, crickets and visibility.
For my adult enclosure I will definitly go with aluminum screen all the way around, however for the juvenille enclosure which I am finishing tomorrow Ill be using the vynal mesh. I went into a LRS today to check out some stuff, I need to get a fixture for a reptisun UVB bulb...it looks like the bulbs will not fit in any of our fixtures. They did not have any auto misters. I dont think a nozzle from mistking is the only thing that will work. There are plenty of good high pressure nozzels at Home Depot used to set up strong outdoor mist systems, curious if these will work...I need to look into it more, my biggest thing is finding a sufficient pump that will power the mist system. Let me know what you end up using. Post some pictures of you set up when your done if possible, Id like to check it out.
-clay
-clay
i know theres other misters out there also avaiable at lowes/HD, just hate spending time at a HD or Lowes and guessing which one will suit my needs and not want or need to try something else and make another trip to the lowes thats all of 2 mins away. Place is big and i end up looking at the entire place everytime i go there even if i make 3 trips in one day lol... its like when my GF goes into Coach she never leaves emtpy handed... difference is i get crap if i get something at a hardware store that i didnt "plan" on getting lol. so its one trip and thats it unless i need more framing or something
Action Jackson
Chameleon Enthusiast
I'm not sure if this will help you guys but here is what I do for watering my Chameleons. I picked up this time at HD
This timer will go down to 1 minute increments and can be set to come on multiple times a day. I has 1/2" drip line for the main line and is branched off to the cages with 1/4" drip line. The heads are drip line foggers or misters.
Really easy to set up. You can add and remove line whenever things change.You can have as many or as few heads as you want. I've been using this same line for years. I've also used a sprinkler timer and attached a regular lawn sprinkler valve to the spicket (sp) and had the timer inside the house/garage.
This timer will go down to 1 minute increments and can be set to come on multiple times a day. I has 1/2" drip line for the main line and is branched off to the cages with 1/4" drip line. The heads are drip line foggers or misters.
Really easy to set up. You can add and remove line whenever things change.You can have as many or as few heads as you want. I've been using this same line for years. I've also used a sprinkler timer and attached a regular lawn sprinkler valve to the spicket (sp) and had the timer inside the house/garage.
Yep cool, thank you. just trying to get som ideas running threw the noggin before i go buy stuff and hopefully i like what i come up with so I dont have to change it much.
Well Setup isnt complete finished cage, light and dome... testing out different things with mister head, for a 180, and 90g mini mister but drops are to big... decied to go with the fogger head from HD really fine mist at household water pressure, no surprise there. They only had a 360 degree nozzle that was a fogger/fine mist, was hoping to find a 90 or atleast 180 degree but this will have to do for now.
This is what i ended up after 30-35 bucks and a couple hours ended up accidently screening the top with standard fiberglass screen by mistake fixked now and has aluminum screen on top.
sooo... wheres the pic. Now i just need to find my phone since i lost my camera. Hopefully keeping an eye on a Cham is easier than my stuff(phone, keys, camera, etc) jk lol.
Ended up going down to LLLReptile to get the last couple things I needed plus a baby "Ballar" Amilobe. Seems to like it already, He ate a few crickets and definently didnt mind a misting. But found using a clear cup and not an opaque when was kind of cruel he kept on trying to go "through" instead of hanging above it and.
Ended using a Aqualifter for drip, and manually misting until with fogger nozzle with gate valve... was going to check out if a riohf with a 3/4 to 1/4" adapter on a timer will work... just wish the fogger nozzle form HD was 360 degrees, would have liked it to be 90 max 180. It will work though for adult unclosure.
Also first attempt at putting crickets in a Rubbermaid container was a bad idea... climbed right up the sides and got out even with lid on.
Then i look up and see I have a 10g glass tank empty cleen etc... now they are safe and not getting out of that... hopefully. lol
