#Need tank setup help

1 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

ivory dew
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My 11 year old brother is changing up his 2 year old geckos tank. My mom help him with his current setup and it’s .. not good.. my brother wants it to have a natural theme to it. What’re the basics for his tank? I think he wants a bio active tank but I think he’d have trouble with taking care of it

dreamy violet
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have you read through the server !guide yet? That'll go over the basics and we can help with further questions here

young sirenBOT
azure knoll
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Providing a picture of your current setup will also help love_frog

ivory dew
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Okkk

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We already got him a bigger tank because this is just way too small

azure knoll
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Is it a 36x 18x 18? :3

ivory dew
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This is the current setup. My little brother really wants a more natural looking tank and wants dirt as substrate but I think solid substrate would be easier for him to take care of

20250219_213308.jpg 20250219_213257.jpg
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I hate the plants that are in it rn

azure knoll
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Well, Loose sub can be vary enriching and honestly there isn't much taking care of it lol.

ivory dew
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Really?

azure knoll
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Mhm!

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non bio sub has to be changed tho, i change mine every 6 months and that's about it aside from occasionally rehydrating it nqa

ivory dew
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Really??

azure knoll
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Yes lol

ivory dew
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Haha I gotta stop listening to my mom lol

azure knoll
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loose sub also provides the leo with norw natural behaviors such as digging, Making tunnels ect. Nqa

azure knoll
ivory dew
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Hahah

ivory dew
viral acorn
azure knoll
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I use a 70/30 mixture. 70% safe soil, and 30% play sand mix

azure knoll
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cause it does look small From whats visible :3

ivory dew
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Yeah it is. It’s only a 15 I think. I told my mom a long time ago he needs a bigger one but she kept crashing out

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So we got a big one anyway and she’s kinda mad lol

viral acorn
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What did yall get?

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Well the dimensions of it

ivory dew
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I’ll have to look in a minute. The tank is a surprise and he’s here lol. He’s going to bed soon

viral acorn
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Oooh

ivory dew
azure knoll
ivory dew
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Ohh so i shouldn’t have loose soil depending on the size?

azure knoll
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Size, and proper setup because without proper setup there's higher risks of health issues nqa

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from the pictures you sent, you don't have a proper husbandry and especially with the size of the tank. Switching the little one to loose sub could cause problems nqa

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❤️

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So its best to wait on that until you get a proper setup! To ensure nothing goes wrong :3

ivory dew
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Ok I just looked and it’s a 20 long tank

azure knoll
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So, Unfortunately it is below thriving minimum UWAAAH

ivory dew
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Really?

azure knoll
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Yes, Thriving min is 36x 18x 18 or a 40 gallon long

ivory dew
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Oh..

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Will the 20 gallon still work?

azure knoll
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Not permanently no

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it can buy you a few months, hut with 20 gallons you cannot use Uvb due to how small they are and heating can be another hassle as well as temp gradients. Nqa

ivory dew
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Ohh..

azure knoll
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Leos need lots of explore space, hides and clutter. They are prey animals and sadly it can be vary hard to provide that in such a small tank :<

ivory dew
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Hm .. well 20 is still better than 15 I guess .. so, in the meantime, what would you recommend?

azure knoll
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Just try to provide more clutter, No uvb which means your have to adjust your dusting schedule for your feeders. Imo stay with paper towels as sub, and monitor temps closely. Do you have proper thermometers and a thermostat? Nqa

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if pricing for a new tank is a issue, check places like facebook market

ivory dew
azure knoll
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So, thats gonna need to he replaced ;w; to help monitor how hot its getting

ivory dew
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Yepp

azure knoll
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Here's my tanks for example with clutter. Plants, cork, hides, rock slates

Snapchat-798828957.jpg Snapchat-226179023.jpg
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Provide a lot of clutter so the little one will feel safe! :3

ivory dew
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That’s beautiful omg

azure knoll
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Ty ^^ You can find a lot of examples in enclosure inspo!

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But that can help give your a idea of clutter and stuff :3

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you can also find rock slates/sticks from outside! They just need to be cleaned properly and the stick have to be from a hardwood tree blush

ivory dew
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Ok and for the lighting, he has a basking bulb i believe, is that alright ?

azure knoll
ivory dew
azure knoll
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you can bake, Freeze and boil them :3 i boiled my rocks and sticks, and leaf litter but heads up. DON'T bake rocks 😭

ivory dew
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Haha what happens??

azure knoll
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Boom boom lmfao

ivory dew
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OH NO

dreamy violet
ivory dew
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WHY?

azure knoll
dreamy violet
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Boom??

azure knoll
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took my moms crock pot outside with a extension cord and put those mfs on to cook lmfao

ivory dew
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Hahahahha

azure knoll
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I'm dumb, don't do what i did apparently

dreamy violet
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I just pour boiling water over rocks to be safe 😭

azure knoll
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Do that instead for safety

dreamy violet
azure knoll
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get the bomb squad called on me, someone gonna think i'm setting off bombs

ivory dew
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So since no loose soil, with paper towels , should I also use reptile tile?

azure knoll
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You mean reptile carpet?

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If so no-

ivory dew
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The list thingy said tile

azure knoll
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Oh yes, plain tile lol

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plain landscaping tile

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:3

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just make sure its not shiny/glossy nqa

ivory dew
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This came up when I looked it up

IMG_7525.png
azure knoll
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yeah no

ivory dew
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Haha I figured

azure knoll
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don't put the word reptile in front of it, just tile like for landscaping

ivory dew
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Ohhhh

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Derp

azure knoll
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:3

ivory dew
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Maybe I’ll be able to find something cheaper in the store😭😭😭😭😭 100$!!?.?,

azure knoll
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lmfao Welcome to owning reptiles

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check places like lows, home depot ect if your in the us

ivory dew
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I WAS AGAINST THIS IDEA

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I will

azure knoll
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Yeahhhh that's why i'm not a fan of parents giving their little ones pets 😭 even tho i'm a legal kid myself- its a lot of responsibility and money

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plus vet visits rack up bills fast lol

ivory dew
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Oh I know. My mom is very irresponsible with pets. She thinks they’re replaceable

azure knoll
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Does she even realize your alls little dude needs a exotic vet if anything happens and or he gets sick? 😭

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Cause they need vets just like a cat or dog-

ivory dew
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His gecko got very very sick last year and she refused to take it to the vet because “with that money, we could get a new one”

ivory dew
azure knoll
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I'm gonna be brutally honest, If you well your parents cannot or will not allow the animal proper care you might want to look into rehoming. Unfortunately these little ones have their own needs that have to be met, and the average setup (proper) costs 200-500$ us that doesn't include vets. :<

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surviving isn't thriving and its super sad but your mom doesn't sound like she's gonna realize anytime soon

ivory dew
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I know. But that’s what I was thinking when the gecko got sick.. I was able to help it though. But I have a job now so I can provide for it meow

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*now

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Im doing my best .. honestly im not a reptile person lol. I love birds🥺

azure knoll
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That's good, Because these guys live for a vary long time. It also shouldn't have to be your responsibility to care for your mothers childish behavior in giving a little kid a pet (no offense meant)

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but i'm happy your willing to help the little one :3

ivory dew
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If it were up to me, I would rehome it… but it’s not.. so in the meantime, I’ll just do what I can. It’s not the geckos fault..

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Thank you sooo much for your helpppPP I LOVE YPUUUU

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I think I’ve got everything I need now

azure knoll
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Your welcome!! ^^ I'm always happy to help, I'm sorry your going through this but thank you for it, For doing it for the little gecko love_frog

ivory dew
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AWAWWAWA NO THSNK YOU FOR YOUR HELPPPP

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Im super new to geckos so im kinda lost lol

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Again I only really know about birds

azure knoll
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That's completely okay! We're all here willing to help! Owning reptiles can be vary confusing for first time owners! blush

ivory dew
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Sure is😵‍💫 I’ll be sure to ask if I need anything else!! Thank you againnnnn

azure knoll
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Yww! Have a good night/or day lol crestielick

ivory dew
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YOU TOOOOOO

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My mom got mad at me when I said the tiles lol she said it would break the tank

sweet oar
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me: gently puts a piece of rock in the tank

the tank: immediately fucking shatters

ivory dew
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Hahahahhaha

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She said that putting the shelving liner is a better idea

sweet oar
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sure if she wants to gas the gecko to death

viral acorn
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No

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Have you tried showing her the guide

dreamy violet
viral acorn
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Yeah, tiles aren’t really a necessity if she has a problem with it

ivory dew
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lol

ivory dew
ivory dew
olive bolt
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shelf liner a lot of the time specifically states that it shouldn't be used / exposed to heat or uvb btw

ivory dew
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Yeahhhh… that’s why I’m against it

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She saw one video of someone using it so now she thinks it’s the best idea

olive bolt
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the materials they are made out of (even the reptile kind because they do not actually state what they're made out of) generally are not meant to be exposed to that sort of stuff and can offgas and become brittle overtime

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ah videos. the bane of any proper care's existence

ivory dew
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Haha

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Yeah .. it’s just a bad idea .. the way she described the tank from the video sounded weird too

olive bolt
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youtube and tiktok are the worst places to get information for reptile care sadly

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99% of people on there have oudated or improper care

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and do nothing to promote actual up to date scientifically backed information

ivory dew
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I’ll just do paper towels for now if I can’t find the right tiles . Should I still use moss?

olive bolt
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where were you using the moss ?

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sorry i'm not super caught up

ivory dew
ivory dew
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In that corner

20250219_213308.jpg
olive bolt
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also i know this was previously talked about but loose substrate is actually really easy to manage if you have properly up to date husbandry (heating and such) a 20 gal long can have substrate just fine.

ivory dew
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Really? Someone else said it was too small?

olive bolt
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there shouldn't be like- moss in the corner. the gecko should have 3 hides. A cool side hide , a humid (where moss would be. this would be in the middle) and a hot side hide

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it's surviving minimum. substrate can be used just fine in a 20 gallon.

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you just want to make sure that you have proper heating and such before using it.

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if it was a 10 gal or smaller i would say focus on upgrading before using substrate but a 20 gal long is surviving min so eg_shrug

ivory dew
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Yep! We got the 20 long. Im just trying to figure out what else the tank needs

olive bolt
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can you take a full pic of the tank for me?

ivory dew
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The old one was 15

olive bolt
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i can easily point out what i think needs to be addressed immediately and what can be added over time

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oh i mean likeee

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from the front

ivory dew
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Um

olive bolt
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Like this sort of angle

ivory dew
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Oh

olive bolt
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I can’t really see the full tank in either of those pics so I can’t tell you what should be fixed properly

ivory dew
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I think just like the hides and some more accessories should be all right? Already got a bigger tank

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olive bolt
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can you measure the width for me rq?

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OH

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is this the 15 gal?

ivory dew
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Mhm I believe so

olive bolt
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so is the 20 gal being shipped to you and such or is it just not set up yet

ivory dew
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It’s not setup yet

olive bolt
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okay so for the 20 gal the immediate things:

Substrate paper towels for now

Heat: you need a thermostat for your heat lamp if you have not got one already. I see it's a dimming dome? (I think. might be an on/off) which is good, you can buy a simple on/off thermostat

you also need two digital hygro/thermometers. there are cheap mini ones on the shopping list (i can also send all the links)

Hides:
You need a cool hide, a humid hide, and a hot hide. the log currently doesn't count as a true hide as both ends are open.

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what country are you from? (so i can send product links)

ivory dew
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America

olive bolt
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ty!

ivory dew
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NOOOO THANKK YOUUUU

olive bolt
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so for simple cool and hot side hides i like these:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UCDIBJ2/?coliid=IBW1MPVKKZ0U9&colid=1P848IS6JOHF1&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it

Humid hide:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N1EOR0K/?coliid=I3FJZLDC0AR4GP&colid=1P848IS6JOHF1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1

Thermostat:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01I15S6OM/?coliid=IWCA1AYFB0Z2N&colid=1P848IS6JOHF1&psc=0&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it

Ir temp gun (to check surface temps):
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B71HFH9K/?coliid=I2CGKPAJ2HYZL7&colid=1P848IS6JOHF1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1

Digital mini hygro/thermometers:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QMZL448/?coliid=I3AKAIYSUSEBZA&colid=1P848IS6JOHF1&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it

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basking surface rocks you can get locally at places like homedepot, landscaping companies etc.

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if that dome isn't the dimming version btw (the dimming version has a little knob on the cord instead of a little switch)
https://a.co/d/0ayf5iZ

You'll want this

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but those would be the immediate things i would add to your brother's 20 gal setup.

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fake plants and all that can come after getting all those essentials sorted there for the 20 gal.

fake plants can be found at craft stores, dollar stores etc
wood can be gathered from outside as long as it's a hardwood (like oak or birch for example) and the area doesn't spray with pesticides C:

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while 20 gals aren't ideal. they are usable and not the end of the world until getting a 40 gal is possible. you can still have a decent setup in them if it's all you can work with / have for now. can just be harder to provide gradients sometimes and also enrichment. BUT. don't let that discourage you.

ivory dew
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THANK YOUUU SO MUCHHHHH

olive bolt
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eg_salute ❤️

ivory dew
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these links are mega helpful!!

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THANKS FOR YOUR HELP

olive bolt
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it's all decently budget friendly as i try to make sure we provide products for all sorts of budgets so :3 ❤️

ivory dew
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AWAAWAWWAAW THANK YOUUUU

grand niche
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peachy coming in clutch as per usual lmfao

azure knoll
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Ong

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I thought you couldn't use sub in a 20 gallon without proper husbandry UWAAAH i feel dumb

viral acorn
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LOL

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If everything else is good then you can ofc

azure knoll
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That's why i said to hold off, Cause of their husbandry but now i feel bad UWAAAH

viral acorn
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I get itlmfao

rustic hare
sweet oar
rustic hare
sweet oar
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rocks you can scrub, no boiling