# anole setup?



## scorpio1 (May 31, 2009)

im thinking of having water at the base of my tank, so no substrate for an anole setup(there will be plenty of rocks and branches in the water so they can get out) so what are your thoughts?


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## Mushroom Spore (May 31, 2009)

Why would you do this? It's not like anoles can swim. And any waste will fall into the water and pollute the whole thing, whereas you can spot-clean soil or other substrate. I can't see any benefit.


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## El Viejo (May 31, 2009)

Mushroom Spore said:


> Why would you do this? It's not like anoles can swim. And any waste will fall into the water and pollute the whole thing, whereas you can spot-clean soil or other substrate. I can't see any benefit.


I have to agree with this. There is no reason to use water in this way. If we are going to take animals out of their native habitats and bring them indoors as pets, we at least owe it to them to provide as natural a habitat as we possibly can. I can think of no good reason to put water in the bottom of an aquarium for an anole. Cleaning practically any kind of substrate would be better than having to change out water every time it gets dirty.


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## Tecnition4life (May 31, 2009)

6 inches of eco earth, a deep water bowl, with a very hungry pixie frog in the cage;P


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## scorpio1 (Jun 1, 2009)

the idea was to keep the humidity up as i would have a filter in the water pumping water onto the heat matt on the side of the tank(out side before anyone points out the obvious) and as i said i  would have a lot of large rocks in the water so it is unlikely that they would land in the water, but instead on the rocks and i no it is not the most natural way so dont get on your high horse about it, its just im not in much so cant spray it all the time and i do have years experience keeping reptiles(i am in no way trying to imply that i am an expert, i no i have MUCH more to learn)oh also i have frogs which i would like in the same tank


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## Mushroom Spore (Jun 1, 2009)

scorpio1 said:


> oh also i have frogs which i would like in the same tank


What kind of frog? This is most likely a horrible idea.

If you just want to keep humidity up, use substrate and dump water into it. Don't make soup, but get everything good and wet and just be sure you clean up poop/food bits and let the tank dry out once or twice a week so it doesn't mold. And cover like 75% of the tank screen. Instant humidity, and it lasts a while.

By the way, simply informing you that something you have suggested is a bad idea does not mean anyone here is on a "high horse." It just means something you suggested was a bad idea.

(I want to say that there are safety hazards putting a heat mat outside a tank full of water, but I don't remember right now whether it's risk of cracked glass or overheating the water. Certainly it will get quite disgusting with warm water full of animal feces, you'd have to scrub the tank all the time, can't just change out the water and call it clean. That and anoles need UV lighting, so a heat mat may be unnecessary to begin with.)


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## arachnochicken (Jun 1, 2009)

Years ago (when I lived up north) I brought a bunch of anoles back home from Fla and put them in a 55 gallon tank , had something like 12-15 of them in it . I coved about 95% of the lid with plastic wrap and just left the very ends of it open . They did great in the set up and even bred in it . I have no idea what the humidity was (didn't care at the time either) . I would use a spray bottle and spray them a couple times a week , I had them for years in that setup . I used black sand for the substrate , again , didn't know any better at the time or care ......it looked good 

On a side note , there were a few males in there when I started it , but ended up with two within a few weeks , didn't know they were territorial . I guess the tank was big enough for two but no more then that .


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## scorpio1 (Jun 2, 2009)

By the way said:
			
		

> i was refering to El Viejo with that comment , i have decided i think i wil just use a large bowl and get a fogger, i will cover the majority of the mesh though thanks for the idea mushroom spore and i do plan on getting a heat bulb, and a uv bulb instead of using a heat matt oh and also the frog species is hyla cinerea, (south american green tree frog) and i no they are not particulaly good swimmers,also arachnochicken spraying would work but i am not home enough to do it


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## kupo969 (Jun 2, 2009)

Just make sure you have enough water in the reservoir or it can possibly catch on fire. Also, UV bulbs usually do not give off enough heat, which is why people use another bulb/under tank heater as their heat source.


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## scorpio1 (Jun 2, 2009)

ok thanks for your input, as i havnt yet used a fogger, frogs are new to me, i am going to get a heat bulb and a uv bulb


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## Matt K (Jun 2, 2009)

Still, a horrible way to keep an Anole.

I keep and breed some 18 species of Anolis.  Based on my experience, use potting soil a few inches / several centimeters deep.  Mix in sphagnum moss or eco earth if available fo added moisture retention without stagnation.  Mist the Anoles when you are there for them to drink, otherwise just water the soil for humidity (generally lower humidity is better depending on the species) and leave.

You are mistaken in that these aforementioned setups are better for frogs, and aweful for Anoles.  They really dont thrive well in the same tank together.

:? :? :?


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## scorpio1 (Jun 4, 2009)

ok thanks matt k  i knew it wasnt a very good setup for them it was just the easiest way for me to do it so i thiought, i actually set it up last knight and i have set it up exactly the same way as u just said (great minds think alike, like i said i knew it wasnt the best way to keep them i was just doing it to make it easier for me which is the total wrong way to do it, so i have done it exactly how they like it) thanks for your comment every one, oh by the way matt k the anole species is anolis carolanensis


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## scorpio1 (Jun 24, 2009)

update on anole tank, i have finally finished it, what do you think?

























my female green tree frog (hyla cinerea)










female brown anole (anolis sagrei) they are very happy as they are breeding, there are also greens in (anolis carolanensis) and they are also happy and breeding





my male green tree frog (hyla cinerea) these are also very happy as my male keeps calling





my female green tree frog (hyla cinerea) again, i am hoping that she will be able to breed within the next year or so


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## alexi (Jun 24, 2009)

you could do a false bottome set up like this http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=142101&highlight=false+bottom

I did it a while back for my scorpion.  You get plenty of cool water space but still have dry land for them and stuff.  The maintenance does get annoying though I'll warn you - i'm not keeping him like this anymore.


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## scorpio1 (Jun 24, 2009)

i have used a false bottom setup you can see in one of the pics, they make life so much easier, i just sifen the water out and change it every now and then, i have one on one of my scorp tanks to, my emperor actually


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