Posted by:
paul kemes
at Tue Nov 2 07:54:05 2004 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by paul kemes ]
There are several reasons why I personally do not like aquariums for housing reptiles, but these are my opinions/preferences. . .based on 20 years experience.
1. Size-Except for the very largest aquariums, it is hard to obtain aquariums of suitable size to provide a good quality of life for most reptiles.
2. Cost-The aquariums that are indeed large enough are often very expensive.
3. Weight-Did you ever help move a 200 gallon aquarium?
(following are why I really dislike aquariums)
4. Access-I absoluetly hate cages accessed from the top. The top is where lights, heaters go, not access. Top access limits severly the ability to stack cages, and limits the height you can position the cage. It is such a pain to have to clean the bottom of a cage going in from the top. Plus, to get in you either have to remove the screen top and lights or make the screen hinged, in which case you might still have to move lights. Access, access, access!
5. Ventilation- Tanks are in no way conducive to proper ventilation. I like to specifically tailor the ventilation to the particular habitat I am aiming for. 5 sides of solid glass severly limit my options. It is also terribly inefficient energy wise-you have a spot light on the top warming a certain "spot" on the ground, then heat rises and is lost/wasted, not leading to much ambient air warmth, at least INSIDE the cage. I like my ventilation to be mainly near the bottom of the cage leading to very nice convection.
6. Dirty glass sucks!
7. It is more difficult to attach things (ledges, branches) to the sides.
8. Security-It is much harder to have an escape-proof cage with aquariums, not to mention being able to lock it to keep unwanted humans out.
9. Access
10. Access
Aquariums are for fish, turtles and amphibians, not reptiles.
Hope this helps,
Paul
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Answers - paul kemes, Tue Nov 2 07:54:05 2004 