Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a 29 gallon aquarium tank and I'm getting two Crested's. My house is heated to 68-70 degrees so a small heat lamp during the day. I'm trying to get it set up as quickly as possible as I hope to get them by the end of the week, weather permitting.

1) What is the prefered cleaner for aquarium type tanks?
I want to make sure this is completely clean. It used to hold snakes, the guy said he has cleaned it twice. Want to make sure for myself that it will be completely clean for my little guys.

2) Who has the best price for the Crested Gecko Diet stuff?
I'll have to order because Petsmart doesnt carry it, charges too much, and won't buy from them for personal grudge. LLL Reptiles has 2 1/2 pounds for $29.95, I havn't checked the shipping cost. Do they have good prices on everything? I'd like to buy from just one place if possible

3) Where can I find suction cups with hooks for hanging vines?
What do you use to secure Jungle Vine? Do you get better prices at a crafts store for vines?

4) What kind of hides do cresties prefer?
Low dark ones or big open ones?

Trying to buy asap to finish off my enclosure. I really don't want to wait for shipping

Thank You

hello there; will try and answer your questions to the best of my ability.

1) What is the prefered cleaner for aquarium type tanks?

typically you can just use bleach in the following ratio. one part bleach to 10 parts water. soak for about 20-30 minutes, rinse out with plain water several times till you can no longer smell the bleach, then let dry in a well vented area to remove any residual bleach.

2) Who has the best price for the Crested Gecko Diet stuff?

i can't say for sure who has the best prices. i have ordered stuff from lllreptile and found their service to be pretty good, especially considering i am up in canada. i needed some prevent a mite and they were the first american online store i thought of, due to many other people's recommendations of this store here on the forums. they should have everything you need as well.

3) Where can I find suction cups with hooks for hanging vines?

you should be able to get a bag full of suction cups from walmart, maybe even home depot. dollar stores may have them as well.

4) What kind of hides do cresties prefer?

small hides just big enough for the crested gecko to turn around in, should be fine. i personally don't use hides, as the crested geckos don't seem to use them when i had them in the past. however my cages have alot of fake foilage for them to hide under and within, not to mention the papertowel at the bottom of the cage.
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PHLdyPayne

PHLdyPayne, good response

as for the CGD, unless you are going to have 15-20 crested geckos, the 2.5 lb. tubs of CGD will literally be a waste. while it may still be economical for you to purchase, it will last much longer than it will stay good for.
i've been feeding over 30 adults, and 30-40 hatchlings-juvies and havne't gone through a 2.5 lb. container in the past 8 months.
allen is considering making a 1lb. container which may be much more practical for your use, but if you're only going to have a few cresteds, i would not suggest getting the large container of it as you will not use it all.

Thank You.
I have decided to go with Clarks. Partially because that is what they are currently being fed.

I don't have that much foliage yet so I'll probably still get some hides. What do you use to keep your fake plants standing up? I went to the craft store and bought some vines. Looked at some of the leafy things but they all joined down to a tip and was afraid the foam would be toxic and they might eat it if it was in the cage.Got the suction cups for up to the 3 lbs. Wasn't sure how much weight they would need to hold.

for my fake plants i usually just prop them against wooden dowels or branches that i use for climbing areas..somtimes they fall over but since i do have a fair bit, they still provide alot of cover. i tried the craft fake flower foam [that green dense foam which is sold in cubes to put in dry or fake flower arrangements] but find it crumbles too easily and didn't really hold up the plants anymore than just proping them up. also, they were virtually impossible to clean, as they crumble so easily etc.

though i haven't done it myself, twist ties or those plastic ties could be u sed to attacked the base of the fake plants to the sides of the container, then arranging the leaves inward, may work well, or bending the stem if possible. means more work for cleaning but would make things a bit more stable in the cage. of course using eco-earth or bed a beast as your substrate, you can just stick the base into the substrate. i have also considered just drilling and gluing the fake plants to boards and either buring the boards underneath bed a beast or put papertowels over the bases. but with the amount of cages i have now, would be a fair bit of work to do all the drilling and gluing.
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PHLdyPayne

Thanks for the idea. I didn't want a crested to try climbing and have it fall on him. I have a glass cage so can't use twisties on this