Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have recently decided to get a water dragon but it might be a couple months till i get enough money for everything. I was wondering if a 77 gallon aquarium would be good enough for and adult, I have heard on many sites that 75 and higher is good but i wanna be sure. I would also like to hear from more then one person.

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CHONG188

are you sure the pet store guy pointed to a tank that i think was around 50 gallons and it was like 6 feet long but only like 2 feet tall, the guy seems to know a quite abit about the stores reptiles. so i think that a anything higher than fifty would be great and also (this may sound dumb) the tank said US gallons so i dont know if gallons are different in other countries. I would like to hear from more people.

its best not to even keep them in a fish tank. WDs tend to rub their noses raw going back and forth on the glass. a custom made cage with wooden sides and a glass door front does best in my opinion. buy an ACtive UV Bulb. i use Powersun, and its great. its heat and TONS of UVB. much better than the tubes. big water area, lots of food and stuff to climb on and you will have a happy WD

Thanks but i already know all that i was just wondering about the cage size pretty much every site ive gone to says 75 or longer but the pics looked like the 50 gallon in the pet store so i just want to hear from a few people to be sure.

i also heard to stop snout rubbing you just use backround all through the cage and put duct tape along the bottom of the side without background.

the guy at the pet store may know alot but really he just wants to sell the lizard and setup to make money and to answer your question you can keep your water dragon in a 77 gallon aquarium if you want it to live a miserable live and be more prone to disease caused by stress. Even if you use background the lizard will still see its reflection in the glass and be stressed. I like CHONG recommend nothing less than 250 gallons. It is fairly easy to build something out of wood and a hell of alot cheaper than buying even a 175 gallon glass aquarium.
BORG

If your looking for a suitable off the shelf solution, get a 260 gl reptarium. They are easy to clean, access and won't cause snout rub. As far as tanks being suitable for adult WD's, they absolutely are not. Anyone trying to sell you a tank is just trying to take your money. If your smart you won't even buy your lizard from this person. Remember your keeping a lizard not a fish.

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Yours,

NiCoLE

"Trying to save someone from their own stupidity is like trying to teach a pig how to dance: it wastes your time, and annoys the pig."

- Robert
Heinlein

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well if repterriums have glass fronts on them then wouldn't they rub on that? I have heard from a few sites that if you put duct tape or somthing along the the only glass showing part then they will not rub, And if he was trying to just make money he would try to sell me a 250 gallon not a 77. but would a tank that is 6 feet long 2 feet wide and 4 feet tall work?

>>well if reptariums have glass fronts on them then wouldn't they rub on that?

They are all nylon screen/mesh (no glass)and the humidity would be hard to keep up for an asian wd. Aussies will regulate themselves a bit more then asians. It depends where you live too.

>>I have heard from a few sites that if you put duct tape or somthing along the the only glass showing part then they will not rub,

You can get green mesh plastic shelving paper (it comes in rolls) and place it around all sides (on inside)---it works well and they like to climb on it.

>> And if he was trying to just make money he would try to sell me a 250 gallon not a 77.

Trust me here---all petstores are in buisness to make money and very few of them have the slightest clue on how to care for anything long term (or even short term). You can get away with a 77 gallon for a while , while you perhaps get a larger cage, but it's not for an adult---you will in the end, have no choice but to go bigger.
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Yours,

NiCoLE

"Trying to save someone from their own stupidity is like trying to teach a pig how to dance: it wastes your time, and annoys the pig."

- Robert
Heinlein

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That would be better. The main problem thatI have with tanks is that they are difficult to clean and it will also be more difficult for you to interact with the WD. The tank forces you to approach the lizard from above in the same way that predator would. This is going to make the lizard skiddish. The are better and cheaper solutions available. The easiest is 260 reptarium which definetly cheaper then a tank and better all around. You could also setup a room for free roaming or build something yourself. As far as the pet store guy is concerned, I used to work in a petstore and this is how it works. He'll sell you the 70 gl now and in a year he'll sell you the 250. I can't tell you how much money a petstore makes everytime they sell a baby iguana with a ten gallon tank, LOL!!

I would avoid buying any reptile that didn't come from a breeder or a reptile specilty shop. You can talk to someone who really knows what they are talking about and loves the animals they are selling. I've heard some really dumb things from "salesmen" at pet shops.

Canadian gallons are just slightly different then US gallons, i cant remmeber what way it leans to though. Either way, 50 gal is a good size for one. There is no way people would be able to keep these creatures if a 250 is required. I have a 450 for 4 drags, but then again its customized and plexi framed. Customizing is the way to go. Semi aboreal, not a lot of standard fish aqariums have height, so for one of them, ull need to customize - really its simple