Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi!

I'm planning to set up a paludarium (50/50 land/water), and I was wondering what species of gecko will tolerate that type of environment. They can't be too big (15 cm/6" tops), and must be able to get back on land in case they fall into the water. It's also important that they're not too aggressive. I'm planning on having fish, mudskippers and maybe some crabs with the gecko. Maybe also some anoles and a chameleon. I would greatly appreciate any help.

Alex

Unless this tank is rediculously huge sir, you are insane. You cannot have a mini ecosystem in your house unless you know what you're doing. Crabs dont live in the jungle, MOST geckos dont live on the beach, chameleons stress out and die, and fish are going to get eaten or die from infections. The anole will just chill and be like "I dont care" but the rest are going to be VERY uncomfortable. Please specify how big your tank is and who the hell gave you this idea. I dont mean to come off offensive, but hopefully you have a degree in zoology to attempt such a project without considerable cost in life.

My tank is about 55 gallons. I know it's a longshot but i have seen other people who have done this in tanks of similar size. The problem is that they never specify which species of gecko that can tolerate this kind of environment. By that i mean humidity and their ability to get back on land if they fall into the water.

No species of gecko will tolerate this environment. Period. You simply cannot cram that many species from all different areas of the globe into a 55 gallon tank... it will result in extreme stress and eventual death for all the animals. My bet is that the chameleon will go first. There is no way to meet the needs of all those species in that tiny area. If you want to keep all these critters, you must do it seperately in species-specific enclosures (with the exception of the fish and crabs maybe). Heed the warning before you invest the $$$ and have it all perish.

Agreed. I have 2 tokays in a 65 and couldnt imagine somehow putting even a chameleon in there. Most chameleons are a foot and require a 55 alone not with a bunch of other guys in there. As for geckos, I dont know any of small size that would do well in such an "environment". Reconsider the idea please. I know of a gentleman who keeps 5 chameleons in a ROOM with some geckos and so forth but not a tank....that even gets sketchy sometimes but thats ok since its such a large space and it happens naturally.

A chameleon is out of the question then. But what about having gecko(s) on the land part of the paludarium with fish and some mudskippers in the water? Maybe an anole. What geckospecies can tolerate high humidity and deep water (If they should fall in)?

You're missing the point. Sooner or later, MOST of the animals will die. The anole is my personal candidate for the last man standing. Geckos that tolerate high humidity and are easy to keep include tokay geckos, leaftail geckos, and day geckos. Tokays are agressive and will eat whatever they see move, leaftails are fragile and easily stressed, and day geckos are the same way plus psycho. Do you have any experience keeping fish? If so, you already know fish need helpfull bacteria in their tank to survive. This bacteria may be harmfull to the lizards if they were to drink it. Needless to say, it would be very hard to maintain a fishtank within a terrarium into which they can poop and chuck dirt at their convinience. Do not expect the fish to last long. I dont know the specifics about owning a mudskipper but I cant see them surviving without enough space to themselves. Once again, please reconsider this whole fiasco, I can guarantee that this will not be a pleasant environment for the lizards and for you to maintain. If you want a tropical community, let me know. I have some experience setting those up and can recommend you a few species that will mix in a large tank without too much confrontation. This does not include underwater species. Period.

As I've said before I've seen this kind of setup before, and it has worked out nicely for them. What you say about the bacterias in the water being harmful for the lizard to me sounds weird. These geckos live naturally in an environment where these bacterias are present. And as the poop problem goes, i think the filter will take car of that. I will also do frequent water changes. But what about Mourning Gecko? Do you think thats a possibillity? By the way. Thanks for all help!

Alex

I'll tell you what, go to the person with the tank, and ask them because honestly unless the species are very carefully chosen, this tank will not fly. As for the water, I see it like this. First, you said its a 55 (lets say 60 for ease). That means half is alloted to water specimen, 30 gal. That means there is about 15 gal of water in there. Which means you get a filter similar to a Fluval 1 or a Wisper 22 or whatever. In any case, niether of those filters can suck up crap, thats why they suck for turtles. Not even an Aquaball from Eheim would do a very good job in such conditions. You need a large outside the tank filter. I have yet to see one for less than 30 gallons. You will create massive currents with that filter, not good for the fish imo. Bacteria that I speak of is ammonia, which will be present if the filtration is improper. Ammonia levels will skyrocket if reptiles repetedly drop crap in your tank. You will need to run like 4 small filters to keep up or 1 outside the tank (which I already discussed). Water changes are a [bleep]...if you havnt owned a tank ask someone who has to do a few for you so you get the feel for how crappy it is. All in all I cant begin to list the problems with the fish and I dont even have a clue on what you will keep there....This whole idea is insane, honestly. If you think that this will work, map it out and run it by me or someone else here because I cant see a way to make this work without unatractive equipment and dull lizards. There is several geckos that live by the sea. One of those genus are the leaf toed geckos which I believe are quite expensive. Try and get in touch with the guy who did this and tell me how he did so and how his animals are doing because this seems unreal to last for long. This is no BS opinion either, ask around. I have read many books on seperate lizards (since I dont have [bleep] to do at work) and this doesnt fly from my research.