Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Here are a few photos of our setup on one of our Nile pools. We have similiar setups on all of them. The heater is in one photo and the other photo shows an 11ft female Nile at the waters surface on what was a 20 something degree day.

We where able to maintain very good water temperatures so that the crocodiles where able to swim normally. When crocodiles become to cool they 'list' to one side and eventually drown. We usually see this when the water temps drop below 50 degrees with Niles. You can see the female sitting with the correct orientation despite the freezing air temps.

The heater kept the water in the mid sixties to the lower 70's even on the days when we had a quarter inch of ice on numerous ponds without the heater. In a smaller pond we maintained temps in the 80's. It felt like bathwater. The pond in the photo is approx 50ft long and 25ft wide in spots with a depth of 4-7ft. That much water is hard to maintain at 80 in that type of weather so we look to make it survivable first livable second. We would have lost numerous animals to this front without them.

At the end of the season we just pull the pump up, remove the pipes, and move the heater. BTW we use the bucket to keep debris off the pump. It siphons the cooler water from the surface and the return sends heated water deeper into the pond creating a nice warm undercurrent. The water returns 3-10 degrees greater than it enters depending on the size of the fire I have going. We also use a chemical 'pool' blanket to retain the heat we put in the pools. It is very effective.

At the end of the front we lost zero crocodiles and it was a bad rare front so I feel the heaters really proved their worth this time around.

-----
CDieter
'Reason, observation, and experience; the holy trinity of science.'

Hi first off great work with your crocs. I do have a question though do you think your methods of heating ponds would work in New England.

Chris's method would work any place, but even using this heating method there is only so much us up north croc keepers can do.

This heating method would give us a few extra months of outdoor enclosure time, but wouldnt allow full year round outdoors! If had a fully covered and insulated outdoor enclosre or possibly even a green house, then I think Chris's heating method would work year round for us.
-----
Great Lakes Zoological

Chris how does the PVC piping hold up? I worried about that when we put ours together and opted for the metal piping. Ours is set to run at an output of 120 degrees, of course losing temp as it flows through the pipes. I woried about how the pipe cement would do with prolonged temps like that. Plus, ours is set up set up permanent.

We originally used coiled copper tubing, but yikes the money that cost was not worth it.

We have had no problems with the PVC piping other than it will shrink a little on the really cold night and cause some of the fittings to loosen. This only happens when the pumps haven't been running. Once the water is flowing they swell again and seal.

If the pumps stop they will melt on the contact point against the heaters. But that is not a bad thing. Easy fix and it lets the steam out.

We just take them down when the season changes.

>>Chris how does the PVC piping hold up? I worried about that when we put ours together and opted for the metal piping. Ours is set to run at an output of 120 degrees, of course losing temp as it flows through the pipes. I woried about how the pipe cement would do with prolonged temps like that. Plus, ours is set up set up permanent.
>>
>>We originally used coiled copper tubing, but yikes the money that cost was not worth it.
-----
CDieter
'Reason, observation, and experience; the holy trinity of science.'