reuben.a

alright sounds good, thanks for your imput:) thnaks and yep been looking for plants for a while now but yeah any types you reccomned? i was thinking maybe a type of creeper? or a type of fern?? they will have to be potted though because the bottom isnt sealed to hold moisture.

here's some pictures of my set ups. first lot is the new whistling tree frog tank - no frogs yet but hopefully getting some in the next week or two and a few mountain minnows for the water area. have a heap of java/christmas moss over the land area and waiting for that to come away...big thanks to sophia for the moss! second lot is the leopard gecko enclosure and the hides i made. third lot is the diy water dragon enclosure:D Whistling tree frog vivarium Leopard gecko enclosure Water dragon enclosure

any progress on your tank?

hello

but thats the thing...we cant have native frogs i personally think it would be great if we had more wild amphibians in NZ. i don't hate MPI but i think they make some stupid decisions at times. almost selfish decisions. our reptiles and amphibians are very limited in NZ and that needs to change. i don't at all support illegal smuggling etc but i do hope that some day we have more of a variety of reptiles and amphibians. i do understand some of these introduced species have a negative effect on our native animals but there are other species that can not survive our climate and eat only small insects etc etc. just my view on it. i don't mean to start an argument :gigl:

wow stunning species though !drool:

:rolfl: the things some people get upto :facepalm: :nilly:

nice little set up :thup:

you could always try a diy chiller??

nice, when you selling them?

nice, cant wait to see it once its grown out :thup:

:slfg:

:iag: a good native cage will set you back a good few hundred. plus permits are now $110 plus gst. natives are nice but if you are starting out a leo is the better option. cheap, easy and hassle free :thup:

:spop:

nice, i wouldnt mind doing a pico like this

i really don't mean to be rude but don't deal with animates for reptiles/reptile products. you can get leos for as cheap as $150 now and you often find old fish tanks with cracked bottoms that people just give away. you can even buy the exact products that animates sell for half the price brand new from other places. i don't mean to be so anti-animates lol but i think it is totally unfair how they take advantage of their more novice customers :-?

when everyone else has finished making changes to this, could the mods please pin this thread so anyone new to the forum can easily access it? thanks heaps 8)

Thanks to all the people who helped me and anyone who suggested things to also go in. I thought I would do my best to do a write up on how to care for Australian or Eastern water dragons as there don't seem to be many out there. As they become more and more popular as pets here in New Zealand, and being the cheapest dragon in NZ, they are often being bought by people who haven't gone and done the research before hand and then ask why they are having problems with their dragons and it turns out they have no UVB light and other basic requirements. Also i'd like to say that I am by no means an expert on these animals but I am using information I have gained through keeping mine, things I have learnt from other more experienced keepers and research I have gathered through many different books and articles on the internet. Australian or Eastern water dragons Physignathus lesueurii, lesueurii Overview Eastern water dragons are stunning, prehistoric looking lizards that make great pets. They have lots of personality and are very active lizards. They don't take much effort to care for and are easy to set up. Description The EWD is a large lizard with males reaching up to 2 1/2 - 3 ft and females reaching 2 - 2 1/2 ft. Adult EWDs can be sexed by the males being larger than females, having a much thicker and shorter head, a much more dominant crest to that of the females and a red underside. Females occasionally have a red underside but males tend to be much more vivid in colour. Females have a much longer and skinnier head, and tend to have much duller colouration, for example the black/grey bar behind their eyes is usually more pale than the male's. Lifespan They have been recorded to live up to 28+ years but a common age for captive lizards is 15 years. Indoor housing Enclosure size - Hatchlings (pair) an enclosure measuring 900mm by 450mm by 450mm (L,W,H) - Yearlings from 1-2 years (pair) an enclosure measuring 1200mm by 600mm by 600mm (L,W,H) - Adults 3 years plus (pair) an enclosure measuring 1800mm by 600mm by 800mm (L,W,H) Water dragons being active lizards need lots of room to run around so these dimensions should ideally be the minimum. As they say, the bigger, the better. Setup Water Water dragons weren't given their names for nothing! They require a large pool of water to swim and soak in - the water should be deep enough for them to fully submerge themselves in as they retreat to the water if they feel threatened or scared. They may stay under the water for several minutes and adults even sometimes over an hour! Make sure they can get out of the water with ease if they need to, a piece of wood or a rock emerging from the water is perfect - its also somewhere were they can cool of without actually entering the water. Make sure to either provide a filter for the water or regularly change the water as they defecate in it. It is important to not heat the water as if the water is too warm, you may find your dragon will spend too much time in there and may not hop out to bask. If they stay in the water too long they run the risk of fungal infections. It needs to be kept cool as the water are is their main way to thermoregulate, they will use it to cool off. The water area should be at least 1/4 of the enclosure floor. Adding an air stone or pump to the water may encourage them to enter the water if you find they don't like to go into the water. Substrate There are many substrates you can use in your vivarium. Outdoor turf - This is a very common substrate used by many hobbyists. It is easy to clean, many different colours available, safe for your lizard, and its also quite appealing to the eye. Paper towels are also used but a bit of an eye sore. Tip: purchase two pieces that cover the entire floor so you can wash one while you use the other one. Sand - This is okay but can be very messy. You also run the risk of impaction if you feed on the substrate. If you use sand I would highly recommend you feed in either a large dish or separate feeding enclosure. Bark/mulch/aspen - This looks quite effective and is cheap but can also be quite messy. Avoid products made of pine or cedar as it has a very strong smell which is not liked by the dragons at all! Stones/pebbles - I would stay away from these as small pebbles can be ingested and can cause impaction. They are also very cold and hard. Sterile potting soil - This can look really nice and you can grow live plants in it but is also very messy, you will be constantly changing the water dish and wiping the front glass etc These are the most popular substrates but there are more being used. My favourite is outdoor turf because of the above reasons. Plants You have the option of live or fake plants, fake plants can be easily cleaned and now look very realistic, they can be pricey though however once you have them they can be used for years. Live plants are more aesthetically pleasing but quite a few are toxic to reptiles and it can be hard to know which ones are and which aren't. Usually ferns are okay, Bromeliads are also fine, there are many more but i wont go into that. Other decor You want to have branches in your enclosure! You want different sized branches and rocks so your lizard has many places to run around while being off the substrate. Water dragons are semi arboreal and spend a fair bit of time perched up on branches and logs, a branch over hanging the water is also good. Lighting and heating This is a fairly simple aspect to the care of EWDs but many people are often confused about this topic. Water dragons are diurnal lizards so they need UVB/UVA light. A 10.0 UVB bulb is recommended but a 5.0 will do if there are branches close to the light. Tubes are usually preferred over compact bulbs but both do the job - make sure you follow the manufacturers directions as there is a fine line between too much UV and not enough! REMEMBER TO REPLACE THE UVB BULB EACH YEAR! A basking spot is also required to keep the enclosure at a stable temperature and to create hot and cold ends withing the enclosure. There are many types of lighting to create basking spots. For example; basic spot lights, ceramic heat emitters, infrared bulbs, metal halide bulbs and many more. I prefer just basic spot lights as they are cheap and do the job while still providing light. Stay away from bulbs which claim to provide both heat and UVB as usually this is not the case. Using these bulbs by themselves can lead to lack in calcium absorption which can cause MBD or metabolic bone disease which can permanently damage your lizard and can leave it with major back problems and weak bones. Always purchase a safety cage to cover the bulbs as water dragons are excellent jumpers and can get burned if they touch the bulb. Heat mats are not needed as water dragons in the wild get all their heat from above. Don't use heat rocks! these have been know to cause serious burns to your reptiles. Temperatures in the enclosure should be: cool end - 20-25C, hot end 25-30C and basking spot 35-40C. Outdoor housing Water dragons can be kept outside all year round in most places in New Zealand. An outdoor enclosure provides many advantages and you will probably get to see more of their natural behavior. You are also usually able to build a much larger enclosure which makes a happier lizard. It is usually advised that you keep your dragon indoors for the first and maybe second winter depending on size. Many experienced keepers keep them outside from the beginning as this can help with fertility and makes a much hardier lizard however it is good practice to leave your dragon inside for the first year or so. If you don’t, you may find he will freeze during the winter and not come back out of hibernation and ultimately die. Enclosure size The size of an outdoor enclosure should ideally be a minimum of a 2m by 2m by 2m. This could happily house a small group and gives you lots of room to build ponds, plant shrubs etc. I won’t go into how to build enclosures but there are a few threads on here showing other peoples enclosures. viewtopic.php?f=40&t=37799 Set up Water An outdoor enclosure enables you to build or purchase a much larger pond or similar. Just like the indoor enclosures you want to keep the water clean. Investing in a pond filter will save a lot of time cleaning. Substrate For substrate there are the indoor options or you could do a mixture of substrates to mimic their natural habitat. In an outdoor set up I would use bark or mulch as you don’t need to worry so much about the mess and it looks very natural. Plants There are many types of plants you can use. A few examples are; bromeliads, types of ferns, grass, small shrubs and a heap more. These can be planted straight into the ground. It’s also beneficial to grow edible plants in the enclosure. You can grow strawberries, blue berries, dandelion etc., all parts of the dandelion and they are easy to grow. Squash of all kinds makes an easy and excellent additional staple veg. grated or cut up. Carrots also but as an occasional treat. Other décor You want to still have many branches and hollow logs etc. You can create waterfalls and place large rocks here and there to help mimic their natural environment. Remember water dragons like to rest on high branches and bask. Lighting and heating Lighting and heating is not needed in an outdoor set up. A basking bulb can be used but not necessary. You may want to fix a UVB tube to the roof of the enclosure as if you have used clearlite or something that will reduce the amount of UVB rays that get in. Feeding Water dragons should be offered a wide variety of foods for a healthy diet. Some good foods are; - Mealworms - Crickets - Wax moths - Locusts - Occasional pinky mice - Low fat cat food - the casserole type, not pellets or jelly meat. avoid types with fish. - Ox heart with fat and sinew removed. - Shredded greens like dandelion - the whole plant can be used, not just the flowers, rocket and clover - Fruits like strawberries, grated apple, raspberry, banana, and grated squash - a good and healthy way to bulk up salads It is important to offer a mixture of fruit/vege and meat/insects at each meal time. A juveniles diet should be 60% meat/insects to 40% fruit/vege. An adults diet should be 60% fruit/vege to 40% meat/insects. It's a good idea to add vitamins and calcium to their food. You can purchase vitamin and calcium powder from pet stores. This helps them get all the vitamins and minerals they need to stay healthy. Make sure you follow the manufacturers directions. Too much can be harmful! I hope i have covered everything but this pretty sums up the basics of Australian water dragon care. Feel free to add to this or change if necessary:)

a school of clown loaches haha

welcome a large sailfin plec is always nice:)

my mistake guys, makes more sence when you bother to read the artical behind it lol

Haha thanks, yeah thinking of having a go at the potm with some other ones

got some new rock so a bit more room for future corals, hopefully getting a pair of ocellaris clowns in a week or two :happy1: anyway, heres a few pics

bailey in her hide just out of a shed, with a little bit of skin still on he face haha

:facepalm: i really cant see why they bothered to do that in the first place??? i mean theres really no comparison to a full blown reef tank. nothing to look at :yawnn: