# Asian Water Dragon Vivarium - WIP



## NightGecko (Jul 17, 2009)

This is my latest setup, currently still under construction. I can't kit out the decor until I have sealed the vents the wires run through and the hole drilled out for the filter wire. The floor is split into two squares, one side will be filled with water and the other with bark and eco earth. Going to have plenty of branches in there once it's done, have them all ready now. As you can see in the second picture, I have a 150W ceramic already in there on a pulse proportional thermostat and a 2% UV tube on a timer switch.

I was lucky enough to get everything, vivarium included, as a special price from work. The setup to jo public would have totalled around £500, including all the decor I have that has not yet been put in. I only paid around half that, 180 for the vivarium itself which is a bargain considering it's all waterproofed up and the bottom is glass lined. The vivarium is 5'x4'x2' and is going to house a single male Asian Water Dragon. Eventually I will probably throw a female in too depending on how big he gets and what I want to breed.


----------



## Juzza12 (Jun 12, 2008)

That's a very nice viv but a cwd is going to need at least a 5% uv


----------



## NightGecko (Jul 17, 2009)

Juzza12 said:


> That's a very nice viv but a cwd is going to need at least a 5% uv


 
Ah yeah sorry the bulb is a 5.0% Zoo Med one, was meant to put that not 2.


----------



## reptile boy (Apr 7, 2009)

nice 2 see the finishin product, lookin great:2thumb:


----------



## Rptle (Apr 2, 2009)

Looks absolutely fantastic, well done!

Can I ask what went into construction? i.e. materials, price etc.


----------



## NightGecko (Jul 17, 2009)

I had the viv custom built and am not sure exactly what materials were used, although I can tell you the vivarium was 180 for me and would be 360 on normal sale. I spent a further £200 or so on branches, decor, stat, ceramics, UV, starter, filter, etc. All the glass in there is toughened and the back pannel of the viv is made of a thinner, more flexible wood to the rest.

I should be putting in the decor tomorrow and putting the dragon in monday. I will update.


----------



## reptiles_galore (Aug 13, 2008)

Looking good. get us a pic up once you have got everything in 

Dave


----------



## NightGecko (Jul 17, 2009)

reptiles_galore said:


> Looking good. get us a pic up once you have got everything in
> 
> Dave


 
Thanks, will do. Just measuring up some big logs to screw in horizontally


----------



## NightGecko (Jul 17, 2009)

Here's a little progress, screwed in the two big heavy horizontal branches. The higher one is about 12 inches below the UV and then has a little curve in it to come in under the ceramic for a basking spot. He can move along the branch to get to the desired distance from the ceramic whilst still being under the UV. The lower one will help prop other diagonal branches up so he can access the higher ends and get in and out of the water. Each branch has a pair of 6 inch screws in either end to help support their weight. What do you think please?


----------



## darloLee (Apr 9, 2009)

looking loads better all ready mate :2thumb: carnt wait to see the finished product:lol2:


----------



## NightGecko (Jul 17, 2009)

darloLee said:


> looking loads better all ready mate :2thumb: carnt wait to see the finished product:lol2:


Thanks : victory: I have another 4 branches ready to go in at diagonals, just got to finish tightening the screws on the big ones first.


----------



## oaklee (May 25, 2009)

Hi..Nice Viv!:2thumb:.Did u say you bought it? If so where from?.Thanks .Lee..


----------



## NightGecko (Jul 17, 2009)

oaklee said:


> Hi..Nice Viv!:2thumb:.Did u say you bought it? If so where from?.Thanks .Lee..


I had it built by a guy that builds vivs for reptile shops to sell to customers


----------



## oaklee (May 25, 2009)

Cool,Not a bad price that!.It'll be mint when its done,Am in the process of building something similar myself.With a large piece of cork as a waterfall..


----------



## NightGecko (Jul 17, 2009)

oaklee said:


> Cool,Not a bad price that!.It'll be mint when its done,Am in the process of building something similar myself.With a large piece of cork as a waterfall..


Nice. I was going to try to fit some gutter pipe along the back wall, covered in cork bark to make it look natural and running the water out of the filter along the entire backboard and then back across into the pool. Decided it was too much for now, but I may add a waterfall later depending on how humidity works out in the viv.


----------



## reptile_man_08 (Jan 14, 2008)

Looks awesome, should look amazing when completed!:2thumb:
Thing is, if you get a male water dragon and it grows 3ft-which I have seen-then that will be too small imo.
Females need loads of room to get away from the males too, because males can be a bit rough- my male cwd cut the crest of my female quite badly with her when mating...That was in my 5 x 5 x 2ft and my male is only 21" and she's around the same although much lighter, and so I've put her back in a 5ft x 2ft x 2ft.
Seeing each other can cause stress so put loads of foliage and cover in there!


----------



## NightGecko (Jul 17, 2009)

reptile_man_08 said:


> Looks awesome, should look amazing when completed!:2thumb:
> Thing is, if you get a male water dragon and it grows 3ft-which I have seen-then that will be too small imo.
> Females need loads of room to get away from the males too, because males can be a bit rough- my male cwd cut the crest of my female quite badly with her when mating...That was in my 5 x 5 x 2ft and my male is only 21" and she's around the same although much lighter, and so I've put her back in a 5ft x 2ft x 2ft.
> Seeing each other can cause stress so put loads of foliage and cover in there!


 
I do know my stuff mate but thanks. This male I am taking on was in with two females before and had to be seperated because he is so aggressive. He was basically tearing them apart, and has since scarred my hand a fair bit whilst I have been handling him. He's getting better though. I hope to tame him up completely and then try putting a girl in and seeing how it goes. The viv will be fine for two to be together over a breeding season.


----------



## NightGecko (Jul 17, 2009)

Screwed in the rest of the branches this morning. I need to go get a few last things and then I am ready to add the finishing touches and substrates etc! Then all I need is the dragon himself.


----------



## NightGecko (Jul 17, 2009)

Alright no replies to the latest pics but here's some progress that may get a reaction. Just need to add the water and turn the whole thing on now, will leave it on while I am at work tomorrow for the temperatures to settle and then bring the dragon back with me and put him in and get a photo shoot with him in there. Thanks for the replies so far, what do you think of it now it's almost done?


----------



## sweetikklemunchkin (Jul 15, 2009)

that looks so cool, can i move in too im only 4ft 10 lol


----------



## NightGecko (Jul 17, 2009)

sweetikklemunchkin said:


> that looks so cool, can i move in too im only 4ft 10 lol


 
You'd probably fit in that case but sorry reptiles only!! :whistling2:


----------



## sweetikklemunchkin (Jul 15, 2009)

lol worth a try, honestly though it looks gr8 well done u


----------



## NightGecko (Jul 17, 2009)

sweetikklemunchkin said:


> lol worth a try, honestly though it looks gr8 well done u


 
Thanks. I am just about to add the water in and then turn the lights and stuff on and get some more photos. Only thing is I am concerned about whether he will easily be able to get in and more importantly out of the water once he is in there. I may add some sloping cork bark or something to make a bridge between one side and the other. The big bit of mangrove wood on the ground would be the perfect shape but I can't put it in the water as it dyes it brown : victory:


----------



## reptile_man_08 (Jan 14, 2008)

NightGecko said:


> I do know my stuff mate but thanks. This male I am taking on was in with two females before and had to be seperated because he is so aggressive. He was basically tearing them apart, and has since scarred my hand a fair bit whilst I have been handling him. He's getting better though. I hope to tame him up completely and then try putting a girl in and seeing how it goes. The viv will be fine for two to be together over a breeding season.


I see, just thought i'd mention it (its hard to know, how much people know:lol2, good luck on breeding them: victory:
looks pretty good:2thumb:


----------



## NightGecko (Jul 17, 2009)

reptile_man_08 said:


> I see, just thought i'd mention it (its hard to know, how much people know:lol2, good luck on breeding them: victory:
> looks pretty good:2thumb:


 
No worries mate, and the breeding is a project for another time so I don't have to worry about that yet! 


I am just getting some more rocks for the water side so he can definately get in and out then I am done :no1:


----------



## NightGecko (Jul 17, 2009)

And here it is finished! 

I had to rearrange the bottom to get the rocks built up in a way he can enter and leave the water, and moved the mangrove wood to cover up the glass so he doesn't try to run straight through it. Lights are on and the water is in, looks brilliant. I am really happy with the way it turned out : victory:


----------



## reptile boy (Apr 7, 2009)

that is onastly 1 of the best set ups i have seing for water dragons looks very very GOOOOOOOD indeed it will feel right at home keep up the good work stunning pal :no1:


----------



## Rptle (Apr 2, 2009)

Very impressive :no1:


----------



## darloLee (Apr 9, 2009)

if you put a fake rock background on that mate it would look the absolute dogs bo:censor:ks it would really make a difference, not that it dosnt now :lol2: nice job! :notworthy:


----------



## NightGecko (Jul 17, 2009)

Thanks guys, I really like how it has turned out. I am not a huge fan of the rock backgrounds but I was considering letting my sister paint a rainforst scene on the white backboard. Would mean taking it apart though so a bit late now.


----------



## Jim2109 (Mar 30, 2009)

looks really good, only advice i have is to get a lot more vegetation in there. at the moment the logs and branches are absolutely perfect, its just lacking any greenery around them. if the space between the 2 horizontal logs was densely packed out with leaves and smaller branches and vines then it would look even better and there would be shade and hiding places. its just a little exposed at present, but other than that looks really good.


----------



## shiftyraccoon (Mar 2, 2009)

Where's the basking area?

I see the ceramic and UVB but no basking bulb?


----------



## NightGecko (Jul 17, 2009)

Jim2109 said:


> looks really good, only advice i have is to get a lot more vegetation in there. at the moment the logs and branches are absolutely perfect, its just lacking any greenery around them. if the space between the 2 horizontal logs was densely packed out with leaves and smaller branches and vines then it would look even better and there would be shade and hiding places. its just a little exposed at present, but other than that looks really good.


I think there's enough plants in there tbh, but I may add more...



shiftyraccoon said:


> Where's the basking area?
> 
> I see the ceramic and UVB but no basking bulb?


What makes you think it needs more heat than a ceramic to bask under?


----------



## reptile boy (Apr 7, 2009)

ceramic bulb for baskin is spot on keeps nice heat and also is more realistic for the cwd, i have always used ceramics but went on2 spot bulbs but didnt like thm at all, so it was bk to ceramics : victory:


----------



## NightGecko (Jul 17, 2009)

He is happily at home in his vivarium now. It is the same width as the one he was in at the shop but deeper and 4 times higher, so he should appreciate the size. I got one more bit of wood, a twisty vine thing which I screwed in at the very top at right angles to the main branch there. Makes the wood a little more 3D for him. I will get pictures later or tomorrow but I want him to settle in so kicked everyone out the living room for a little. I threw in 3 adult locusts and a couple of waxworms and some banana in his feeding dish, and he ate a mouse fluff at work this afternoon anyway before I brought him back (rather messily!).

He seems to have taken to the water like a fish, I added 3 more rocks in a small pile in the front right hand corner of the viv so he can easily surface wherever he goes. He is now swimming around and pausing at either rock pile, the branch or the filter to rest with his head out of the water. Looks great, I am so pleased! 

As for the basking bulb I have to agree, the ceramic on the PP stat gives a much better controlled heat source and he can bask anywhere along the upper branch whilst still being under the UV strip. The temperature directly under the ceramic is statted at 33C and moving along the branch the temperature goes right down to the high 20s at the other end. He can bask at whichever temp he wants on there, and move down to the water to cool off.

Pictures will definately be up in the next few days of the little fella in his new home!
Thanks for your comments.


----------



## darloLee (Apr 9, 2009)

carnt wait to see pics nightgecko good job mate : victory:


----------



## reptile boy (Apr 7, 2009)

darloLee said:


> carnt wait to see pics nightgecko good job mate : victory:


SNAP me tooooo :2thumb:


----------



## NightGecko (Jul 17, 2009)

Thankyou, I will try not to keep you waiting but I'd rather he settled in a bit first!


----------



## NightGecko (Jul 17, 2009)

Hmm, on second thoughts it may be better to get the photos done now while he is still a little stressed rather than stress him out again later on. Plus the lights are still on in there now so I don't need to use as much of a flash!

Here we go:

























































Lovely isn't he? Definately a fiesty one and not yet 100% handlable but I am sure I can tame him in time. I hope within a few days he will become acustomed to the new vivarium and stop freezing everytime someone looks in on him. I would much rather he was secure enough in his home to know we are no threat to him and to carry on about his lizardly ways whether we are in the room or not. He's part of the family now


----------



## Lizard Loft (Mar 1, 2008)

Thats is a great viv mate looks amazing!!

how often do you reckon you'll need to change the water? are you using an aquarium filter for fish?


----------



## NightGecko (Jul 17, 2009)

The filter is designed for fish yes and the only reason I have used that one rather than a more powerful turtle one is that it was free to me. I will certainly be cleaning the water once a week, more if necessary, and see how it goes. Provided he is only pooping in the water the rest of the vivarium will only be cleaned every 6 months or so. I clean out all my snakes and lizards completely every 6 months usually, as I spot clean and change water every day to make sure no bacteria builds up. As for the water, if the filter seems to be a lot weaker than necessary I shall probably invest in an expensive aquarium filter. I can get one relatively cheap compared to retail anyway but I think this one will be enough hopefully!


----------



## Lizard Loft (Mar 1, 2008)

NightGecko said:


> The filter is designed for fish yes and the only reason I have used that one rather than a more powerful turtle one is that it was free to me. I will certainly be cleaning the water once a week, more if necessary, and see how it goes. Provided he is only pooping in the water the rest of the vivarium will only be cleaned every 6 months or so. I clean out all my snakes and lizards completely every 6 months usually, as I spot clean and change water every day to make sure no bacteria builds up. As for the water, if the filter seems to be a lot weaker than necessary I shall probably invest in an expensive aquarium filter. I can get one relatively cheap compared to retail anyway but I think this one will be enough hopefully!


Ok thanks for that, reason i asked is ive been wanting to do this for my basilisks for ages and have a pretty big old filter spare, so after being inspired by your amazing viv i might make a big pool for them :2thumb:


----------



## darloLee (Apr 9, 2009)

hes a beutie!am sure hel love it once hes settled in ok, very jelous lol :2thumb:


----------



## NightGecko (Jul 17, 2009)

Lizard Loft said:


> Ok thanks for that, reason i asked is ive been wanting to do this for my basilisks for ages and have a pretty big old filter spare, so after being inspired by your amazing viv i might make a big pool for them :2thumb:


Thanks for the complements : victory: I should like to see how your own build goes too!

The one thing I would change if I started again would have been to let my sister paint a rainforest scene on the backboard and then yacht varnish it so the paint doesn't run with the humidity. I like the way it has turned out but the white backboard is a bit plain, even with the plants hanging off it. Then again, the dragon stands out more against white than any other colour so it's good for viewing purposes.

I am popping down to the local aquatics centre next weekend to buy some feeder fish and have a look at their aquarium decor. I heard they have just started to stock a few reptile bits so they may even have some jungle vine type things. If there are any cheap fake plants going I will take them and whack them in so he has some more foliage cover. If not I'm sure there's some spares lying around at work I can add to my tab : victory:


----------



## Lizard Loft (Mar 1, 2008)

NightGecko said:


> Thanks for the complements : victory: I should like to see how your own build goes too!
> 
> The one thing I would change if I started again would have been to let my sister paint a rainforest scene on the backboard and then yacht varnish it so the paint doesn't run with the humidity. I like the way it has turned out but the white backboard is a bit plain, even with the plants hanging off it. Then again, the dragon stands out more against white than any other colour so it's good for viewing purposes.
> 
> I am popping down to the local aquatics centre next weekend to buy some feeder fish and have a look at their aquarium decor. I heard they have just started to stock a few reptile bits so they may even have some jungle vine type things. If there are any cheap fake plants going I will take them and whack them in so he has some more foliage cover. If not I'm sure there's some spares lying around at work I can add to my tab : victory:


What sort of feeder fish are you thinking of using, i have also looked into this but heard they carry parasites etc so it kind of put me off, i was looking into breeding guppys or somthing similar as im after some fish anyway, then maybe offering the odd one as a treat every now and again, 

My basilisk viv has a huge background so dont have the white board problem :2thumb:


----------



## NightGecko (Jul 17, 2009)

Minnows or Guppys, something small and cheap. I suppose they could carry parasites but the aquatics centre down the road is clean & I doubt a few fish now and then would make the dragon sick. Whatever they eat in the wild would be covered in parasites too.


----------



## hollypops (Nov 3, 2008)

Wow, looks fantastic!!!!!:no1:


----------



## NightGecko (Jul 17, 2009)

hollypops said:


> Wow, looks fantastic!!!!!:no1:


 
Thanks : victory:


----------



## spikemu (Jul 5, 2008)

looks awesome 
i was told water dragons need 6 foot length ????

wat are your dimensions ??? 

im kinda torn between a frillie and a water dragon 

cause ive deffo got enough room for a frillie. 
but i prefer the look of water dragons and would really like having a bigger pool in there  frillies need a pool but not such a big one lol


but i think im goin for a frillie  

you should of tried a big fake wall background with a waterfall  lol 

but tht looks seriously cool  

where did u get your branches ???


----------



## suey (Aug 21, 2008)

I love it, as i am sure he does, well done ! : victory:


----------



## NightGecko (Jul 17, 2009)

This is 5ft high, 4ft wide and 2ft deep. People always say they need such huge enclosures but I've honestly found they can live in smaller ones. I know of three water dragons, one male and two females, who live in a cage roughly 4ft high, 3ft wide and 2ft deep. Mine is fine for one dragon. 6ft high and 6ft wide is overkill for one, I would have no problem keeping 2 in mine.

I like frilled dragons too and they are one of the next animals on my list. I have to say they are cool but I've experienced a lot of variation in ways to house them. I think an enclosure similar to this one would be fine for a pair of frilled dragons, but as you say with a smaller water pool and more rocks etc.

I got some of the wood from reptile shops and some from an orchard nearby.


----------



## spikemu (Jul 5, 2008)

NightGecko said:


> This is 5ft high, 4ft wide and 2ft deep. People always say they need such huge enclosures but I've honestly found they can live in smaller ones. I know of three water dragons, one male and two females, who live in a cage roughly 4ft high, 3ft wide and 2ft deep. Mine is fine for one dragon. 6ft high and 6ft wide is overkill for one, I would have no problem keeping 2 in mine.
> 
> I like frilled dragons too and they are one of the next animals on my list. I have to say they are cool but I've experienced a lot of variation in ways to house them. I think an enclosure similar to this one would be fine for a pair of frilled dragons, but as you say with a smaller water pool and more rocks etc.
> 
> I got some of the wood from reptile shops and some from an orchard nearby.


OOOOOO LOL you've made it harder for me to choose now  

lol looking at yours i was thinkin thts gotta definatly be more than enough for one water dragon  AHHHHHHHHHH the only thing that keeps me choosing frilled dragons is the fact tht i got told bout water dragons need 6 foot wide viv ( i dont have tht space) 

i just cant wait to build the viv


----------



## spikemu (Jul 5, 2008)

how did u fit the runners on ?????

i was hoping to do something like that where you can see inside the pool but cant think of how you'd fit the glass runners onto the front ??

if u dont mond me stealing your idea xD


----------



## stacy (May 9, 2009)

NightGecko said:


> This is my latest setup, currently still under construction. I can't kit out the decor until I have sealed the vents the wires run through and the hole drilled out for the filter wire. The floor is split into two squares, one side will be filled with water and the other with bark and eco earth. Going to have plenty of branches in there once it's done, have them all ready now. As you can see in the second picture, I have a 150W ceramic already in there on a pulse proportional thermostat and a 2% UV tube on a timer switch.
> 
> I was lucky enough to get everything, vivarium included, as a special price from work. The setup to jo public would have totalled around £500, including all the decor I have that has not yet been put in. I only paid around half that, 180 for the vivarium itself which is a bargain considering it's all waterproofed up and the bottom is glass lined. The vivarium is 5'x4'x2' and is going to house a single male Asian Water Dragon. Eventually I will probably throw a female in too depending on how big he gets and what I want to breed.


 looks good iv been thinking of doing something like that for me sumatran


----------



## NightGecko (Jul 17, 2009)

spikemu said:


> how did u fit the runners on ?????
> 
> i was hoping to do something like that where you can see inside the pool but cant think of how you'd fit the glass runners onto the front ??
> 
> if u dont mond me stealing your idea xD


 
I did not make the viv / attach the runners, I had it custom built : victory:



Thanks for the nice comments everyone.


----------



## spikemu (Jul 5, 2008)

NightGecko said:


> I did not make the viv / attach the runners, I had it custom built : victory:
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for the nice comments everyone.



OOOOO YOU CHEEKY LIL DEVIL lol 

making me think u built it ALLL  lol 

 its awesome tho  
i cant w8 to buils mine


----------



## NightGecko (Jul 17, 2009)

spikemu said:


> OOOOO YOU CHEEKY LIL DEVIL lol
> 
> making me think u built it ALLL  lol
> 
> ...


 
I am going to have a go at building one from scratch next year, though it will either be for a frilled dragon or carpet python (though I may have changed my mind my then and it be something else entirely!).


----------



## NightGecko (Jul 17, 2009)

Just an update, few new branches and plants were added and got some better pics of the dragon:


----------



## reptile_man_08 (Jan 14, 2008)

Looks great, lovely CWD too.


----------



## NightGecko (Jul 17, 2009)

reptile_man_08 said:


> Looks great, lovely CWD too.


 
Thanks. Yeah he is a real stunner and he's tamed up nicely too now! I can walk around the house with him on my shoulder and even take him into the garden. He hasn't bitten me since the first month I had him either, and happily feeds and drinks with people watching now. He still 'hides' sometimes when you come into the room, moving round on the branch he is on to be out of sight, but is otherwise settled in.


----------



## Red16 (Aug 15, 2009)

The viv looks great mate  i bet the dragon loves the large water area to swim/splash around in... thats top of my list to improve my own dragons viv with.

If you're interested heres a couple of photos of mine http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/lizard-pictures/360130-my-water-dragon-viv-setup.html


----------



## NightGecko (Jul 17, 2009)

Red16 said:


> The viv looks great mate  i bet the dragon loves the large water area to swim/splash around in... thats top of my list to improve my own dragons viv with.
> 
> If you're interested heres a couple of photos of mine http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/lizard-pictures/360130-my-water-dragon-viv-setup.html


 
Thanks mate. Take a closer look at reply #6 in your thread :whistling2:


----------



## reptile_man_08 (Jan 14, 2008)

Ahh yeah they're great when they sit on your shoulder for hours on end:2thumb:


----------



## Red16 (Aug 15, 2009)

NightGecko said:


> Thanks mate. Take a closer look at reply #6 in your thread :whistling2:


Oh yeah! :blush::blush:


----------



## NightGecko (Jul 17, 2009)

Thanks guys : victory:


----------

