So I am currently building an enclosure in my room for a Chinese water dragon. I have a 75 gallon long that will be sitting on 4x4s. I want to build a cage around it that is either plywood or plexiglass on the sides and back, with a mesh front that has a door and a mesh top. Am I completely off on that? Any other suggestions?
I bought a hanging light fixture for the full-spectrum fluorescent lightbulbs I have, which I would hang from the ceiling above the cage. I'm going to buy heat lamps but I have NO idea where to put them, which ones to buy, etc. There's so many options and I feel overwhelmed because I haven't done this before and I want to make the best decisions. Are there ones that can go in the enclose, since its going to be tall and I want to make sure the lower levels are warm enough?
The tank is going to be half water, half land, with a removable pool for easy cleaning and two waterfall features, one which is also a mister. There will be plenty of sturdy things for him to climb on (the enclosure will be around 6' high). I plan on using live plants.
For the substrate I was thinking of doing a sterilized soil/spaghnum/charcoal/coconut fiber mix. It will have a drainage system at the bottom, with charcoal, then moss, and then the substrate.
Any opinions, suggestions, advice, help? Especially with the whole heat lamp thing. I am so lost on how I will incorporate that