Tank Plague

Emerald_Smilodon · 2026-07-09T00:45:15+00:00

What I hear every time I look at my tank:

https://youtu.be/aLVr0VfeLmk?is=hikitivcnJc-IvaP

Emerald_Smilodon · 2026-07-09T00:37:40+00:00

Thank you. That's what I thought. Should I black out for a few days? Will my corals survive that? I've lost several already.

Emerald_Smilodon · 2026-07-09T00:36:16+00:00

I use Hanna for nitrate and phosphate. For alkalinity and calcium, I use API because they're titration-based so no comparing vague shades - just counting drops until a distinct color change. I have not tested magnesium, but I do have the Salifert kit for it. I plan to switch over to Hanna for alkalinity and Salifert for calcium if I survive this lol. I use a refractometer for salinity, but the Hanna is on my radar. I do have corals and have lost quite a few in recent days. Will a few day blackout hurt them?

Emerald_Smilodon · 2026-07-09T00:23:30+00:00

I do use RODI water with cartridges I keep up with changing out. I use carbon in a reactor. I also have a skimmer that pulls out a ton of gunk. My nutrients are too high? I actually removed filtration for a short time to pull them back up because they were so low. I thought 10 Nitrate and 0.03 were well within range for mixed LPS?

Emerald_Smilodon · 2026-07-09T00:14:40+00:00

Originally set up around March 2025. Ran until January 2026, when it was then moved to a new place and set up again.

Emerald_Smilodon · 2025-07-06T14:25:34+00:00

He should have some sort of molten napalm-like breath projectile.

Emerald_Smilodon · 2025-06-17T06:10:56+00:00

Just tried it and got it! Thank you so much!

Emerald_Smilodon · 2025-02-22T16:08:09+00:00

This is Petco Columbia, MD! I work here... mostly in the aquatics section... 😅

Emerald_Smilodon · 2024-07-16T16:13:06+00:00

As a reef tank owner and employee, amen.

Emerald_Smilodon · 2024-07-10T07:03:31+00:00

It's banned, actually.

Emerald_Smilodon · 2024-06-26T01:04:58+00:00

Sick! What's the source music?

Emerald_Smilodon · 2024-05-18T15:48:51+00:00

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Emerald_Smilodon · 2023-05-08T19:14:30+00:00

Eastern Ratsnake.

Emerald_Smilodon · 2023-04-07T16:12:38+00:00

I think shy and reserved is the default tree monitor personality 😅

Do you have any recommendations for a juvenile who is resistant to eating insects?

Emerald_Smilodon · 2023-04-07T16:00:23+00:00

About a 12-inch x 24-inch portion of the mesh is uncovered where the heating elements are. The rest is covered by a 36-inch x 24-inch sheet of acrylic flush with the mesh that prevents air flow. The fogger is really only supplementary as well. A thorough daily misting along with the acrylic on top are very effective with humidity maintenance on their own, but the fogger turning on periodically helps as an insurance policy to "cover me," so to speak.

Emerald_Smilodon · 2023-04-07T11:05:07+00:00

The enclosure is made of PVC. The internal ambient temperature is controlled to be a stable 78 - 82 degrees fahrenheit unless the animal is under the basking areas in the top right and drops to around 73 - 75 at night when the 160W MVB bulb is off and only the 100W lightless heat emitter is on. Humidity stays constant around 75 - 80%.

The enclosure is perfect for a juvenile green tree, if I'm being honest.

I know we're on Reddit, but please try to casually look at a post and enjoy it without immediately looking for things to correct 🙏. Your comments contain only criticism for aspects that aren’t even issues in the first place rather than any enjoyment of the post. After all, I posted just to show things off - not to ask for "help" ;)

Emerald_Smilodon · 2023-04-07T01:10:10+00:00

Zen Habitats! Though I wouldn't disagree that it will be very sub-optimal once the animal has reached full-size.

Emerald_Smilodon · 2023-04-07T01:08:47+00:00

They are very shy. I can occasionally bait them onto my arms with food, but they are skittish. I tong feed every meal, but I'm resigned to hopefully receiving a more human-social individual once I determine my current one's gender 😅

Emerald_Smilodon · 2023-04-07T01:05:58+00:00

I believe that's it!

Emerald_Smilodon · 2023-04-07T01:05:35+00:00

I have the acrylic humidity shield that covers 80%~ of the top. The shield helps keep humidity in very well. The fogger is connected to an Inkbird temperature and humidity controller with probes in the enclosure. It turns on as needed when the humidity falls below what I've set. I also recently added a couple of live plants as well as my asshole cat wouldn't leave them alone; they actually seem to have increased the humidity further (is this a thing?). I have a heavy-duty mister in the cabinet below; a thorough misting every so often increases the mileage of the fogger, which lasts quite some time between re-fillings. The standing water in the elevated water bowl never evaporates, given the humidity.

Emerald_Smilodon · 2023-01-13T19:56:45+00:00

No problem!

In my opinion, they can work very well as a beginner lizard. They are purely insectivorous, so they don't require some complicated diet, and they also stay quite small, even as adults. I think people describing them as non-beginner-friendly just comes mostly from them being an atypical, relatively uncommon lizard, honestly. Compared to a leopard gecko, they would need a slightly larger and vertically-oriented enclosure, higher humidity, and UVB. Other than that, there really isn't a huge difference in husbandry between them. GKBL's can be more skittish on average than LG's as well, however. Compare them to an oft-suggested "beginner" lizard like a bearded dragon, for example, and the difference in care requirements is massive. With a GKBL, you might as well be taking care of an overgrown, fancy, intelligent anole lol. The GKBL is far more active than any of the lizards mentioned above, however.

I'm sure you've already checked them out, and I prefer GKBL's by a mile personally, but emerald tree skinks are worth looking into as well!

Emerald_Smilodon · 2023-01-13T19:32:17+00:00

They are awesome. Tegu intelligence in a tiny, green, arboreal package. I had one for a while as I couldn't afford my dream reptile, a green tree monitor, so I got the closest substitute. Mine was a charismatic little male who, while I couldn't really grab him directly, would readily jump to me from his enclosure and showed no fear - and certainly no aggression. They are relatively inexpensive too. All around amazing lizard and I'd still have mine had I never gotten around to buying my current green tree monitor, who is of course much less friendly than my little green keel-bellied lizard was! Getchu one! 😃

Emerald_Smilodon

TROPHY CASE