Finally got slate

Just as the title says. I sliiiightly rearranged stuff in the tank, but it's not super different so I wouldn't stress Typhon out. Stuck the moist hide on the hot side of the tank as well to see how that goes. What do you guys think?

Here's how red the red slate was before washing it...kinda sad it got lighter. =/


Without make-shift steps:


With make-shift steps:







Sorry that the pictures are a little crooked. I was doing my best to keep balance lol.

EDIT: Had to take the rock off the top of the moist hide. Apparently he can scoot the tupperware around already and I don't want it to fall on him.

Looking good

Looks really smart! Well done! Much better than the paper towel. Btw, that sure is a LOT of powdered supplement you put in the feed bowl with the mealies. Does Typhon eat the mealies from that bowl?

joneill wrote:Looks really smart! Well done! Much better than the paper towel. Btw, that sure is a LOT of powdered supplement you put in the feed bowl with the mealies. Does Typhon eat the mealies from that bowl?

It was actually feeding time. I'm really lazy going one worm at a time from bowl to tank...so each time, I pour the supplement into the bowl and then add 10-15 mealies and roll em around in it. Once he's had his fill, he goes into a hide and then I dump all of the excess into a plastic bag for later use. If there's extra mealies, I set them aside while I take out the excess. He's not a bowl eater so I have to feed him mealies one-by-one.

Thanks for the compliments~! I'm having a difficult time raising the hot side temp now...we'll see how it goes. It's currently 84.6ºF there. Been cranking up my rheostat like mad...I guess it takes extra power to heat through slate.

EDIT: Unfortunately, I had to take out the tile under his warm hide. It wasn't getting hot enough. The slate is 1/4 of an inch thick and has ridges on the bottom that keep the entire tile from touching the glass. Oh well..at least the rest of the tank looks good?

Double EDIT: Just wanted to add this in because it scared the bejeebus out of me and Typhon. I stuck my hand into the warm hide to feel the temperature of the slate by hand to see if my probe wasn't working...instead, I pressed my hand on top of Typhon (not hard, though!). Typhon was sleeping in there and I had no idea. He jumped up and clicked and I yanked my hand out as if there were a rattlesnake in the tank instead of a leo. Lesson learned: look before you shove your hand into a hide!

Looking good. If slate isn't working well, try ceramic tiles. I've switched to using ceramic tiles because they are lighter, thinner, and seem to conduct heat better. You can find them in home improvement stores, costing the same as slate tiles.

Mardy wrote:Looking good. If slate isn't working well, try ceramic tiles. I've switched to using ceramic tiles because they are lighter, thinner, and seem to conduct heat better. You can find them in home improvement stores, costing the same as slate tiles.

Ceramic, eh? I'll have to stop back at the hardware store to see what they have...the reason I stayed away from it was because I heard that the surface was too smooth? Is that just for glazed or does that stand for unglazed as well? Because I know they have unglazed ceramic and it looks just like the slate. It did look much thinner...does it break easier?

Looks awesome! Great job! I'm sure he loves it!

The unglazed ceramic is thinner, but will not not just break by setting it down. You'd need significant and purposeful force to actually break it.

that's gonna be one happy gecko

Unglazed ceramic tiles will work fine, they seem to grip pretty well with it. When in doubt run your hand through the surface, there are ceramic tiles that look just like slate and feel almost like slate. They won't break unless you put a lot of force on it through unusual means. Pretty much nothing you or the gecko do inside a terrarium would make it break.

When I tested between slate and ceramic tiles, I got an 8 degree difference in hot spot temperature. That just may put you up to your comfort zone.

Looks good!!! I was almost going to use that same hide with the bowl. Your water bowl looks like it is deep. Could id be just the way the picture was taking?

Fantastic! Thanks for the responses guys. I went back to Lowes and got some unglazed ceramic cut. I'm taking a breather in between classes, so I'll be washing it later tonight or tomorrow depending if I finish up this week's review. I'll upload pictures as soon as I can.

As for the water level, it's no more than 1/2 an inch deep, if that. Just the angle making it look deep. As for the bowl/hide combo, it's a really great piece. I made a review for it if you want to check it out.

wow
It looks great!
I love the colour of the tile!