Posted by Mark on April 22, 2000 at 00:02:41:
I have been reading up on caimans for a while, and am drawing up some final plans on how i am going to construct the enclosure. i was planning on a 5' x 5' x 3' cage with a rubbermaid pond approx. 4' in diameter at the farthest point and about 2.5' to 3' deep. the pond will have a drain valve at the bottom and i was planning to have it drip into a bucket of tank which would have a filter in it. the the water would be trickled like a brook back into the pond. the land area was planned to consist of 50% soil and 50% gravel. i was also going to have marsh or swamp grass in certain parts of the land area i would also have various ferns..
here are my questions... 1) would that enclosure be viable for 2 juvenile Spectacled caiman for 1 1/2 - 2 years???
2) what kind of filter would have to be used and what kind of media and how would i go about using it ( please describe this answer in detail as i am a bit scetchy on this topic)
3) would i be able to fertilize the plants without poisoning the animals??
4) how is the "bacteria system" used to control amonia
5) is it nessicary to have a ground for a heater?