Jun 29, 2009

Posted by Freshwater Aquariums in FAQ | 6 Comments

What Should I Put In A 25 Gallon Aquarium?

I have recently moved and have my 25 gallon aquarium to fill. I am interested in reptiles. I am wondering what I should put in there. I would like it to be less maintenance than fish and for it to not outgrow the aquarium. It would also need to be not ridiculously expensive.

  1. Melissa B says:

    Hello; here is a list of some snakes and lizards that are generally fine in a 25 gallon long their entire lives, along with a care sheet on each species and a little bit of information on them. If it is a 25 gallon tall; then it may be a bit too small for an adult Corn or a King, but it will still be just fine for the other species I am about to name. :)
    1. Rosy boa. They are small, very docile, calm, are great eaters, and are slow moving (and thus easier to handle than a lot of colubrids like King snakes and Corn snakes). They are also very hardy, low maintenance, come in lots of different colors and localities, and aren’t prone to shedding problems.
    Care sheet: http://www.rosyboa.com/desertboas/caresh...
    2. Kenyan sand boa. They have all of the good qualities of the Rosy like the gentle disposition, ease of care, small size, great feeders, etc, but the only problem that some keepers may have with them is that they spend most of their time under their substrate. For those who like to randomly walk by their snake’s cage to check to see what the snake is up to and how it is doing, that could be frustrating for them.
    Care sheet: http://www.wnyherp.org/care-sheets/snake...
    3. Most Corn snakes. There is occasionally the abnormally large female that will need a bigger cage, but generally a 20-25 gallon works just fine. They are quite docile, low maintenance, great eaters, generally are great shedders, are a bit bigger than Rosys or Kenyans but not so big that they are awkward to handle, and come in a wide variety of colors. My only thing I’d worry about with these guys is they are very quick moving and can be quite nervous as babies, so they require a bit more caution when handling.
    Care sheet: http://www.anapsid.org/corn.html
    4. Childrens pythons. They are very small (the second smallest python species in the world), are low maintenance, are great eaters, and usually have a great temperament. While I wouldn’t classify them as slow moving, they aren’t all that fast, either. However while I think that they are quite beautiful; some would consider them to be ‘bland’ looking, so if one was in search of a flashy looking snake, then these guys probably wouldn’t be for them.
    Care sheet: http://www.tinypythons.com/caresheet_chi...
    5. California Kingsnakes. They are a bit bigger than Rosys, Kenyans, or Childrens (roughly the same size as a Corn), are low maintenance, great feeders, and usually tame down quickly with regular handling. The problems with these guys are that they are another quick-moving species that tend to be nervous when young. They are also cannibalistic, so it is under no circumstances a good idea to put a King in the cage with another snake if you wish to keep both snakes alive and well.
    Care sheet: http://www.kingsnake.com/rockymountain/R...
    6. Rough-scaled sand boa. These guys are a very small, generally docile, low maintenance species of sand boa. They are hardy and easy to care for, are great feeders, and are excellent for beginners. The only problems with these guys is that they are a bit harder to find than most of the others on this list, and like the Kenyans, they spend most of their time buried under their substrate.
    Care Sheet: http://www.reptilia.org/care_sheets/snak...
    7. Western Hognose Snakes. They are a usually good-tempered, low maintenance, small, amusing species that could be mistaken for a Rattlesnake if someone wasn’t well versed in reptiles. They are generally very sweet, tame down quickly, are great feeders, and are great shedders. They are mildly venomous, though not enough so that it could pose of any danger to humans. Not only are they reluctant to bite; their fangs are also located in the back of their mouth thus making it very hard for them to bite you unless you literally stick your finger in there. Even if they did manage to bite you; you’d have to let them ‘chew’ on you to get any sort of reaction at all. Generally the reaction from their venom in humans is mild irritation and swelling.
    Care sheet: http://www.reptileallsorts.com/westhogno...
    As far as lizards go; what about a Leopard Gecko, a Viper Gecko, or an African Fat-tailed Gecko? All are low maintenance, don’t need UV lighting, sweet tempered, fine with gentle, patient, confident handling, interesting looking, small, and are quite hardy.
    Here are care sheets for the three Gecko species I just named:
    Leopard Gecko:http://www.thegeckospot.com/shortleocare…
    Viper Gecko:http://www.acmecritters.com/CARE_SHEETS….
    African Fat-tailed Gecko:http://www.acmecritters.com/CARE_SHEETS….
    I hope this helps, and if you have any further questions at all on the subject or on any of the species I named; please feel free to message me and I will be more than happy to assist you. :)
    Good luck!

  2. Get a couple little aquatic frogs. All pets require specific care according to their needs. So it’s not “high maintenance” it’s necessary for life. All pets are going to come with needs that take money. Food, housing, heat, must be artificially supplied for them. Health care for exotic pets such as reptiles is costly. All this needs to be thought out before purchasing the animal. Good luck.

  3. SonicTheGeekwad (Anti-Fascism) says:

    leopard geckos, childrens python, rosy boas, viper geckos, crested geckos, schneiders skinks,etc all are great beginner reptiles and wont out grow the enclosure

  4. pet_is_c says:

    sand boas…

  5. corn snake ……they really dont need anything except food and heating

  6. tatertot says:

    leopard gecko

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