Tank size question

[Skunked]

Hey there all,

New here.... I used to own a beardie a while ago when younger, and absolutely loved him. I had him for 6 years, until, unfortunately (years ago) due to what my current living conditions were, I was not available often enough to provide the proper care and attention he deserved.

Things have changed and I have thought about looking into a beardie again; I am now in a much more stable point in my life and have the time a beardie deserves.

I used to have Dudley (old beardie) in a 90 gallon tank, i believe it was around 48x24x18/24? Even this tank, at times, I had wished would of been quite larger... (think i may be answering my question myself...)

Right now I have a 55 gallon long fish tank that I can no longer use to hold water. The length and height are pretty much the same of my old tank - However, the depth is only 12" instead of 2 feet...

Am I right in feeling that this will be too small for a fully grown bearded dragon? (IE: specifically the depth.)

Thoughts and opinions on a 55 gallon long tank, to house a fully grown beardie in? (48Lx22Hx12w)
-->There is the possibility of eventually getting a larger tank, but I would rather be "safe than sorry" type of thing, in the event that I will not be able to get a larger tank. Also, would not expect me to fall into a larger tank anytime soon, and would expect a full grown beardie to be housed in the 55 for some time. I also am expecting to try and rescue one who is perhaps already full grown - Where I live, there are faaaaaaaaar too many that need to be adopted/rescued from owners who did not know what they were getting into. Hence me looking for opinions on the 55 gallon and how its size would be/do from the experts

 

[blazedragon]

that width will be an issue since bds can reach upto 24" in length. you can build a cage fairly cheap and it dont require you to be super crafty.

 

[Skunked]

Thanks for the reply!

I was kind of thinking this anyways - You have just confirmed. Like i said, My old, full grown, beardie was in a 90 gal tank, which is 2 feet wide.... And even in that, at times, seemed far too small of a tank. I am not new to crafting tanks, trust me... I built a 220 gallon pond for my turtle ....

However, I do already have the 55 gallon tank, and am thinking of what I could put in there... Beardie was a the top of my list of "wants" but just wasn't sure about the size....

 

[Pat B]

Beardies need more ground floor than height if that helps any. My beardie is a 40 gal breeder which seems to be a common size....however....my Spike is a runt!!

 

[Skunked]

Ha! Yeah my old guy definitely was no runt! And like earlier stated, in the 90 gallon, I often felt it was too small and had wished for a larger home for him.

Only reason I really was asking, was (I guess) more or less for confirmation.... Because I already have the 55 gal sitting empty.

I think the plan will be (eventually) to go ahead and either build a custom tank, and/or give the beardie the 220 gal pond when the Turtle gets upgraded to something larger. There's no beardie yet, and I am in no rush...... Really do appreciate the feedback though!!

 

[Bushmaster11B]

Don't toss the TANK. You could use it for a feeder breeder.... just a thought.

 

[Firemaro]

My beardies are in a 96 x 36 x 24" cages. Building the cages was very easy. I used mdf boards and contact paper in case any water got spilled. Venting the cages are a breeze buy round vents and a hole saw. The possibilities are endless when you build your own.

 

[Germ]

4 square feet of floor space, which a 55 gal provides is the bare minimum recommended for an adult BD, but will do the job. 40 Gallon breeder tanks provides a 4.5 square foot footprint is a better choice & will provide a happy, healthy home throughout the BD's lifetime. That being said, 'Bigger' is always better.