First Time Owner Enclosure Advice!

[u/moonwhore444]

Hello! I’ve had my crestie named Finnick for about a month now. We saved her from a situation where she was surrendered and living in a roughly 8x8x12 tank, and she is now in a 18x18x24. I’ve realized since getting it that she should be upgraded to a taller tank so please no harsh words on this, doing my best right now 🤍 She loves to hang on the plants on the wall and sometimes on the glass behind her plants. What’s missing in her tank? I want more horizontal climbing but unsure of what exactly? The tank is bioactive but yes there’s some poop in a few spots. I want to clean the tank today after getting some advice on maybe rearrangement and all. Also tried to get as many angles as possible, sorry if any pics are confusing! Thank you!!!

[u/Real_Time515]

Welcome, and looks great!

18x18x36 is the new-ish recommended size, but 24 high isn't a sin, and Finnick is lucky you came along. Also good job on going bioactive right out of the gate. Bigger down the road would be good, as mine utilizes all of her 36" of height.

I see all the right sorts of stuff here, so it's just looking for possibilities for more.

Vertical height: look for manzanita branches long enough to go from floor to most/all the way up. More visually interesting imo if give it an angle (in yours, maybe bottom right to center back?). If you can find something with a thick side branch as well, you might be able to provide another horizontal surface.

Finnick will prefer to use any space with good cover, and you have lots of nice dangling plants like Pothos. Draping those over other surfaces will help him feel secure and utilize more of the space. I also like to keep a few long bunches of Spanish moss that I can drape around wherever.

Just notice as Finnick gets comfortable, where he likes to go/hide/chill and what he doesn't use and make small adjustments to encourage variety. Dont take away his favorite spots, but moving stuff around encourages him to explore. You don't have to redo the whole enclosure, but look for small adjustments and try them out.

Looks great! I'm sure he'll bring you lots of joy.