I've had this enclosure up and running for about 2 months now, and it's quite nice. The build quality is excellent, the assembly is easy, and it has really become a staple piece in my room. I decided to go bio-active with this enclosure (my first bio-active), and I'm housing an adult northern white-lipped python (about 6 feet long); a huge upgrade from his 55 gallon tank.
The overall setup and configuration is as follows:
- Basking shelf
- Executive upgrade
- 2x 80W Arcadia Deep Heat Projectors mounted on the top, connected to Spyder Robotics Herpstat 2
- 35" Arcadia Jungle Dawn LED (Lumenize version)
- BioDude Terra Firma substrate
- Variety of plants and driftwood
Some things I've learned so far:
- 80W deep heep projectors don't reach the bottom of the enclosure. Temps down low are about 5 degrees above ambient, which end up in the upper 70s for me. It works well for my snake, as he explores the entire area and has even dug some nice tunnels in the substrate. If you need warmer ground temps, using a more powerful and directed bulb (like the PowerSun) might be necessary, or adding radiant heat panels lower in the enclosure.
- I opted for the basking shelf, and I have mixed opinions on it for this setup. It's high quality, sturdy, and easy to install, and while it makes a nice area for basking, especially in a tall enclosure, it blocks a lot of light from reaching the bottom-rear section of the cage. To be fair, that's probably true of anything large enough for basking. My snake does seem to like it, but it's worth considering. If you have a more true arboreal snake (emerald tree boa or green tree python), then I wouldn't get it.
- If you decide to go bio-active, you're not going to want use under-tank heating, so skip on the thermometer cutouts (I wasn't sure what I was going to do when I placed my order).
- If you have access to the enclosure from the side, the extra window is amazing. I am so glad I got it.
- Executive upgrade is costly (but so is the entire enclosure), but I am happy I did it. One thing to note, the side panels are really heavy, since they're a more dense material than the PVC. If you have a window cutout, they're not bad, but the solid 2'x4' panel on the other side is a beast.
- There are no feet on the enclosure. I ended up purchasing some really big felt furniture pads to raise it slightly off the ground and make it easier to slide around.