Happy Nature Sanctuary Shut Down. Here's the New Plan

We have sadly decided to shut down our biggest marine tank, the Happy Nature Sanctuary, due to a combination of reasons.

1. Algal blooms. Algal blooms were extremely persistent in the tank. No matter how hard we tried, it was near impossible to remove them.

2. Temperature control. Since the tank gets direct sun exposure each day, this contributes to algal blooms and fluctuating temperatures, which damage and kill our animals, who prefer waters below 60ºF. Water chillers were an option but too expensive and consume energy at an extremely fast rate/

3. Rainwater/freshwater leakage. Every rainy season, excess water seeps into the tank from the roof, diluting the saltwater. We have tried covering the roof with different material but water still seeps in.

4. Filtration The filtration has been inconsistent. We have tried over 5 different filtration systems, all which either did not filter the water or filter the water for a couple months before stopping.

Solution: convert into lizard tank

The 40 gallon breeder tank is the right size for one western whiptail (Aspidoscelis tigris). This tank was now converted into a dry chaparral tank, with a hot side of about 100ºF - and the a cool side of about 70 or 80 degrees.

About Western Whiptails

The Western Whiptail is a medium sized lizard in the family Teiidae and superfamily Lacertoidea. Teiidae includes many of the most intelligent lizards that are capable of being social and tame. This includes the large Argentine Black and White Tegu, which is a popular pet.

Aspidoscelis are no exception. They are extremely fast and skittish lizards due to a highly advanced nervous system and can sprint up to 18 miles per hour. They are distributed throughout Southern California although there are disjunct populations in Palo Alto, Garrapata state park and Mount Diablo. As a result of their extreme shyness and skittishness, they are rarely encountered on hikes. Despite their secretive nature, they are extremely smart compared to other California lizards.

Some whiptails in captivity associate their owner's hands with food and might even be able to recognize their owners faces. When the dirt is tapped, whiptails are known to associate this motion with a treat and will run up to the owners hand to receive food.

Western whiptail, credit to https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/89849117

Habitat configuration

1. Cleaned out algae water

2. Pressure cleaned algae on the glass on the walls

3. Added preliminary desert soil

4. Added desert soil, rocks and other decor

5. Added more authentic decor like chamise and manzanita branches and foliage, and added a UV light

Currently, our Coast Range Fence Lizard Francis is residing in the habitat, as we are testing the compatibility of the structures with a smaller lizard. He will soon be moved to his original habitat after the whiptail moves in

Other Lizard Tanks

Yellow highlights indicate lizards we have already.

1. Coastal scrub tank

-San Francisco Alligator Lizard

-Western Skink

2. Chaparral Tank

-Coast Range Fence Lizard

3. Desert Tank

-Western sagebrush/Western side blotched lizard

-Granite Spiny Lizard

4. High Chaparral Tank

-Western Whiptail