In this step by step guide, you will find how to setup your Chinese water dragon’s tank. Make sure to setup your Chinese water dragon’s enclosure before you bring it home, because you will need to test temperatures and possibly make some other changes. Chinese water dragon tank setup will consist of preparing a cage, adding bedding, decorations and plants, regulating lighting, heating and humidity.
Step 1: Buying, building or making a DIY tank
Depending on how old your Chinese water dragon is, cage size can be different. Chinese water dragons grow rather quickly, and you would need to move it to an adult sized tank when it reaches 12-14 months old.
A single baby Chinese water dragon of up to 12 months old can live in a minimum 55 gallon tank. Make sure to choose a large vertical cage like this large tall Exo Terra tank 36”x 18”x 24”, which is around 67 gallons.
For a single adult Chinese water dragon, you will need a tank that is at least 4 feet long x 3 feet deep and 5 feet high. Larger, the better, and more length will help prevent glass banging and height will help add more climbing space.
For a pair of Chinese water dragons, the tank must be at least 6 feet long, 4 feet deep and 6 feet high. Once again, larger, the better.
Because adult Chinese water dragons require such big enclosures, you will have to either buy a custom built cage (can cost up to few thousand dollars), build one, or DIY one. When you DIY the cage, make sure to think about ventilation, space, safety of materials and more.
All glass enclosure is not recommended for permanent caging, as Chinese water dragon will be hitting itself and damaging its nose. If getting a glass tank, cover at 2-3 sides with background rocks like this, and add plants to prevent nose rubbing. What is more, you will need to tape around 5-7 inches on the outside bottom to show your dragon there’s a barrier.
You must include a swimming tub for soaking and swimming. Make sure water is warm (80-85 F/26.6-29C ). If water is cold, you can heat it under a lamp or with a submersible water heater like this. If you leave this water cold, your water dragon won’t be able to move and might drown. Also, add a rock for it to climb out.
You should filtrate the water using a filter or pump/waterfall feature (even up to double filtration) + change the water every 3-4 days. Without a filter, you must refresh the water daily. Chinese water dragons love pooping in water and create lots of waste.
Wooden tanks are better to hold heat, especially if you live in colder areas. But you must make sure to waterproof the wood inside and even outside with polyurethane, non-toxic yacht sealant, pond or other wood sealant like this. Let it off gas for 2-4 weeks. Also, seal the edges with a non-toxic aquarium silicone sealant.
If you would like a full guide on choosing or building the tank, DIY ideas and important rules, please see this post. You will find how to attach two cages, turn a wardrobe into a terrarium and more.
Step 2: Adding substrate (bedding)
The best substrate for baby Chinese water dragons is a reptile carpet like this. Make sure to have spare carpets or liners so that you can make regular changes when cleaning.
Keep your baby Chinese water dragon on a non-loose substrate until turns around 8-10 months old, or reaches approximately 8 inches (20 cm) from head to tail.
Chinese water dragons require high humidity levels of around 70-80%, with peaks of 80-90% when the mister/fogger is on. To help retain humidity, you will need to use moisture holding bedding. You will need to add around 3-5 inches (8-13 cm) of bedding on the bottom of the cage.
Please remember, that all loose substrates pose a risk of ingestion. However, you can minimize this by feeding your Chinese water dragon in the area with a paper/tile under the bowl or even outside of the cage. The best substrates for adult Chinese water dragons are:
- Topsoil without any additives such as perlite or vermiculite. Soil can have some sand or charcoal for aeration, and mulch or moss for humidity retention. There are ready mixes like this. If any issues with molding arise, add some playsand.
- Large orchid or cypress bark chips like this that your Chinese water dragon can’t swallow. Make sure it doesn’t contain any volcanic rock etc. Chips must be large, small chips can cause serious issues.
- Topsoil mixed with cypress mulch like this.
- Coconut coir like this (Eco earth/coco fiber), which can be topped with orchid bark chips to prevent sticking or clumping.
If you would like to read more about best and worst substrates for Chinese water dragons, see this post.
Step 3: Lighting and heating setup for your Chinese water dragon
Lighting setup is very important for your Chinese water dragon. Chinese water dragons require both moderate UVB and heat in their habitat.
For UVB, you can use a 5-10% UVB tube, depending on the cage size. You can also use a compact bulb if you position it closer to the basking spot or if you have a smaller tank.
For very large enclosures of over 6 feet tall, you can get a T5 10% UVB tube. T8 tubes are also a good option – T8 tubes are a little less powerful than T5. Examples are:
- ReptiSun 36″ T8 tube like this, that will fit in a fixture like this
- Zilla T8 tropical tube like this
- Compact Reptisun T5 like this
- Mercury vapor bulb – will provide both light and heat, but exposure might be too strong. In that case, you can connect it to the timer for 5-6 hour a day and have another light bulb (no UVB) for the rest of the day.
- UVB tubes can be left on for full day.
Chinese water dragons also like escaping from direct UVB, so make sure there are shaded spots and a hiding place. If your Chinese water dragon doesn’t spend much time basking, that would be a clear indication (they spend most of their time up on the branches).
Make sure that UVB is setup at optimal distances, to benefit from it. If you are getting a 10% T5 UVB tube attached outside of the cage – allow around 12 inches (30 cm) from the dragon and UVB. If attaching inside the cage, allow 17-18 inches (38-46cm). For other distances, please see this post.
For light and heat you can use incandescent, halogen flood, spotlights, reptile lights like this. Depending on the size of the tank and its material, house temperature and other factors, you might need 1-2 basking bulbs of 75-100 watt.
Use the light bulb near a UVB, in one spot of the tank – on top of the cage. This way, your Chinese water dragon will be exposed to UVB when basking. This will also help create a warm and cool spot. Idea temperatures in the tank are:
- Basking (hot side) temperatures on top of the cage – 88-95 Fahrenheit (31-35 Celsius).
- Cool side temperatures of 75 to 80 Fahrenheit (24-26.6 C).
- Temperatures can drop to 75 Fahrenheit (24 Celsius) at night.
For a full lighting and heating setup in a Chinese water dragon cage, please read this post.
Step 4: Adding decorations
Chinese water dragons require a lot of decorations in their tank. Babies and juveniles especially need more accessories and plants to feel secure. Plants and branches will help with climbing and basking, prevent nose rubbing. Hiding spots will help hide from UVB and light and to feel more secure.
For climbing and getting closer to the basking area, you can use large wooden branches or logs that you will place vertically. When choosing branches, avoid cedar, pine and other conifers. The best choice is rot resistant wood, such as white oak, teak, mahogany, Mopani, Manzanita.
If you have a glass tank, make sure to cover 2-3 sides with a terrarium background like this or similar. You can also cover the sides with a dark cloth.
Please also include heavy ornaments that your Chinese water dragon can lay on. Ceramic or slate tiles or other basking platforms will hold the heat and help your Chinese water dragon stay warm and aid digestion. However, never use hot rocks. Reptile hammocks are also great for laying and basking.
The aim here is not to let your Chinese water dragon see through the glass, as it will be banging its nose trying to get out. This way, they can rub their nose raw, causing infection and permanent injury.
Make sure to add 1-2 hides where your Chinese water dragon can get away from UVB and light. For hiding spots, you can use hollow cork, caves, half logs etc. Most Chinese water dragons prefer being out and sleeping on branches, but you must have a hide or two and even a shaded area (with plants).
If you take any branches from outside, make sure to disinfect them at 350 F (around 180 C) for 30 minutes.
Step 5: Plants for a Chinese water dragon
For plants, make sure to pick strong and non-toxic plants that your Chinese water dragon won’t destroy and which can survive in humid conditions. Adding plants is a big part of Chinese water dragon tank setup.
Some of the best plants for a Chinese water dragon’s enclosure are:
- Hibiscus
- Ficus benjamina (a weeping fig)
- Mulberry
- Dracaena plants (larger types, such as Dracaena fragrans)
- Lucky bamboo
- Sansevieria trifasciata
- Pothos
However, keeping live plants is harder than getting fake ones. You will have to use soil without any fertilizer (it’s toxic). Your Chinese water dragon is also very likely to destroy the plants.
Using soil means that it’s easy to over-water plants due to high humidity. Loose bugs can also hide and lay eggs in the soil.
Instead, you can use fake plants that won’t get destroyed easily or get ripped by your dragon. If you decide to use live plants, it’s better to place them inside the tank in pots. Having them directly in soil can cause issues with roots and pruning.
Make sure they haven’t been sprayed with pesticides. Clean the plant and keep it outside for a week before introducing in the cage.
Summary
Thank you for reading this Chinese water dragon tank setup! To read more on getting/building/DIYing a tank, see this post. What is more, please read this post on how to setup ideal humidity levels in the tank. You can also read a full lighting and heating guide here.