By Turtle Times

Taking on your first saltwater tank setup? It can be difficult to set up a new tank, but once you have your fish in it, it is worth the effort.

The process of turning an aquarium idea into a reality involves many steps. It is the same process as for setting up a freshwater aquarium.

Saltwater aquariums are a bit more expensive but offer a large variety of colorful fish. Corals are attractive because of their unique appearance and behavior. They are not available in freshwater aquariums.

Mixing these creatures will create something beautiful. It will brighten any room that you place it in.

Many people think that saltwater aquariums can be difficult to setup. This is not the case. We will walk you through all you need to do to start a saltwater aquarium. A saltwater tank setup takes a lot of work, time and patience but it is so rewarding!

Saltwater Aquarium Basics

Freshwater or Saltwater is the first thing you should choose when setting up a new aquarium?

It can be hard to decide which setup is best for you.

A saltwater tank is a tank with marine animals or plants. You can create your own aquarium. There are many options.

The unique marine life that is found in saltwater aquariums attracts many people. You can choose from the brightest fish in the world and corals to make your own reef.

You will be amazed at how beautiful a natural coral reef is if you’ve ever seen one.

Saltwater aquariums are expensive and hard to maintain, so beginners tend to avoid them. Even though it’s hard to avoid the cost, beginners can still maintain a saltwater aquarium with a little effort and time.

You need to setup your aquarium before you can enjoy the fish. It is important to know how to properly set up an aquarium. This will help ensure everything runs smoothly.

Saltwater tanks come in many different types

You can do a lot with a saltwater aquarium. Here are some of the most popular types of marine aquariums to get you started.

Fish Only

The main reason people get an aquarium is to keep fish. Why bother with anything else if they’re all you want?

This is the simplest and most affordable type of aquarium. It is important to only consider the needs of your fish and not other animals such as corals.

You can select between a species or community aquarium.

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This Western Fence Lizard is chilling like a villain in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user chrish ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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These two little Cresties seem a bit confused which way to go to food in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user MOC_Reptiles ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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That’s a whole lotta bull. Bullsnake that is! Loving the colors on the one here in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user orchidspider has never missed a meal! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Female Collared Forest Geckos usually have prominently ringed tails.
This is another of the small but usually pretty geckos of the genus Gonatodes. The geckos of this genus are widespread in Tropical America as well as being present on many Caribbean Islands.

Although a bit less colorful than the related Bridled Forest Gecko, this Amazonian taxon, scientifically known as Gonatodes concinnatus, has derived its common name from the white to yellow bars on each side on the dark shoulders. It is the males that are so marked, the females having 6 or 7 chocolate and white transverse bars across the dorsum and usually also having white tail rings and tailtip. Males also have an unmarked brownish-yellow to orange head, shoulders, and forelimbs. Body ground color can vary. This species may be dark brown with faint lighter speckling or be exactly the opposite, being brownish-gold with dark speckling on the body.

Unlike its congener, the Collared Forest Gecko, this species seems seldom seen in camp clearings or on buildings, but is fairly common in the rainforest on stumps, fallen trees, and occasionally on broad shrub and tree leaves.

This is a small lizard, being about 3 ½ inches in total length. It is diurnal. A clutch consists of a single egg but several clutches may be produced annually.
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I celebrated World Snake Day a week early last Sunday here in Milwaukee at a fundraising event called “Sipping for Snakes” hosted by the Eastern Massasauga SSP.  I mean it is Wisconsin, we do everything with either cheese or beer. I stumbled across the event on facebook and was instantly excited! A fundraiser for rattlesnakes ON MY DAY OFF! I mean what more could I ask for!!! 
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Happy Rattlesnake Friday! Celebrating with this beautiful Eastern Massasauga in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user ratsnakehaven found in the field in Michigan. Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Indy, the Blue Tongue, in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user buffysmom thinks they are hiding in their tube. Let’s not burst their bubble!! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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One little, two little, three little Bearded Dragons in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user dedragons ! It’s three for Thursday! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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These Uroplatus pietschmanni in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user mcamo3 ,show us what amazing masters of camoflague they truly are! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Hope this beautiful Sumatran Short Tail (aka Black Blood) in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user amaliamoran brightens your Monday! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Although variable, male Bridled Forest Geckos are usually quite brilliantly colored.
It is often said that good things come in small packages, and this is certainly the case with the tiny geckos of the genus Gonatodes. Most are adult at an overall length of 3 ½ to 4 inches of which half is tail. IMO the little Amazonian species known as the Bridled Forest Gecko, G. humeralis, is a perfect example. I’ll admit that the females of all species in this genus are much less colorful than the males, and this is especially so when the males are in their breeding finery. The females are grayish with various darker markings and mottlings. Males, on the other hand, have an olive(ish) ground color dotted dorsally with pale to bright red and laterally with a mixture of black and reddish dots. Males also have a bridle-shaped marking of bluish-white as well as bluish-white markings atop the head, anterior to each eye and on the nosetip and yellow labial scales. These markings may all be pale when the lizard is quiet, but invariably brighten during courtship and actual breeding. A clutch consists of a single egg but several clutches may be produced annually.

Primarily diurnal, this little gecko is often seen on the buildings and plantings at Madre Selva Biological Preserve. It seems most common in clearings but is occasionally seen sleeping on broad-leafed plants in nearby rain-forest

As we move deeper into the rain-forest this species seems to be replaced by the Collared Forest Gecko, G. concinnatus.
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Happy Rattlesnake Friday! Here’s lookin’ at you kid! Check out this gorgeous albino Southern Pacific Rattlesnake in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user lichanura . Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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I bet this Nile Monitor in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user orchidspider is hoping for some tasty snacks! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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You know it is going to be fun when you start out the day with an Eastern coachwhip in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user jodscovry! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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The sunlight really brings out the depth in colors of this Green House Snake in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user kamiki77! Be sure to tell them you liked it here.

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Large, gravid, and very dark in color, this Brown Water Snake was seen at canal edge in South Florida.The eastern USA is fortunate in having several species and subspecies of the genus Nerodia Water Snakes, as residents. Most are feisty if frightened, many will bite if carelessly restrained, and all are harmless (nonvenomous). Sadly, no matter how dissimilar they may look, many, if not most, are confused by those people who see them, with the venomous Cottonmouths. One that is most apt to be misidentified, is the Brown Watersnake, Nerodia taxispilota. It is also one that catches many folks by surprise.

The Brown Watersnake is one of the larger species, occasionally attaining 5 feet in length and being of heavy body. The color is variable, being brightest and most precise on neonates (yes, this is a live-bearing genus). Adults usually have a very visible pattern of light-edged dark dorsal blotches that alternate with light-edged lateral blotches. Some adults are very dark in overall color, especially when about to enter the shedding cycle.

Overall, the water snakes are semi-aquatic, but most are primarily water lovers. The Brown Water Snake, Nerodia taxispilota, may be seen basking in various riveredge situations including high in trees overhanging the water. From these perches, if startled, this big snake may drop into the water or, as too often happens, drop and land in the fishing boat that startled it. Sadly, when this happens this nonvenomous snake is often mistaken for the venomous cottonmouth and is summarily dispatched.

The light example seen here could probably be referred to as anerythristic (lacking red pigment)
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While not as iconic as the Westerns, Eastern Diamondbacks like this one in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Canes05 are amazing and stunning snakes in their own right! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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What more can we say but AMAZING! This is such a beautiful shot of a Desert Horned Lizard in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Brockn ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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This cute little pile of Fire Salamanders in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user jungleemporium are certainly “smoking”! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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All hail the mighty Garter Snake in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user TomDickinson for being so many of our first wild herp! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Pudge the Budgets Frog has a case of the Mondays in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user frogological! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Yellow Amazon Tree boas were only occasionally seen on Madre Selva Preserve.

One of the first snake species that I saw at Madre Selva Biological Preserve was coiled high in the rafters of the old kitchen building. From my vantage point the snake appeared to be clad entirely in scales of “old rafter brown.” Tree Boa? Amazon Tree Boa? Could it really be? Could I be that lucky? Segundo, having been summoned, clambered up to the rafters, grasped the snake (that reacted in typical tree boa style) and was soundly bitten during his one-handed decent. He then handed the irate snake to me.

Since that first sighting, I’ve seen many Amazon Tree Boas, Corallus hortulanus, many of various shades of brown, some being brown and orange, other being yellow, and a few being a beautiful blood red. Some I caught, some Segundo caught, others by other of our guides. But somehow, somewhere during the photographing sessions, almost all of the snakes retaliated for having been disturbed and immortalized in a “toothsome” manner. Any of you who have kept these interesting boas will understand why I tell the participants on our herp tours, “Amazon Tree Boas just don’t play nice.”

But that has never dissuaded our tour groups or me from seeking the arboreal gems. Besides in the open-air buildings, we have found tree boas high in trees, others were dangling by their strongly prehensile tail, boa face at human face level, from vines that crisscross above our trails (if not noticed these could have resulted in a real “ouch encounter”). Others have been just coiled quietly atop stumps. On one trip, one of the dangling boas, a yellow example (pictured here) was seen on four of the six nights that we were at the preserve.

The tree boas found have varied in length from 18 inch juvies to 4 to 5 foot long adults.

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We love everything that rattles, but today we give the spotlight to this baby timber rattlesnake in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user jameswv! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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That’s a whole lotta bull. Bullsnake that is! Loving the colors on the one here in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user orchidspider has never missed a meal! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Most commonly known as the harlequin toad, this Atelopus barbotinitakes center stage in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user jamesmatthews! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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What a great looking pair of Australian water dragons in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user cochran! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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This little hatching tortoise in our Herp Photo of the Day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user amazoa is a great way to celebrate World Turtle Day late! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Broad-headed Skings were common in Okeetee. This male has assumed his seasonal breeding colors.
I don’t know how Gordy knew where we were but he did. The roadsign we had just passed informed us that Ridgeland was 20 miles ahead. And Ridgeland, in the state of South Carolina’s “Low Country,” was our goal.

This was way back in the mid-1950s and I was as “wound-up” as a young herper could be. I was an eager and avid herper, birder, and “everything-elser.” In other words, except for humans if it breathed, I wanted to learn about it, and herps were at the top of the list. And somewhere near Ridgeland there was a special place that Gordy had heard about—Okeetee Hunt Club. This was and is a 50,000 acre plot of land that came into being way back in 1894. Today it is fenced and patrolled and only members are allowed to enter. But back in the mid-1900s, back before today’s market hunters and the tendency to litigate every bruise or sprained ankle, anyone who wished could enter, and I was one of the lucky ones.

Besides being a refuge and gathering place for arms-bearing hunters, Okeetee was Mecca to a host of herpers. It was one of Karl Kauffeld’s favorite places and it quickly became one of Gordy’s and mine. And when you added on the several other nearby hunt clubs and preserves, the area became unbeatable. Corn snakes were common, as were Eastern Kingsnakes, Scarlet Kings, Hognoses, Eastern Diamondbacks and Canebrakes. Pine snakes were not uncommon; Broad-headed Skinks were abundant. Chorus Frogs ratcheted from nearby canal edges, Bird-voiced, Cope’s Gray, Barking and Green Treefrogs called from the Great Swamp. Oh, and did I mention that we often found Mud and Rainbow Snakes, and Red-bellied Water Snakes. The list goes on and on.

I’m glad that I actually got to experience those times now long gone. I wish the herpers of today, well.
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Happy Rattlesnake Friday! What a gorgeous albino helleri in our photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user lichanura ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here! As always on Friday, we celebrate all of our venomous reptiles for their contribution to the world. It is our goal to help dispel the fears surrounding our beloved venomous creatures.

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So bright and brilliant, this Yellow Anaconda shines in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user mattf77 ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Revisiting a classic with this Pied Ball Python in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user js! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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A cute little Seal Salamander in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user bradley_skinner just chilling in on some moss! Be sure to tell them you liked it here! No offense USPS!

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A young adult Pyxie Frog.Don’t be deceived by either the common or the scientific names. There is nothing—nothing at all –pyxie-ish about this frog. Adult males are every bit as large as the biggest of the Horned Frogs, Ceratophrys. They surpass in size the biggest American Bullfrog that I have seen, and are equally as voracious as any examples of either.

The frog we are discussing is the African Bullfrog Pyxicephalus adspersus. It is in the small family Pyxicephalidae. It has an immense range, including much of sub-Saharan Africa. The common name, of course, is derived from the genus name, and whoever decided on this scientific designation must have had a remarkable sense-of-humor. The Pyxie is cannibalistic, eats other frogs, rodents, and any invertebrates it happens across. Add to that the fact that it will latch rather painfully on to the errant finger of any careless keeper.

Possible lifespan is debatable. Some researchers say 20 years, others double that time span. It seems the frogs grow slowly, throughout much of their long lives. At adulthood male Pyx­i­es may reach 10” in svl (snout-vent length). Fe­males are smaller. Males are also a bit more brightly colored than the females. Males are a decided green and have a yellowish throat while the females are a much duller olive green to brown(ish)-green and have whitish throats. Juveniles are green with bright green vertebral and lateral stripes.Several rows of interrupted, elongate, dorsal and lateral ridges are present on both sexes.

Pyxies are secretive and spend much of their lives in burrows of their own construction. They are explosive breeders, emerging from their burrows to breed en-masse in temporary waterholes formed at the beginning of the rainy season. Sparring by the males is a common occurrence.

As an aside, hobbyists actually like this belligerent frog, and Pyxies are now being bred commercially for the pet trade.

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This is a gorgeous corn snake in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user dallashawks ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here! No offense USPS!

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This Black-backed Coral Snake in our photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user RDBartlettkills that whole rhyme we were taught! It doesn’t always work kids! Be sure to tell them you liked it here! As always on Friday, we celebrate all of our venomous reptiles for their contribution to the world. It is our goal to help dispel the fears surrounding our beloved venomous creatures.

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Welcome to the world little one! That magical moment when a baby takes it’s first breath is captured here with this boa in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user dpiscopo69 ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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A shout out to the little guys! Loving this Vinales Anole in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user macraei ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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This Wagler’s sipo (Chironius scurrulus) in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Herpetologia was found in the field in Brazil! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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By Turtle Times

North American Box Turtles

Common name: Box Turtle
Scientific name: T. ornata, Terrapene carolina
Distribution: Eastern & Central United States
Size: 4-7”
Life expectancy: > 40 years

Box turtles are one of America’s favorite turtles. The box turtle is one of America’s most popular turtle pets.

Common / Eastern Box Turtle

Common Box Turtle This is the most common and well-known type of box turtle. “

Common Box Turtle Subspecies:

• Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina, Linnaeus 1768)
  The name is derived from its location in Eastern United States. It is one of the best-known subspecies and has an official status of vulnerable.
• Florida Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina bauri, Taylor 1895)
  The name comes from the fact that this species is found almost exclusively in Florida. Although it is not a serious threat, it has occasionally been found in Southern Georgia.
• Gulf Coast Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina major, Agassiz 1857)
  The subspecies can be found in the Gulf of Mexico, between the American states of Louisiana and Florida.
• Three Toed Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina triunguis, Agassiz 1857)
  This turtle is named after the three toes on its back legs. They are more resistant to new environments and can be kept in a home.
• Mexican box turtle
  This subspecies is only found in Mexico. There are export laws in place that protect these animals and they are rarely kept as pets.
• Yucatan Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina yucatana, Boulenger 1895)
  Only the Mexican state Yucatan is home to this subspecies. Although it does not have an official endangered status, locals say they’ve seen fewer of these animals in recent years.

The aquatic box turtle is also called the box turtle

Coahuilan/Aquatic box turtle – this is the only known Water Box Turtle of North America. It is listed as endangered.

Northern and Southern spotted box turtles are subspecies. There is little information about this species. Its name comes from the tiny spots that cover its shell.

Female Northen Spotted Box Turtle. Robert A Villa captured the image from a video. Click here to view the video .

Spotted Box Turtle Subspecies:

• Northern Spotted Box Turtle (Terrapene nelsoni klauberi, Bogert 1943)
• Southern Spotted Box Turtle (Terrapene nelsoni nelsoni, Stejneger 1925)

Western Box Turtle The …read more
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