Vision Systems (your experience)

[malt_geckos]

Hey everyone! Matt and I would love to hear the good and bad about th vision rack systems. We are really considering getting the hatchling rack for 72 babies. This will be a great space saver for us. The only bad thing we've heard is the heat cable is crapping out on some people. We would appreciate your thoughts and opinions on this system. Thanks!

 

[malt_geckos]

So I guess no one has any experience with these? Well, what about the heat cable that comes with it? That's what we're really worried about.

 

[BalloonzForU]

I've got one that holds 20 15 quarts. The heat cable used is the Zoo Med heat cables. I've had mine running for a couple of years straight with no issues. If it were to go out they are not that expensive to replace.

 

[malt_geckos]

That's good to know. Thanks! We've heard that a lot of people like the systems so I think since we will have the money to get one (Matt gets paid for good grades ), we will pick one up at Daytona so they take the shipping off of it. And last year, it was 20% off if you picked it up there. Hope they do that this year!

 

[Ccrashca069]

Vision's are always nice. Reptile basics has some really nice racks too. and the prices include shipping.

http://www.reptilebasics.com/

 

[lytlesnake]

I have several Vision racks and I like them pretty well. They're not exactly fun to put together, but they work. I like the fact that the animals get more light than in an enclosed rack. Also you don't have to drill holes in the tubs, which is a huge plus. The wheels are also nice. They allow you to move the racks easily.

They don't maintain heat as well as a closed rack. I run mine on proportional thermostats. The temp drops over a degree, then goes back up... this repeats endlessly, but it's not a problem unless your ambient temps are really cold. Just don't put the back of the rack right against a window.

They say the tubs glide smoothly, but they definitely don't slide as smoothly as with a PVC rack. This is because you're sliding them across a plastic grate. Then again, sometimes PVC racks can have one or more levels that are too tight, causing the tub to rub against the rack.

No rack is perfect, but I think I may try the Animal Plastics economy racks next. They're open so the animals get plenty of light, they have belly heat, and the tubs should glide smoothly over the PVC. Gotta drill tubs though, which gets old pretty fast.

I don't recommend any back heated rack for geckos. I've got one, and my observation is that they do better with and prefer belly heat. They can do just fine in a back heated rack, but I think belly heat is just better. Back heat is for lazy rack builders, though there are some people who like it better than belly heat.

 

[malt_geckos]

Thanks! The rack can't be anymore of a pain to put together than the one we have now! lol...believe me, it was a pain in the @#$....

It's ok that they don't glide really smooth, but do they get stuck while going in?

The plus for us is that it can be taken apart when we move.

Where can we see the Animal Plastics racks?

 

[ACE Geckos]

www.animalplastics.com there you go =)

 

[lytlesnake]

It's ok that they don't glide really smooth, but do they get stuck while going in?

The plus for us is that it can be taken apart when we move.

No they won't get stuck, unless you way over tighten the bolts on top. It's a bit awkward to get them started. The first step is probably easier with 2 people. Just don't try to force the shelves over the posts. You want to try and ease them on by getting them level so they slide on by themselves. If you bang on the shelves to get them on they'll get stuck and it's not fun. Also, never forget to put your spacers on before each shelf or you'll have to take the shelf off and do it again.

Let me know if you have any questions when you're putting it together and I'll be glad to help. I've got 3 Vision racks, one that holds (10) 32 qt. tubs, one that holds (20) 15 qt. tubs, and one that holds (5) 66 qt. tubs.

Also, the zoo med heat cable has a 6' cold lead, so make sure you don't wire the bottom shelf with the cold lead. There's a little mark on the cable where the heat starts.

 

[malt_geckos]

THanks! That's a lot of help! I think the Vision will be the best way for us to go.

 

[ACE Geckos]

Let me know if you have any questions when you're putting it together and I'll be glad to help. I've got 3 Vision racks, one that holds (10) 32 qt. tubs, one that holds (20) 15 qt. tubs, and one that holds (5) 66 qt. tubs.

If you don't mind me asking what are the dimensions of the (20) 15qt.

Thanks

 

[DAWNoftheLEO]

www.animalplastics.com there you go =)

I agree on that one...
Although I do have 6 Visionariums that treat me very well stacked too..

 

[lytlesnake]

If you don't mind me asking what are the dimensions of the (20) 15qt.

Thanks

It's 17" wide, 11" deep and 6' tall. Since the top two levels are kinda high up, you pretty much have to pull those tubs out at feeding and cleaning time, at least the top one anyway. I really like this rack though. It fits 19-20 geckos in a relatively small amount of floor space, and again, the wheels are great. Plus it ships w/ 2 heat cables which is nice. Once you get the hang of pressing the heat cable into the plastic channels it's a breeze. You want to use one cable all the way up the left side and the other cable on the right side. I can post a few pics if anyone would like to see how I run my cable.

I hang a Herpstat ND proportional thermostat on each rack and it's good to go. Or you can use one thermostat for several racks if they're close to each other. On this rack I use one empty tub for the temperature probe. Just use some electrical tape to hold it in place towards the back of the tub. My geckos seem very happy in their Vision racks. My kingsnakes like them too!

http://www.visionproducts.us/htm7/racks.html

 

[ataber]

It's 17" wide, 11" deep and 6' tall.

What are the rack dimensions? their site lists the tub dimensions but not the rack.

 

[malt_geckos]

The hatchling one we're getting is 88" tall...so over 6 feet.

 

[gko reptiles]

Hey Matt,

Ithought they were 20% off too but as I found out later it was 20% off the cages not the racks. I know it pissed me off too.

 

[malt_geckos]

That's stupid! O well, atleast they take off the shipping!