Habitat - Indoor :: new setup, almost complete.

[blulite]

hey guys, havent been on here for a while as ive been busy with life. anyway i thought id show you my latest project for a new home for the turts.

it still needs a few finishing touches but not untill ive totally dismantled it again. i need to turn the tank round and also re-seal it. i want it to be 100% before i permanently fix everything.

i also need to add some electrics for the basking lights, heaters, powerheads etc...

anyway, this is how it looks so far



i have 2 wine racks to build at either side of the bottom units also to fill the space.

this one is how it is planned to look once its fully fixed into my kitchen.



oh and i need to put some background around the tank. some glass in the ATBA so it acts as a vivarium, and set up the ATBA ready for use, but those are things that can be done over the next week or 2.

and before anyone asks, yes my turts are living in the tank still and yes they have a small amount of water but its either that or put them in the bath, which i dont want to do for hygene reasons.

anywho, what you all think of the new setup??

[LilTurtSquirt]

[lilskip3125]

speachless... that setup is amazing!! wish i could do something like that!! please post pics when you are all done!

[seano997]

That's looking great! Nice use of the space. What size is that tank?

[blulite]

@ seano, the tank is 5ft long and 2 feet square. the space is approx 5 feet 3 inches wide.

@ lilskip, these projects are easy, you could do one no problem. if you can imagine it, you can build it. believe it or not, this was built from some old kitchen units that i got off the freecycle website.

i cant wait to get it completed. i need to change the ceiling light fitting too.

if you guys will for a second look at the space either end of the bottom units. i plan to not only put wine racks in there, but there will also be lights built in to light up the tank.

the tank overlaps at either end and the gap is approx 6 inches in total. so there will be lights built under so they act as uplighters at each end of the tank. ive spotted some LEd neon lights used for in car use that will glo up a multitude of great colours.

[seano997]

Pretty slick; I can't wait to see it finished. If the tank ever needs to be replaced, do the front panels pop off so you could remove it?

[theartbook35]

I can't wait to see this when it's done! It looks wonderful so far. Cool to watch the turtles while eating dinner, too.

[blulite]

@ seano, the entire setup will be made up fo 6 main units and 5 trim pieces so it can easily be dismantled and re-assembled.

the pieces consist of

bottom units
tank
vivarium (lifts off)
top units
2 x wine racks

then there is the four trim edges around the tank and the top trim on the vivarium that are scribed to the walls and joined together with biscuit joints. then fixed in place with either silicone or heavy duty velcro. most probaably the velcro.

the top trim on the vivarium is held in place with jointing blocks and unscrews easily. the framework and tracks for the vivarium glass will also be made removeable.

[blulite]

@ theartbook, the turts always come to say hi ans mooch for food when we eat dinner. lol.

[seano997]

Very clever design. I like it. Are you using canister filters at all? If so, are the bottom units deeper than the tank so you could put the filter in one of the cabinets and run the hose up to the tank? That's kind of how it looks right now but I can't tell if there is space behind it or not.

[blulite]

hi seano,

yeah mate the centre cabinet houses the filter, air pump and electric switches. i actually need to upgrade my filter as its old now and is starting to get a bit poor. its an old marathon filter, about 10+ year old. it has done the job fine for a good while now but it needs replacing asap. i really really want 2 FX5's but cant afford them at the moment. i also looked into a pond filter which is going to be cheaper and more efficient in my eyes.

[SINI5T3R]

Really like this set up. Fits perfect in that spot...

[seano997]

Wow, that filter has some mileage on it! lol I'm not too familiar with pond filters so would it be similar to a canister except a bit beefier? What are your plans for the ATBA? You're going to have tons of room to make a pretty nice one.

[jwinters]

That really is amazing. I've never seen anyone incorporate their tank into their house like that. It's very slick.

[blulite]

@ seano, it is a canister filter, its deffo too old now for my needs.

all the retaining clips for the top have broke off so its held together with zip ties. and the pipes are about the 7th set its had. plus when it gets full it stops pumping the water and it takes ages to get it flowing again after a clean.

the ATBA is going to be setup like a propper reptiile vivarium. its going to be lined with roof slates and have a heatmat under the far right hand slate so it attracts the turts to be as far from tha water as possible when basking. i have fans to build into the back of it to allow for humidity regulation.

i want to find some real mosses and plantation that i can plant in the vivarium and would like to somehow incorporate a waterfall in there. i have a mate who is a sculpter, who hopefullywill modell me a custom fall. i want to use a waterfall instead of a spray bar as a return from the filter. i think this would look totally awesome.