Habitat - Indoor :: Check Out Our New Tank Setup

[2redsandabluegill]

This is a 46 gallon Bowed front tank with a stand I built from solid oak, I copied the overpriced pressboard stand the pet stores sell. I'm using a Fluval 405 with lots of extra carbon and ammonia absorber, I have the filter's intake set up to take water from under the rocks by using an underwater filter grate and attaching the filter intake to where the bubble tubes would normally go.
We used flag stone to make the ramp and basking area. the rocks are piled up just right so there are many cracks and crevasses for fish to swim and hide from the turtles

[sonyj]

While you may like the look of the stones as a basking area, it is not extremely in your turtles well being to use this. You are taking up a lot of valuable swimming space that they need. Also, should the stones shift over time, you could find an injured or dead turtle if they become trapped. Either build an above water basking area or buy one that will float with the water level. This way your turtles have the joy of all the water they need to swim in and live in.

The smaller rocks being used as substrate need to be disposed of as well. It is not recommended to use small rocks/gravel as substrate for turtle due to the fact that they will ingest them. If they become impacted it can lead to surgery or death from starvation. Usually turtle owners use a few river rocks for the turtles to push around but that are much larger than the turtles head so they will not be eaten. Also, having substrate in the bottom contributes to poorer water quality.

There's only one light in the pic (heat?). Do you have a UVB bulb as well? Both are needed over the basking area for turtles health and well being.

With a few tweaks and changes this will be a very nice home for your guys. I love the stand, I can't believe it was made. Great job.

[daredevilgirl013]

You have the same turtle light that I do!!

[2redsandabluegill]

Taking up space with the flag stone was done on purpose. With the turtles coming from a 25 gallon tank, I wasn't too concerned about taking up swimming space with the rocks, it’s bigger than they had and I don’t want them to grow too quickly.. As the turtles grow I will remove the flag stones and make a fancy ledge they can swim under. The pebbles are bigger than they look in the picture, but next time I clean the tank I will replace them with larger rocks.
I put the UVB light on when I’m not home. It bothers my eyes
Thanks for the reply

[missibsu]

Keeping your turtle confined to a small space won't keep them from growing. Just something to keep in mind. Growing too fast would come from overfeeding, and keeping your water temp too high. To intentionally keep your turtles in a space that is too small to keep them from growing is not healthy.

[steve]

I might not be seeing this right, but the turtle on the top basking appears to have some pyramiding. The flagstone looks nice, but does take up way too much space. Sonja and Missi made good points in their replies. That stand looks great, BTW.

[myprecious]

well, my first post because of the potentially dangerous setup with the stones. Nice setup but that is FAR too much weight, unevenly distributed for a glass tank. It could potentially cause the sealant to weaken as well.

Take care.