Habitat - Indoor

Posted: Sun Sep 17, 2006 5:49 pm **cover for the tank**

I need to come up with something to cover the tank that only covers up until the basking area. :roll:

I don't want the traditional hood, but I do need something to regulate air temp in the tank. I am in Iowa, and winters are cold and windy. I have a 75 gallon tank which is 48 inches long and 18 wide. I think I need to cover 36 inches of the tank with something that keeps out drafts, but I also need a corner cut out for the filter. Any suggestions?

Posted: Sun Sep 17, 2006 7:14 pm

Go to Home Depot, or Lowes, or a glass place and get a piece of GE Lexan Polycarbonate. It's fairly inexpensive. Ask them to cut it for you. If you have to, make a template out of a piece of cardboard or construction paper with the cutout where the filter hoses come in. Also, as a custom touch, I drilled a couple holes (be careful, it can crack under pressure) in mine and put drawer handles (also from home depot) on it for easy handling.

Posted: Sun Sep 17, 2006 7:39 pm

Thanks Father Goose! Do you think it will be okay to leave a foot at the end for basking lights or will that allow to much drafty space? I have thought about going to a mercury vapor, but I would prefer not to for a while if I can avoid it. If the space could allow too much of a draft in, I may just have to deal with it. I think with a single bulb, I might be able to have an openning half that size...

Posted: Sun Sep 17, 2006 7:57 pm

I just cut mine to the size that would expose only the basking ramp, but I use a compact UVB Bulb. If you have a long tube type, youll have to arrange it so the cover dosent interfere. I don't trust those mercury vapor lamps. They seem to put out too much heat. Even if you only cover half of the tank, you will still be trapping some of the warm air and humidity coming from the water. On my new 90 gal, (under construction) I plan on having a square foot of basking area, so thats what will be exposed.

Posted: Sun Sep 17, 2006 8:03 pm

Just another thought...Does your 75 gal have that center brace? If so you may bbe able to have one cut to cover the entire half, and a smaller piece to cover the non-basking area on the other half.

Posted: Sun Sep 17, 2006 8:16 pm

ALSO I know how bad the winters can get out thataway...I got caught in a wicked blizzard @ Princton, IA. Right by the Mississippi. Wind chills were 70 below! :shock:

It was '94 or '95. Mother Nature plays for keeps out by you....

Posted: Sun Sep 17, 2006 10:49 pm

Yeah winters here are awful. I have seen wind chills at 100 below here. Shallow creeks and ponds freeze solid. Yet introduced RES survive and flourish here. Weird huh? They are driving out native species they do so well. Cute little turtles are a huge enviornmental threat to others. :shock:

Yes my 75 gallon has a center brace, and I like the idea of 2 seperate pieces in the interest of manuverability. Thanks so much for the idea!

I will be making a trip in the coming month so I can be sure the little critters will be protected before it gets nasty cold here.

Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 12:53 pm

I'm curious, how much does that polycarbonate cost in general?
I've also got a 75 gal with centre brace, and used eggcrate on the basking side, and a piece of plexiglass (that was laying around) for the other side.
Only problem is, the plexiglass has absorbed the moisture and now it curls up! I've never seen that before... And it's weird, because the plexiglass has been outside the whole time.

Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 5:35 pm

I just bought a 12x24 piece, I can't find the darn receipt, but I know it was less than 5 bucks.
I don't know about plexiglass absorbing moisture, are you sure it's not water stained? It will "curl up" or warp if it's too thin for the application. The piece I bought is .093 mil (thickness) but I'm using it as a base for the basking ramp, to support the actual substrate (tile, cork, terra-cotta, I'm still deciding, doin' alot of head scratching over here).
But for a cover, I would go with a thickness LARGER than .093, otherwise it may sag or warp.

Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 6:00 pm

.093 inches? I just measured the plexi I've got, and it's just under 5mm thick, which is about 3/16". I'm not sure what you mean by "water stained", but it doesn't get *that* wet... It's a least 3 inches from the water level, and would only get splashed when I'm feeding Ralph, and I take it off then anyhow. There's nothing on top of it either, so it's not warping under pressure or anything. Who knows... I'll keep an eye out for polycarbonate next time I go to the hardware store.

Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 7:06 pm

Worst case senerio, you can always use plastic wrap. I've done that for my toads when we had the AC on and it helps alot.

Posted: Mon Sep 25, 2006 12:51 am

i made my cover for the basking spot
i have a wooden frame that i happen to find and it fits perfectly on top inside the lip of the tank and i stapled the things on window screens on it

Posted: Mon Sep 25, 2006 8:20 pm

Is it the actual basking platform? Be careful about chemically treated wood and using staples or screws. They can rust and someone unfortunately had their turtle eat the screws (was on a different site, I think) which became impacted... the end result was not a happy one.

Posted: Mon Sep 25, 2006 8:36 pm

friscogiants is saying the cover over the basking area, steve (I think). Anyhow, window screen is probably too fine, and may inhibit the UVB rays...Plus the males can get their claws caught in it, if they can reach it. Try chicken wire.

Posted: Mon Sep 25, 2006 10:49 pm

im taking about the cover
for my basking platform i have a plastic witha ladder to it
and my turts are not big enough to reach the top of the tank where my cover is

about the uv thing i take it off during the day and morning to let them have natural sunlight

Habitat - Indoor :: cover for the tank

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