Habitat - Indoor :: Stock Tank questions - please advise

[April994]

I keep coming up with crazy complicated ideas for a basking area that I know I will never be able to pull off! It's so frustrating.

But this morning, I was thinking about using wood. My parrot's has a huge perch made from some sort of African hardwood - I think it's Mopani. If I can find the right size and shape at the bird farm, I can suspend it from the predrilled holes on the lip of the tank.
But the first thing I saw when I googled around was people complaining about fungus or slime with Mopani wood.... How would I make it aquarium safe? I'd need a piece too big to boil in a pot. A lot of the tutorials out there seem like they were made by people who don't know what they're doing...

Edit: Looking at other natural wooden parrot perches, it may be Java, Manzanita, Borneo, or Dragonwood....

[Jeremiah]

I had Mopani wood for a while. The slime eventually went away, as wood cycles itself in aquatic setups. However, be careful if you use it. On mine, the slime gave way to hundreds of little white organisms that resembled ich. They disappeared when I got rid of the wood.

You could use cork bark for a basking site, or PVC with tile. I like to make floating islands using egg crate and floating plastic pipes. The options are really endless!

[April994]

Another question: If I were to place a wood plank across the tank, what would I look for to ensure the plank is water safe? Hardware stores aren't my thing; what would I look for?
Would a PVC board (http://www.lowes.com/pd_238348-45819-2828_0__?productId=50092318&Ntt=pvc+board&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNtt%3Dpvc%2Bboard&facetInfo=) be better?

[Jeremiah]

I"ve never seen a PVC board, but there's no harm in trying one. I don't recommend using "people wood" like planks with RES setups in general. They contain too many chemicals, for my taste.

Here's a diagram of what I like to make. They're easy/cheap to make, don't come with the hassle of wood-cleaning, and maximize swimming space. You would attach the egg crate platform to the floating pipes (I use ABS piping) with zip ties. Tying everything up is a bit of a hassle, but it's clean and pretty much immortal once set up correctly. You could try using a larger piece of egg crate and one pipe with a 70 gallon stock tank--it worked on mine. It's the same design as the picture, but with the egg crate resting atop one pipe only.

All of these supplies are readily available at your local hardware store. Just check the plumbing section!

[April994]

Jeremiah,
Thank you so much for all the info! You just scared me away from using wood, lol. That's exactly what I would be afraid would happen!

That's a really ingenious design!! How does your turtle get up there - did you incorporate a ramp off the side?? How big is he/she?
The problem I'm having is that my turtle is almost 10 inches long and weighs 6 pounds - too heavy for egg crate, and, I assume, PVC floaters. I haven't been able to find a safe lightweight alternative to egg crate. Everything I think of has questionable chemicals. And after looking at the tank again: If I hung a basking area across the middle of the tank, I wouldn't have enough room either side for a ramp. UGH!! I'm starting to think this stock tank was a mistake, but don't have any other options on the 2nd floor.

[Jeremiah]

Both of my turtles are at least 7" long. To help them get up, I had 2 options: Slightly sink the pipes with some water, or cut the egg crate in a way that it extends into the water to make a ramp. I tried both methods, and I liked them both. I don't think even your turtle could sink the dock, but you probably need both pipes, and they need to be around a 2.5" diameter. Don't sink them; their buoyancy will keep everything afloat.

As you see in the diagram, I always layer something on top of the egg crate. The material is up to you (tiles, cork bark, etc.), and that's what makes these customizable. In addition, the layering should prevent water contact. Personally, I value convenience so I just tied down a Large Zoo Med Turtle Dock on top of the egg crate. You have a big turtle, so I actually think it could climb on easily.

[April994]

Hmm... I think it just might work! Forgive me, but I have a few more questions... I have trouble wrapping my head around stuff like this. I'm not exactly handy and have no experience with building anything like this.

1. Where did you find ABS?? A quick internet search says that the big box hardware stores in my area carry the fittings but not the actual pipe?

2. I'm going to have to keep my water level 8" below the top of the tank (due to weight issues and escape attempts)... How would I keep the "raft" from tipping too much when she tries to climb on it? I'm guessing your water level is close to the top of the tank, so when your turtle climbs on, the zip ties on the opposite end get taunt pretty quickly. (For the life of me, I can't picture how it would work with only one pipe. I imagine the whole thing would roll as soon as they started climbing?)

[Jeremiah]

No need to apologize for asking questions!

1. I found mine at Home Depot, you can also try Lowe's. Are you located near either of those?

2. It will still work 8" from the top, you will just need more zip ties or some other kind of safe string material. I tied the egg crate to the pipe. That stops it from rolling. There wasn't a way to depict that in the diagram, sorry.

I'll make another diagram of mine when I get home, sorry this was so brief!

P.S.: I agree that these platforms are a little space-cumbersome. I think you can saw them into shorter chunks, if necessary.

[April994]

Jeremiah,
1. I tried Lowes and Home Depot's websites - both say it's unavailable in my area, but it could be wrong. I'll head over there on Monday to check it out.

2. Still confused about it tipping. I understand that the pipes are tied to the egg crate. Say she climbs from the left side, with all her weight pressing down on the left pipe. Won't that cause the whole thing to tip towards her so the right pipe is out of the water? How do you keep it from tipping at such an angle that she is unable to climb up?


I made a prototype out of string, cardboard tubes, and paper - now I'm getting excited! I don't want to jinx it, but I think it's exactly what I was looking for!! I am so grateful for your help, Jeremiah!!!

[Jeremiah]

Happy to help, April! Thanks for clarifying your question. I think that if the egg crate zone between the pipes is long enough, and the pipes are around 2.5" diameter or so, physics shouldn't let it tip in her direction.

[April994]

Ah, ok, that makes sense. As a starting point could you tell me approx. how long your pipes are and how far apart they are? Were you able to seal the pipes/end caps with aquarium silicone, or did it require ABS glue?

[Jeremiah]

They're about 2 feet long, I have them about 12" away from each other as I only have a male in my 70 gallon stock tank. No adhesives necessary, the caps should snugly fit on their own. Just buy the appropriately sized ones!

Oh, and if you can't find ABS, any kind of floatable inert plastic piping will do.

[steve]

Just a note, ABS is not considered as safe as PVC. It's one of those grey area issues and it might not matter.

What about a wide pipe with a large rock above it to hold it down?

[April994]

Yikes, that does take up a lot of space! But I was guessing mine would have to be that big so my RES would have enough room to bask. I think it would work as long as I don't have to go any bigger. Thanks again!

I've been reading up about ABS, and it does seem like there's a debate about it's toxicity in aquariums. I haven't been able to find any reports that it's done actual harm to fish or turtles, though - most people are citing that it's not rated for potable water. And then there's a big disagreement if it's because of chemicals, or because it can't handle water pressure and sunlight as well as PVC. ::sigh:: It's impossible to know for sure what is really safe.... I'm going to try the ABS since it's supposed to float better than PVC. I don't know of any other alternatives.

This stock tank [i]seems[i] smaller than my old tank, even though I'm filling it with the same amount of water. I think it's the size of my turtle vs. the shape of the tank. I'm going to have to either float something on top of the water, or hang a platform from the sides. I think the floating raft idea is ideal because I wouldn't lose extra swimming space with a ramp. As it is, I'm kind of annoyed that I'm going to lose the small amount of space that a submersible-heater-inside-PVC-pipe will take up.... I SO wish my beloved Hydor ETH was slightly shorter so I could make it work with my extra XP2! I was even thinking of attaching an XP-1 canister to the XP-2 motor just so the Hydor would fit... but I get the impression that would be a bad idea.

Anyway, will update once I try Jeremiah's design! Going to buy supplies ASAP, either today or tomorrow

[Jeremiah]

I did ample research before using ABS. The chemicals it is said to leach out usually happens at temperatures higher than what is safe for RES. There are many sensitive reef keepers who have used it for their tank furniture and filters for years who haven't had problems with it. In fact, a lot of aquarium powerheads have ABS in their housing. Given all that, I figured it was safe enough for my use as long as I avoid pipe with mildew inhibitor. Nevertheless, I'll probably try PVC with my summer pond's dock.