Habitat - Indoor :: Stock Tank questions - please advise

[Kansasslider]

Why not build an atba of sorts? Put it off to one side or the other with a ramp going into the water. It just seems to me that your taking up a lot of space in your tank with a floating dock!

[April994]

An ATBA going of the side of the tank isn't feasible right now - I just don't have enough space around the tank for it. I'm in a small room with few options at this point.

[Kansasslider]

Well it sounded good

[April994]

Looks like it's back to the drawing board for me. Three different hardware stores with no luck. Finally found the head of the plumbing department at Lowes - He told me ABS isn't sold in my state (Pennsylvania). He said that technically they COULD sell it - but no hardware store or plumbing supply store is going to stock it because it isn't up to code (to brittle) and has resulted in lawsuits in the past. I can't even order it from Lowes or Home Depot's websites - they won't ship here. He wasn't able to suggest any alternatives I might use and agreed that PVC wouldn't float well, especially if it had to hold my turtle's weight.

I'm so disappointed! Today is my turtle's 21st birthday. I feel terrible that she's still stuck in temporary housing. I have no idea what to do now - I don't think the 70 gallon stock tank's going to work. I'd have to build a really high (and heavy) platform if I replaced it with a stock tank big enough for an in-tank basking area. Ugh.

[Jeremiah]

Sorry to hear about that, April. There is something else you could try, and it takes less space. If you search for a member named Devilduck, click on the link in his signature. It says something about making a DIY basking dock. Basically, you would follow those instructions but have it supported on both sides of the platform instead of just one.

[steve]

What's the height of the water level? I'm sure you can easily find a safe alternative. A flower pot maybe?

[April994]

The water will be 15-16 inches high. Anything I place on the bottom of the tank takes a TON of swimming space since the tank is shaped like a funnel.

I did see Devilduck's awesome hanging platform. One of my first ideas was do so something similar but we kept running into obstacles. The platform would have to hang all the way across one end of the tank (where the steep curve is). I think I could build a decent PVC frame. But we were lost when it got to the ramp. It would have to extend across the width of the tank so we could somehow hang it from the sides. Egg crate WOULD be perfect - I could easily cut it to fit that curve, it's light weight, it allows for air circulation on the platform and water circulation around the ramp. But my turtle is just too heavy for it. She had a really bad experience with egg crate years ago - destroyed her triple-layered-and-reinforced egg crate ATBA and seriously damaged her plastron. I thought of using a poly cutting board, but it would be too difficult to cut to fit the curve of the tank. I also had a problem with water circulation and grip when I used it on my last ramp (she eats shelf grip).

Then I thought: why not build a PVC platform that slopes down instead of making a separate ramp? But I'd still run into the same problems.


p.s. Thanks again, Jeremiah! I'm so upset that I can't try your design - I really thought it would work.

[Jeremiah]

Hi again April,

I feel your pain--70G stock tanks are a bit to cylinder-y in my opinion, too. This may be me just being desperate, but is there a reason why you can't do this? All you would have to do is make sure the water stays high enough for easy access. In addition, the layering on top of the egg crate shouldn't let it sink enough to disrupt basking.

If you want, you could even tie two or three egg crate layers together to make a stronger-supported platform.

[steve]

Haha, thanks Jeremiah! That gave me a good chuckle.

What if you take the floating concept, but it was supported with PVC and hangs on the rim? You will need some pvc cement and use tile.

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[April994]

EUREKA!!! I spent all night rummaging around the house, looking for ideas. Around 1:30am, I found this in my mother's car: http://www.amazon.com/United-Solutions-BA0071-Storage-Utility/dp/B008BU6MQM She bought it yesterday at a craft store.

The bottom is much narrower than any other bucket I could find, and the top is about 13" in diameter - just large enough for my turtle to bask on comfortably. As an added bonus - the lid is molded with indentations and slopes down towards the rim - if I keep the water level just right, she should be able to climb up there without a ramp. It's made by Rubbermaid's parent company - I'm going to guess/hope it's aquarium safe, since the description mentions pet food, and it appears to be made of the same material as the Rubbermaid/ Sterilite bin I'm using as temporary turtle housing.

It is pretty flimsy (walls are super thin) and she’ll still lose swimming space, but should work if I position it next to the bulkhead.

STEVE AND JEREMIAH, I CANNOT THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR ALL OF YOUR HELP!!! And everyone else who replied too! (I may not be able to help with turtle advise, but if anyone has pet birds - I'm your girl!)
I saved this thread, and all of your diagrams, so I can work on a more permanent basking dock in the future. I’ve been so frustrated with this thing; I felt like I completely failed my turtle. Which was tough because she’s been my baby for 21 years. Your ideas and encouragement really saved me from giving up and scrapping the stock tank all together - thank you, thank you, thank you!

[Peva]

I've never had a drain on a tank, sounds like something I'll look forward to when I upgrade Brixie's tank in 2017/2018.

[Jeremiah]

Happy to help, April! Who would have known that the answer would be in your mother's car?

P.S.: You didn't fail the turtle at all, you upgraded her. Just imagine all the people who still think that death bowls and 10 gallon tanks are suitable housing. 21 years is something to be very proud of!

[April994]

Ha, I wouldn't really call it an upgrade yet, since I'm still limited in the amount of water I can put in the tank. But thanks for trying to make me feel better!

Question about the Rubbermaid bulkhead: What is the best way to seal this thing so it won't leak?! Specific instructions would be appreciated because I have a rocky history with aquarium silicone. Getting nervous because I'll have to seal it in the garage, then carry it sideways to it's new home upstairs.

[Jeremiah]

I just globbed a few tons of silicone around the plug. You might also try buying a new fitting altogether.

[steve]

What about applying some fresh teflon tape or some PVC cement? If you plan on adding a frame or panels around the outside of the tank, then I would also throw a plastic liner around it.