Habitat - Indoor :: POST YOUR BASKING AREA PICTURES HERE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Turtle tank setups and other indoor configurations.

Post Posted: Fri May 26, 2017 1:48 pm   Re: POST YOUR BASKING AREA PICTURES HERE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi Dr. B, how often do the turtle use it? Is the mat safe to be in contact with water? The ramp is a little bit steep compared to what we normally see.
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Post Posted: Fri May 26, 2017 4:51 pm   Re: POST YOUR BASKING AREA PICTURES HERE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the inquiries everyone. Well, I will need to ask my friend but believe her turtle is using the topper fairly routinely.

Agree Steve, at first the angle (~45 degrees) seemed a little steep but in practice/reality she has no problem climbing the ramp. The ramp surface is key as it is matting cut to size from a polyethylene dense weave door mat (can be purchased at Home Depot and I can provide details if folks are interested). My research on polyethylene materials unlike other synthetics indicates that the level of impurities or leachables is much lower. The matting material has essentially no smell (unlike many other synthetics and natural rubbers) and was rinsed a few times prior to being used for the tank. Also, only a small portion of the ramp/mat makes contact with the water. The texture of the mat allows for plenty of grip going up or down.

The clear lexan sheet can be obtained from Home Depot or Lowes, as well as scribing tools to cut the lexan. The tank was assembled with acrylic cement which will actually "weld" the panels together...very strong joints. Happy to share more pictures and details if folks are curious.

Best,
Dr. B
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Post Posted: Fri May 26, 2017 4:57 pm   Re: POST YOUR BASKING AREA PICTURES HERE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sitting on top of the world!
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Post Posted: Sat May 27, 2017 1:28 am   Re: POST YOUR BASKING AREA PICTURES HERE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I agree the surface and texture is very important for a ATBA ramp, but it needs careful consideration. Mats and materials made for outdoor use (and commercial or industrial use for that matter) can be very different than what is used for indoors. Hopefully your polyethylene analysis is correct and any concerns are overblown. How thick is the Lexan? How you like working with it... I've been itching to do some projects with acrylics :)
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Post Posted: Sat May 27, 2017 7:19 am   Re: POST YOUR BASKING AREA PICTURES HERE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Steve...thanks again for inquiring. Yes, I agree about the mat material..for the most part all I can tell the group is that low and high density polyethylenes in general may have less propensity for leaching compared to other plastics (eg,, polystyrene, PVC, etc.). Of course, the source of the manufacture, materials, etc., will always lead to some unknowns about the relative safety of such materials.

The lexan is very nice but not the easiest material to work with. The thickness we used was 0.220 inch (roughly under 1/4 inch material) and with a proper table saw and blade designed for plastic, the cuts would have been very easy and the project much quicker (and required less muscle). I used the scribe and break method and then sanded the rough edges square. If one plans correctly, they can minimize the number of edges that need to be sanded. Ensuring square edges for the acrylic cement "welding" process is an absolute. I had limited experience working with lexan and with some trial and error, we were able to finish the project. The overall cost of the lexan and other materials (lexan sheet was the primary cost) was a little over $100...not the most inexpensive of platforms but one that has a nice finish and is very solid in construction. I have seen similar plastic designs being advertised and sold for much more than what we spent.

I should also mention that we actually designed the main topper to fit into the recessed part of the aquarium top plastic, so the whole unit is relatively secure.

I hope this helps and thanks again...one more picture attached of the nearly completed unit.

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Dr. B
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tank in progress
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Post Posted: Sun May 28, 2017 3:08 pm   Re: POST YOUR BASKING AREA PICTURES HERE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you for your information. I think most ATBAs are built with the recessed area of the rim in mind, works well with the centerbrace. I like your test turtle :)
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Post Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 7:54 pm   Re: POST YOUR BASKING AREA PICTURES HERE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Long time lurker, first time poster here. I have just finished a custom stand/ATBA for a 75 gallon for my female RES I felt was worthy enough to finally share with you all. I've referred back to this thread several times in the last few years as I've constructed ATBA for her and just wanted to say a quick thank you for the inspiration and ideas for my projects throughout her tank upgrades. I can't take credit for the overall design of this stand as I based it off of this build http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/12-tank-journals/1080794-my-75-gal-w-diy-custom-stand-diy-sump-refugium.html with some of my own modifications to suite a turtle. I'm thrilled I was actually able to complete this project (I thought I was going to pop it out in a weekend :lol: ) but it's finally finished after a month. So without further ado the pictures...
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IMG_5749.JPG
IMG_5752 (1).JPG
Acrylic basking platform with ramp
IMG_5754.JPG
Access to built in nesting area, not sure if this will actually work out when it comes that time, but thought I'd throw it in there now for her to grow comfortable with
IMG_5751.JPG
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Post Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2017 1:20 am   Re: POST YOUR BASKING AREA PICTURES HERE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Amazing work! How does she like so far? Do you think it's too bright (overall) in there?
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Post Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2017 8:10 am   Re: POST YOUR BASKING AREA PICTURES HERE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She loves it. I threw in some rosies for her and it was great getting to see her chase them down. There wasn't much room for that in her 40 gallon tall she just upgraded from. The picture does make it seem very bright in there on top of the bacteria bloom from just setting it up a couple days before makes it look like the tank is lit up white but in person it's not overly bright. The light is the finnex planted 24/7 I had purchased with the intent of trying my hand at a planted tank as well but I doubt she'll actually let any plant I put in there survive. Regardless it's pretty neat as it changes brightness/color throughout the day to mimick the time of day. The photo was taken around 3 when it's at its brightest.
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Post Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2017 2:32 pm   Re: POST YOUR BASKING AREA PICTURES HERE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What kind of thermometer are you using (the round one)?
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Post Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2017 8:12 pm   Re: POST YOUR BASKING AREA PICTURES HERE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The brand is All Things Living, I found at Petsmart. I intended to get the traditional gauge type, but they were out of stock at the time. It seems fairly accurate after I borrowed the thermometer from my snake tank to see if it was reading right since I've had bad experiences with digitals in the past.
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Post Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2017 1:54 am   Re: POST YOUR BASKING AREA PICTURES HERE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So my setup seems to be a little different than most. Mine is stacked on top of each other. There is the completely dry area on top under the light then below to the left is an area that is wet but still warm due to it being inclosed (like a greenhouse) and to the right of that directly under the dry area is the ramp. This was originally done since we had the in tank basking area but then needed more water space so we came up with a solution. My RES, Bobbie, (pretty sure he is a male?) loves to bask on the top or hang out on or just off the ramp. To get up to the top he uses the edge of the tank( the black part) and with mad skills gets up quite easily. To get down he sorta slowly teeters over the edge puts one or two feet down and come down. Never had any issue up or down.The whole thing is made out of glass and aquarium silicon. On the ramp there are grips added made out of long rectangles of glass. We also had to add a step stool of sorts because Bobbie could reach his basking area easily. Made by my awesome step-dad who used to work with glass years ago.


His whole tank
IMG_0256 copy.jpg


The 'dry' area
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The wire top also doesn't stick out like that anymore. that was just after the topper went on didn't bend it yet! I don't feed him apples often more of a very special treat. Just happens that two of the photos had them. Usually put the food (except pellets) up he are he will grab it and go into the water and eat. This way the veggies/fruit don't go off as quickly.

The 'wet' area
IMG_0267 copy.jpg


How he gets up. You can also see he step stool here that we had to add on.
IMG_1004.jpg


The ramp and how he chills
IMG_0265 copy.jpg


Wanted to post this before he gets upgraded to the 75g that is sitting in my living room currently being cleaned for him. This tank will go onto Kijiji and some other turtle can use it!
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Post Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2017 8:48 am   Re: POST YOUR BASKING AREA PICTURES HERE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Looks nice, does he like using the ramp?
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Post Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2017 5:12 pm   Re: POST YOUR BASKING AREA PICTURES HERE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I assume so. Who knows what truly goes on inside the head of a turtle!! As mentioned we did have to add an extension to the ramp so the 'wet' area was higher so it was easier for him to climb. That also meant that I have to be very diligent on keeping the water depth higher since it helps with softing the impact. The first few times were pretty rough and kinda scary for all but he figured it pretty quickly and it takes him about 20 seconds to get up and about the same to get down. He is up there all the time and it gets him totally dry! He also likes to hang one leg off the top area with his foot in the water sometime and looks very zen!
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Post Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2017 5:29 pm   Re: POST YOUR BASKING AREA PICTURES HERE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He definitely looks comfortable!
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