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Like i said earlier i am currently planning everything for my tank which will hold two turtles. I am currently trying to work out what to do for a dock

In New Zealand i have not see any of these floating docks that you guys talk about. The have a rubber floating dock which attached to the glass through two 'suckers' they are around $80 nz so not cheap.

I was considering getting a glass ramp made up. The size would be 25 cm squared for basking and the ramp would be 15 cm wide by about the same long. Instead of siloconing the glass in i thought i would silocone suction pads to the glass and have the main platform held up by two bricks. I thought this would be better for cleaning purposes etc

Do you guys think this will be efficient?

Also while i am asking this i may as well find out some info about a filter. When people say the filter should be able to do twice the size of the tank..do you mean that much water per hour or what?

Cheers Craig

I'm not sure I can help you on the basking dock question. The only ones I've seen made are out of PVC pipe and some type of stone top (in the photo gallery).

But for the filter question: Filters are rated for the size tank they go in. If it says "30" then it will clean a 30 gallon tank well. These ratings are for fish which aren't as messy as turtles. That's why it is recommended that a filter be 2x or 3x time the size tank you have. So for example you have a 30gal tank, you should have at least a filter that is rated for a 60 gallon tank or more.

Hope that helps. Good luck with the basking dock.

I'm a bit hesitant about the glass dock, I don't know whether it will effect your turtle or not.
How about making your own dock? You can use those bricks and a slate top and have made a dock as well as a cave.

yeah i guess i could try find some slate...its a hard thing to come by here in kiwi land...look like i have sussed a filter that does 2000 litres per hour and is good for a 400 litre tank...so i am sure that should do the job....

sonyj - i saw that you made a dock out of pvc etc ...i saw it when browsing a while ago but cant find it...

If you can't find slate, try to use ceramic tile. It works well for me, very heavy, stable and easy to clean. You might want to add some smaller pieces on the top or some cork bark to create an irregular surface.

Ok, well, I know I've seen it too, can't find it now. Here's a link that shows a couple of other types of homemade basking docks....

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewt ... highlight=

BTW, I totally forgot to use litres when explaining the filter thing earlier , but hopefully you still got it.

Ok I found it. PVC dock: http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewt ... 22&start=0

ausome...thanks guys...i just had another idea...i was thinking of getting some mesh and creating a pebble tile with it... and then yeah use bricks to elevate it

When you are done, be sure to post a pic... We'd love to see the final result.

If you want the look of glass, use plexiglass instead. You could make a ramp and use aquarium silicone to glue rocks to it for traction.

yeah i think i am going to go with the pebbles idea on either mesh...or possibly the plastic from an old gravel filter...i will be sure to post pics up when complete