Posted: Thu May 19, 2005 7:11 pm
I think Soopermum is the one with the basking area made of PVC pipe with slate on top, and it does look great.
I don't use driftwood, I use corkbark and love the way it looks--a 30-inch-long, 10-inch wide curl arrived just yesterday. I'm in the process of sawing it down into a bigger and smaller piece for two tanks.
The corkbark in my RES's tank now has been in there since Feb. '04 and has lasted well, even though corkbark isn't as sturdy as some other materials used for basking areas. And the edge that dips into the water where my turtle climbs on it has gotten some algae on it. It's not affecting my turtle or his ability to climb on it, so I generally just leave it. Once in a while I will take a toothbrush and gently clean it, rinse it and bake it in the oven for a bit to dry it off, but that's it.
The algae is caused by the light, heat and nutrients in the water. I think it's inevitable no matter what you do.
"You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed." -Antoine de Saint Exupery-