Habitat - Indoor :: UNDERWATER WORLD....

[MrScratchTheRES]

So... of all you turtle owners out there with indoor set ups I wanted to know the most sucessful things you have found to add to an empty water tank to give it more of a habitat feel than a tank with water in it feel for the res...Plants and the sort... Things he/she seemd to find interesting or enjoy? Anything at all... Also are there any fish that I can add that he won't attempt to eat at some point?

[CountryGirl68]

I've got river rocks (about 3" that I bought) then I found some nice large rocks (about 5") at the beach in the Hamptons. I've got weighted plants, just a couple.

The bottom of my tank looks right into the cabinet so I'm going to buy aquarium backing that resembles sand and put it underneath the tank to give it a more realistic feel.

To answer your question about the fish, the turtle will eventually eat anything moving in the tank. A few people here thought that after months of sharing the tank with turtles, their fish were safe but then woke up one morning to find them gone.

[ZooKeeper]

I have found that the "wallpaper" or backing you get at the pet stores works great to make the tank look better. You just cut it to fit and tape it on.

[MrScratchTheRES]

Currently I have river rocks covering the bottom and two bubble stones strechinging the lenghth of the pond to help with o2 in the water and create flow for the filter I was going to add some fish as Scratch doesn't seem to eat them I've tried feeder guppies and goldfish I even tried placeing them in the tank already dead to see if he would pick at them and didn't seem interested... I wanted to add some plants and wasn't sure about live or plastic or how many.. or if they were even needed.. I don't want the plans to take up valubale swimming room.

[SpotsMama]

A word to the wise - be SURE that your turtle can't get his shell or his head stuck in any of your decorations. Even if you think he/she would have better sense than to stick his/her head or body in a place so tight he/she couldn't get it out... believe me, he/she will. They are really curious and adventurous and will try anything. I nearly lost my beloved Spotty to drowning when he got his head stuck - really stuck - in the hole in the bottom of a little plaster alligator. It was his very favorite toy and I hated throwing it away.

I just got a couple of fake coral-looking things - one orange and one green - for Spot's tank that I think are pretty. There is no hole in them anywhere that a turtle could get stuck in and they don't have hard sharp points (so he won't scratch his shell) and they're not soft (so he can't eat them). I got them at Petco.

[MrScratchTheRES]

Yeah I've let Scratch run around my apartment and if I look away for a min he is attemting to crawl under the strangest things! I watch him alittle more closley now!!

[marisa]

Corkbark.

[MrScratchTheRES]

corkbark??? what is corkbark.... are you sugessting something or ???? not sure what this means????

[z-chic]

what is the best place to get a LOT of cork bark? I want enough to cover the inside back of a 75 gal. terrarium.

[MrScratchTheRES]

http://www.blackjungle.com/Merchant2/me ... gory_Code=

is this what your talking about?

[daredevilgirl013]

In my tank, the whole bottom is covered with river rocks. I also have fake plants here and there and I got the ones that look natural. I have a fake grass bed on one side as well, and a fake cermaic log that she likes to sleep on top of that is on the bottom of the tank and also provides a hiding spot for my fish and ghost shrimp.

[MrScratchTheRES]

oooooohhhhhhh pictures please?

[daredevilgirl013]

I'll try to get some. She's in a stock tank so it'll be a bit dark. I'll try and get some tonight while she's basking so you can see her too.

[MrScratchTheRES]

thanks I'm working on my set up and would appriciatte any input that would make it more functional....

[Boogerbutt02]

pvc pipe elbow large enough so that your turtle can go thourgh with out getting stuck... and you can also put a mirror against the tank...