Habitat - Indoor :: Do you have a truly attractive set up?

[tinkersumx]

I would like to see some pictures of the nicest looking turtle environment, aquarium you guys know of. I'm looking into getting a new tank, it's very important to my husband that it looks very nice in our living room. I would like an aquarium that has all the necessary equipment but without hanging cords everywhere. Do any of you have a truly attractive aquarium for your turtle? If so PLEASE post pictures!!!

[missibsu]

Whether or not something is attractive is up to you to decide, it's a personal choice. There are tons of pictures in the photo gallery that people have already posted. I would suggest starting there for ideas.

As for the cords, using the aquarium backing will hide the cords that hang down the back of the tank. It's cheap and easy to change.

[Andrew7769]

another wat for them to look neat and tidy is to tie wrap any hanging cord together

[CountryGirl68]

A nice aquarium stand/cabinet can also make the difference in how the tank looks in a room. Although they can be expensive (unless you are a diy person), they have many different styles and colors to match your decor.

[SpotsMama]

We wanted a nice looking setup too and bit the bullet and bought a nice tank and stand. Cost about $800 but very nice. All the wiring the filter are hdden by the stand.

The hardest part was the lighting. I wanted an all-in-one type bulb but don't trust the clamp-on style fixture (a lot of people swear by them). I couldn't find a thing anywhere that would handle the bulb and was the right size and shape for our setup, for any price. I couldn't even find anything ugly!

What I wound up doing was purchasing two sturdy metal floor lamps from Lowes and adapting them to our needs. I had to use parts from both lamps to get the height I needed. I took out the original wiring and bulb fixture and replaced them with a wire and ceramic fixture that hangs from the lamp pole by chains. I reinforced the lamp anywhere it could conceivably break with wrought iron and copper. In the end I think it looks nice and is functional.

The point of all this is that you may need to improvise to get just the look you want. If you've got time and can afford it, you can make a fun project out of it. And, at the end of the day, you can take pride in having made something nice.

[tinkersumx]

Wow, SpotsMama I would love to see your setup, It sounds amazing! What type of filter did you get, or did you use the one that came with the aquarium?

[SpotsMama]

I'm finishing up a cover for the top and when that's done it will all be finished....that is until I think of something else!. Then I'll post some pictures.

I got a Rena XP3 filter. The tank will hold 100 gallons of water but I only fill it about 2/3 full so little Spotty can't climb out!

PetSmart and PetCo will have some decent tanks and stands but their selection is very limited. For the really neat stuff you should check out an aquarium shop. There are several in the area where I live. They'll have a wide variety of nice items in stock and can even custom build one to your specifications. Seems like keeping fish is really popular right now.