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Someone please help me here....How can I set up the basking and UV bulb in the tank while still being ablet to put a lid on the entire tank?

Put the top on, and open up the lid on the front, like where you would feed the fish.

Why do you want a top?

I thought you were supposed to have a lid because otherwise they could escape....or am I wrong?

If you don't put the water up to the top, they won't escape (have it just high enough so that they can't). I'd forget the lid.

i don't have a lid on mine. They can climb out if the water level is high enough tho.

Do you have more than one turtle? If so, they can stack on top of eachother on the basking dock and climb out, then you'd have to have some sort of lid or screen. I wouldn't use the aquarium lid because it doesn't allow for air circulation. Can you buy a screen top that will fit the tank?

I cover only half of the tank to keep them from getting the breeze from the air conditioning. Then at night I cover the other half, over the basking dock incase they try to slip out at night but they never have.

Well, actually, right now I don't have a res at all...lol. But, I'm getting one once i get back from vacation, so I want to make sure I understand everything I need BEFORE I get it. I've been doing research as to what types of bulbs, setup, etc b/c I wanna make sure I'm treating the right But come a week from tuesday, I will have one res! Yay, can't wait!

But yeah, thanks for the advice, I'm just gonna forget the lid and make sure the water is low enough!

you don't want the water too low tho. What size tank are you getting? How big is the turtle going to be? They love to swim so you should put in as much water as possible without him being able to escape.

I gotta give you LOTS of credit for taking the time to do the research before making the purchase. Some of us were not quite so smart, myself included.

congrats to actually researching prior to getting a res. many people buy them on impulse and keep them in *shudder* death bowls cause they don't know better.

Yeah, thanks! I just like to make sure. The tank I have now is 20 gallons, and it's 16 inches high, so I'm probably going to fill it up to about 10 or 11 inches. The size res depends on what the pet store has, but I'm aiming to get the smallest they have so that it won't be cramped in the tank and so that it will give me some time before I have to upgrade the tank, seeing how my budget is kinda tight

I have a 20 gallon tank, and I have a UVB long light, and I also bought a clamp lamp for the basking area. I have a hard mesh lid, and i just put the clamp lamp face down on top of the mesh lid. The lamp came with a clamp, but I dont use it, that way I have the lighting I need, without the actual clamp, and I can still use my lid.