Habitat - Outdoor :: Building an outdoor area

[kgrind11]

So since it seems my two RES need a bigger home and our space is limited, I just purchased a 55gallon large plastic tub to keep them on our balcony.

I plan on sifting through the local PetCo for water plants and such, but does anyone have any recommendations on substrate?
From the forum i see that gravel is a no-no.

Also if anybody has had good use with a pumping system or heater, please share! Looking to be able to run
a plastic pipe from the kitchen to their tub and be able to do the same with water removal.

Thanks for the advice!

[Kurtni]

No substrate is probably the easiest to maintain. A lot of people use sand.

[kgrind11]

Thanks ill just opt out of that then.

Can anyone recommend a good pump? I tried the one from petsmart that
you hook up to the faucet, but the didnt work at all.

[kgrind11]

After scouring the site I see that the Eheim Jager Thermostat Heater is the best heater,
what wattage would I need for a 55 gallon tub?

[steve]

About a 200 watt heater but it depends on what kind of setup you have.

[Touche the Turtle]

As far as adding water or siphoning out I use a Python siphon, it hooks up to my kitchen faucet so I can add fresh water, and can use the water pressure of the faucet to siphon the water out and into my kitchen drain.

For nesting media earlier this year i used a 50/50 peat moss and sand mixture, which turned out to be a mistake. The peat moss, while nice to the touch, is a nightmare. It gets into my filter and clogs the crap outta it because the stuff expands, and it constantly gives a yellow ting to my water. I'm gonna remove it and use only sand when I get some extra time to break down her enclosure.