Equipment Review and Discussion

I bought a 55 gallon aquarium for my RES. He came in a 20 g long, (I accepted him from someone at work who was moving had him for 2 years now), then Petco had a $1 per gallon and I was able to move him up to a 40g. Found a Used 55g in Uncle Henrys and now I want to build a good above tank basking platform so that he has all of the aquarium for swimming. My question is this, I want to make sure that he gets enough UVB light, so I want to leave a mall space in the rear of the basking platform. I don't have much space to work with as the openings are only 13" wide. Can I use a T5 HO bulb in a regular fluorescent light fixture? They make some very slim fixtures for regular fluorescents. Or if I put a UVB bulb above his basking platform along with his basking light will that give him enough UVB? I want to light the tank as well as my living room only has 2 windows (ugh!), but I want to maximize the basking space as well since it is going to cover one side of the tank opening, but the surround will cover the entire tank as Yertle is an escape artist. I appreciate any information that I can get. I have been researching DIY basking platforms and I am very good with building things, so appreciate any input on the lightning.

Thanks!

Most people have the bulbs over the ATBA. I don't know if they can be used it regular fixtures… I think they can but I haven't tried it before. Will the ATBA have it's own top or will it be opened up?

T5HO bulbs can only be used in T5HO fixtures. I have seen adapters for T8/T12 to T5, but never used one personally. 13" should be enought space to create a fixture that has two bulb holders, one for the UVB and another for the basking/heat light.

It's a wattage thing more than a size thing. You can get adapters to fit bulbs to various fixtures but the ballast must put out the correct wattage.

For example (single light)
T5 NO (normal output) = 28watt
T5 HO (High output) = 54 watt

Thanks for the clarification guys!

The ATBA will have either a wire mesh cover or the grid light diffuser that a lot of people use. My daytime basking lamp is full spectrum, and I put a red night basking light in for the winter as I live in Maine and the house gets cool no matter what. I would be lovely to keep the inside temp at 75 degrees, but unfortunately I have not won the lottery yet! My main goal is to keep Yertle healthy and happy. I appreciate the light clarifications. I also wanted to giver Yertle some walking around space in his basking area. The goal for me is to keep this as nice looking as possible as it will be in my living room. Yertle has a stack of concrete paver blocks stacked with slate and his favorite round basking rock on top to maximize his swimming space at the moment. He is a turtle that tears up his tank, can keep a thermometer or anything with suction cups on for long, it all ends up on the bottom of his tank! Thanks for the advice, it all helps me keep him happy and healthy.

Does he have a submersible water heater? For thermometers… I recommend having 2 types on hand. One as the LCD sticky type that goes on the outside. While not 100% accurate, it is reliable for most uses. Then a backup thermometer to regularly double check. I prefer a temp gun, which can also be used to measure the basking temps quickly.

He does have a submersible water heater, it hangs by the cord in the corner. I try to keep the suction cup holder on it, but it usually ends up in the bottom with everything else. I putt in the conner that Yertle seems to not use too much, so it has not been broken too date (knock on wood). It gets clinked against the glass occasionally, but not too much. For temp gun, are you talking about one of the house things for finding air leaks and such for energy efficiency? I have one, did not know it would work on water for temperatures. I usually just grab the magnet I have on a string by the tank to pull the thermometer back off the bottom to check the water temp. Its enclosed plastic so he can't break it. I also have a stick on strip in his basking area so that I can see what the air temp is there. I bought a new heater for the bigger tank. I am trying to think of a way to attach it that he can't pull off. Will have to see what works best.

The same thing happen with my heater. I'm using an Eheim Jager, and they use thick glass. There are lots of different guns for different purposes. I use one made for hobbies, but yours should be OK too as long as it's non-contact… most have a 1:1 field view when means it needs to be 1" away from the thing you are pointing at.

It would also be prudent to have all equipment plugged into a GFCI outlet (like those used in bathrooms and kitchens.)

All my aquariums are on GFCI's or power surge strips that will trip out if something goes wrong. I am gong to start building the stand for his new tank tomorrow. I think that I am going to put the 40g underneath it an grow plants and to check fish for illness before i give them to him. He won't eat guppies, tried (2 aquariums later) they just end up as "fish Friends" according to my grandson. I see another fish mentioned rosy red something or others. Do you know what they are? He was fed goldfish a lot before I got him and once in a while i get him couple just for the exercise it gives him, he is pretty good, but the fish out swim/smart him sometimes and it will take a couple of days before he gets them all.

Rosy red is type of minnow, also used as feeder fish. They are bigger and orange colored… maybe that will be more enticing. They are healthier compared to goldfish.

That would be better, now all I have to do is find some! I live in Maine and there are only a couple of pet stores in my area, any others are an hour or more away. 2 of the 3 only carry feeder goldfish and there are always dead ones in the tank. Will have to check the other. Maybe I can order some online, stock the bottom tank and hope they multiply! Is there a better feeder fish than the Rosy Reds that you know of?

If you have to go with feeders, there are only two real choices… minnows and guppies. Rosy Reds are usually available where guppies are… Petco, Petsmart and other aquarium stores. I think you can use other "fancy" minnows, but will cost more and "possibly" raised in better conditions. Around NYC, Rosies cost about 8 per $1 last I looked. I would not bother ordering online… maybe a bait shop would have some too?

I tried raising guppies to feed Yertle, they became his "fish Friends" as my grandson called them. I ended up with 2 more tanks of fish to care for. I think maybe they were too small or (i dont know if turtles see color) that they were not orange enough to catch his attention. I notice he has more problems getting the occasional black goldfish that he gets. So maybe color is an issue. I am still building a tank stand to hold both tanks. I want it to look nice at it will be in my living room. I will need a bigger filter as well, do you have any suggestions? I see a lot about the Fluval FX5(or FX6 now) but that is a lot of money for that filter, is it really worth it?

The Fluval FX5 used to be the best filter for around $200-250 but it's price has nearly doubled. How much water do you need to filter?

Equipment Review and Discussion :: New tank for Adult Slider - Need lighting help

Who is online