Habitat - Indoor

steve wrote:Hi 02476lisa, welcome to the site. I really like your ATBA, it's a great use of space. I might be a little wary about using digital probe thermometers because many of them are notoriously inaccurate.

Thanks,im really pleased with the ATBA's and the turts love their space

i always thought the digital probe thermometers were the most accurate :shock:

what would you suggest instead?

I had also thought they were accurate at first. I like to use one of the sticky lcd thermometers as a reference. They are not 100% accurate but they are a consistent backup. I mainly like to use a temp gun, which is about $25. It's a bit pricey, but it lets you take accurate and fast readings of any surface.

I really need to do a tank upgrade... but I also decided a should probably pay my tuition, so I thought an above the tank basking area would be a decent compromise for now so my turts have more swimming room.

I originally made the basking area a lot deeper... but they always seemed skittish when they used it. (probably because my cats also used it when it was bigger...) so I shrunk it down a little and I think it makes them feel more secure.

Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 12:19 pm **Re:**

octpusgirl8 wrote:I love seeing how creative everybody gets with their tank ideas!
Here's mine i did recently (i'm still excited about it!), it's got the benefits of an above tank basking area (i.e. i can fill the tank up all the way) but it was a lot less work and it doesn't look too obtrusive.

I love this setup, it is exactly what I was thinking of doing to my 75gal! Would you mind giving me any tips on how you did it, or more pictures? thank you!

Looks like precisely cut glass, wedges (for braces) and silicone.

We just moved so we upgraded the boys from a 40Gal Breeder to a 75Gal! We still have alot of work to do- admiring the ideas for an ATBA! But I was so excited about the bigger tank that I just had to share

steve wrote:Looks like precisely cut glass, wedges (for braces) and silicone.

Thanks steve, but can you buy just the wedges, or do you have to cut them out, and are they glass?

You'll have to get them cut. Silicone works real well with glass, so it's not a good idea to mix in acrylic or plexiglas. However, you can make one out of those materials and acrylic cement.

This may have been asked all ready. I admit I did not comb all 32 forum posts looking for the answer to this, but, from what I am seeing from the people who have tanks or other basking areas set up on top of their tanks, it does not look like the bottom tank is getting much light, and the light is mainly concentrating on the basking area. I am wondering if this is ok,or even preferred to give them some darkness. I have had my turtles for about a year but it is just about now where I need to start thinking about a bigger basking area then I all ready have for them and love the basking areas on top of or outside of but connected to the tank idea, and just wanted to ask this question about the light before I settled on any decisions.

Most are not using full bottomed ATBAs, so there is light filtering through. However, the ambient light is usually enough and you can add additional lights to the tank if you want to.

My Turtles + Custom Made Above Tank Basking Area:

http://imgur.com/a/2gNQk#70tst

Looks good. Are they getting along?

Just finished my new set up. Still have a few more things to do but I think it is turning out great!

You can also check out a whole thread on it here: http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?353945-New-Tank-for-the-Sliders!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XsS4Jf3YIs[/youtube]

That looks fantastic.

Looks great!

Habitat - Indoor :: POST YOUR BASKING AREA PICTURES HERE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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