Habitat - Indoor :: Need Some Ideas

[GouzlanTheAmerican]

Well i just got a new 30 gallon tank. I need some ideas though. I got a bunch of crap with it too. I paid $25 at a garage sale for it. I thought it was an excelent deal! But they gave me alot of junk with it. i dont know if i can use any of it though. It came with two 40 gallon whisper hang on tank filters. But because they are hang on i dont think i can use them. i need some ideas for a baskin spot and decoration though. My 1 1/5 in. turtle is in a 10 gallon tank setup currently. I really like that setup. but it's gonna be too small soon. Can anyone think of a way to duplicate this setup in deeper, bigger tank. It's under Cute little turt, in the photo section. I just need some ideas for wat to do next i guess. I have a 20 gallon submersible filter in my 10 gallon setup. It works really well.
I am not shure if it would work well in a 30 gallon setup though. But i'm guessin it would do ok.

[GouzlanTheAmerican]

well... feel free to reply. Any day would be great.

...la la la la la la la la...geting scared!

[GouzlanTheAmerican]

Also how big of a heater would i need for a 30 gallon tank? how many watts?

[jenaero]

The heater I have for my 50 gal is I think 100 watts. It'll say on the box what wattage is recommended for that size tank. There should be a chart on the back of the package.

As for the rest of your stuff...I don't know man. I'm not the most creative person

[GouzlanTheAmerican]

yeah im not creative either. Thats why i need some help here . I'm creative in other ways, just not decorating stuff.
ohh well

I guess i should get a 100 wat heater then. Is there any brand you recomend?

[jenaero]

Mine's a Tronic and it's fine but you'll need a heater guard. I've heard good things about Ebo Jager heaters but never had one. They're supposedly unbreakable and have a built in heater guard.

Double check on the package tho for what wattage is recommended.

[GouzlanTheAmerican]

wats a heater gaurd? do most heaters come with heater gaurds?

[jenaero]

it's just a plastic thing that slides on the heater so if your turt sits on it he won't get burned. Most of the time you need to buy them separately. Get the same brand of guard as the heater and it'll say on the package which one will fit. I don't have one because I set the heater vertically and the turts never go near it, but for your new guy, it's better to be safe than sorry. I'm pretty sure they're only a few bucks.

[bradhart]

As per my experience, heater guards are unnecessary. My turt doesn't really hang around the heater that much, and the only way the heaters get broken is if I do it. (didn't realize you had to unplug the heater if you took it out of the water--popped the bottom right off)

But, then my turt is only 2", and wouldn't be strong enough to break it if he tried. Maybe when he gets bigger I'll have to get a guard.

[steve]

if u have a big heater and a small tank, then you might want a guard. currently i like the visitherm stealth heaters...

[RES Tampa]

Gouz

Part of the reason for getting a bigger tank is to allow the turtles more room to swim and grow. Try to get some more flat rocks for your new tank to elevate your basking platform more. This will allow you to add more water. Some people use PVC pipe for their platform supports which is inexpensive and easy to change if necessary. Good luck

[GouzlanTheAmerican]

I thought of using pvc pipe. But i dont think it would look all that great. I have alot of pvc around the garage. maby i could hide it with fake plants? i dont want to stack alot of rocks because it uses up alot of room. i have a small floating turtle dock that i have in my closet. but i dont like the look of it all that much. i want something that looks natural.

[resowner33]

i use the visitherm stealth also, cant say enough good things about it,pretty inexpensive for the quality and ease of use, it's really great! as far as the basking platform--originally i used a piece of slate rock with the pvc pipes and just hid the pvc pipes on bottom with a few strategically placed medium river rocks and also some fake plants, but i found the turtle didn't care too well for that setup,so i bought the zoomed turtle dock, suctions to the side of tank, so it gives a very direct area for the basking area, i think the way my tank is set up it looks very natural, and its easy to keep clean, and is not slippery with slime stuff so that my baby res doesnt lose his footing on it. dont know if that helps you any but hey i'm trying, just new to all the turtle stuff, learning as i go!

[BigCT]

I went down the local Home depot and picked up some grey square bricks, and a piece of slate. I used the bricks to prop up the slate. it also makes a cave which give the turts a place to hide.

The local zoo, which has really good western pond turtle project. they use a log that runs from one end to the other, half submerged half out of the water. I was amazed at the climbing ability of those little guys.

I prefer using natural items when ever feasible. it's more realistic for the animals and more ascetically pleasing.

If you do use a log or rocks/bricks make sure you clean them very well and then either bake them in an oven like 200 degrees or less or boil them. make sure you leave them in long enough to heat them through. This kills the microscopic stuff the scrubbing might miss.

I should be able to get some Pics posted tonight.
-Chris

[marisa]

If you want to spend a little money, go with corkbark. Nothing is more natural. It floats, so your turtle has a hiding/swimming place underneath.

GTA, allow about 5 watt per gallon for the heater. If you fill the 30-gallon tank, I'd get a 150-watt heater with an adjustable temp control. If you feel you need a heater guard, you can get them on-line (but they're cheap so ordering one by itself isn't worth it). But you could also make one from PVC pipe (you said you had some). Just cut a piece the size of the heater and drill enough holes in it for the water to circulate freely.