Habitat - Indoor :: basking question!

[yumikoinichi]

hi
i have a two inch red ear slider which i got last november....before this he lived in a small tank but today i bought him a big tank but not sure of tge gallon...i also bought a filter.i have no basking light as i live in a tropical country ,and also no heater.for the basking site,i bought a fake aquatic plant shape of a circle...its like a big ring and the top part cn be the dock or basking site(the pet store recommended it) its like a grass ring or something....so my turtle was only put in today noon...he wont get on the basking site... the basking site is the top of the ring but its not too steep...ill post a pic maybe tomoro....and if i put him up there he will jump back into the water after one second...he is still checking all the fake leaves tho.....im afraid he will get tooo tired because he doesnt know to rest by the ring ir plant...hes always swimming around ...im scared that he will get too tired so i put him back into the old tank after a few hours and let him sleep there...his old tank was really small and it has the built in basking layer so i cnt have the water too deep...suddenly the new tank was very big and the water is deep...help me...please teach me how to get my turtle to bask on the grass! in the old tank the water is only as deep as my turtle "thickness."....ill post photos of that too....please answer i really appreciate it...i haven found uvb bulbs in my city so gotta keep searching,no heater and basking lamp coz i live in a tropical country and that means summer all year long....i juz bought a filter today but havent install it...but dun worry...in the old tank i change water everyday.thanks.

[yumikoinichi]

picture of old tank and my turtle....watch out for the water length.
...the new tank the water depth is very high.


[steve - links fixed]

[steve]

If you multiply the length, width, and height (all in inches) then divide by 231 you will get the gallon size.

You will probably still need a basking light unless you have an outdoor setup. How big is he now?

[yumikoinichi]

okay,ill try coz the pet shop doesnt sell basking light.the turtles in the store just basks on the fake plant under the uv light.....will the turtle bask under the uv light?with no basking light?coz i live in a tropical place so we dont actually sell heat lights and heaters....my turtle has been under my care since 11/11....his shell length is 2 inches...so i guess his real age is about 6 months old... here is my new tank setup...filter is still waiting for my dad to install it....

this is the new tank....[img][IMG]http://i1368.photobucket.com/albums/ag168/yumikoinichi/Mobile%20Uploads/20140205_140853_zpsezgo0ile.jpg[/img] [/img]

the size is 30 cm height and 40 cm wide....the water is 16cm depth...the ring in the middle is the basking spot...i mean the top of the ring...my turtle likes to swim in and out of the circle....but he doesnt know to rest at the leaves...a little, but only a little.he doesnt know to climb up the ring,but i made tge water height the way that he can easily climb on...but he doesnt.

[yumikoinichi]

i calculated the tank size and i got... 8.5?is that even possible?my tank is the biggest i cn find already....or is that 85 gallons?

[yumikoinichi]

ok really 8.5 gallon tank

[sperez3]

My turtles started in a 5 gal tank and every upgraded tank since they need only a day to get used to the new water depth. They seem so much happier every time they get a bigger tank though! Just give him time and he will figure it out. My mikey will rest on plants or the dock but my bubba will just sink to the bottom and nap when she gets tired. So it might be you have a sinker instead of a floater

[sperez3]

I would maybe add a nice smooth ish stone too give him a step up. They like inclines so they can "slide" into the water.

[yumikoinichi]

my turtle will hang on to the leaves,but he wont get to the top of the ring,which is the basking spot for him...he likes to hide at the underside of the ring,he just wouldnt get on the top.he only hangs on the loose leaves by the side...,or under the ring

[yumikoinichi]

when i put him directly to the top of ring he will jump down into the water...yesterday when he sleeps for a while in the big tank he hangs onto one leaves and just umm float there

[steve]

What about preformed ponds or stock tanks?

[sperez3]

I would add a nice flat stone then to give him another choice. He probably should take some calcium supplements too until he starts basking regularly to keep his bone health good. You should be able to find it at the pet store. or give him cuttlebone from the bird section with the backing removed.

[yumikoinichi]

but the stones arent they flat?i mean the stone will be in the water rite?it wouldnt be dry rite?i dunno...im thinking of finding another shop to look for a the normal kind of basking platform.like the flat then sliding down thingy.even if i dun hv a uv light i still let him under the sun in the small tank (coz the big tank is super heavy) and let him there everyday.i havent seen any stock tanks here in my place...my place the ppl arent actively involved in this kinda pets....so its quite hard to find the resources needed.

[sperez3]

i meant a larger rock that would stick out of water. If you can get things shipped to you online purchasing is another way to go. It would be a good idea to check all the shops near you. Also remember when you start looking into bigger containers some people use just plain plastic totes too like rubbermaid and sterilite. oh and some people use terra cotta bases(drip pans) upside down for basking plateforms. Im just trying to think of different found things that you can use for basking. Plastic and ceramic are good just be careful of metals.

[yumikoinichi]

yea...i got the idea...i was thinking of putting plastic containers for him to get on haha.thought of styrofoam and was planning to do it.....i drop a small piece into the water to see if it floats then i took it out after one second,then after that i searched the web and styrofoam is poisonous!but my dad says its okay if cold water.i only put it in one second is it harmful to my turtle T_T....i thought of plastic containers but it seems that the ones i have are not tall enuf.