Photo Gallery :: My big baby has a NEW much larger tank!!!

[industrial_girl_2000]

Hi all,

I am so excited right now typing this. My 90-gallon tank that I ordered a month ago finally was delivered today. (My previous tank was a 55 gallon & way too small for my adult RES....thanks to this website for letting me know that it was too small). Sheba is such a big girl, that I never thought she would actually *look* small in any tank. But sure enough, this tank lets her swim around and it is so nice to see! I ordered it with a 20 inch width (so she can turn around nicely without bumping the glass) & 4" extra height on the glass aquarium. The wood canopy is 8 inches in height, allowing me plenty of room to mount a lamp underneath there!

I still have to mount the light in the canopy & add her XL size platform later (I had to run to work after the delivery men left), but for now, I just wanted to show you pics of the tank because I was so happy about it (and she was happily swimming around in the pics)!:

[jenaero]

Nice tank! I assume you're going to add plants/rocks/other fun stuff as well?

[industrial_girl_2000]

I may add a couple of rocks, but no plants. Sheba is a voracious eater & marvelously strong, so anything that gets put in the tank gets moved or eaten! She always goes after her glass heater & the waterfall filter tube. Sometimes I just let her walk around the house for a few hours because I know she is bored in the tank with nothing to do all day.

It's hard to find *fun* turtle accessories for an Adult RES. ::sigh::

The shop where I got this tank sells lots of very large tanks for Saltwater setups. They have some really nice tank accessories which cater to the very large aquariums with aggressive/strong fish (unbreakable submersive heaters, XL magnetic scrubbers to scrub the algae off the glass, canister filters, etc.). I'll just have to continually upgrade my accessories as time goes on.

[Andrew7769]

first off, NICE SETUP! next the only thing i notice is you need a bigger filter but i kno this was just a quick snap a shot and run so i understand keep us updated!

[Hoooneylynn]

where you you going to put the lights? Can you put them like under the wooden lid?

[CountryGirl68]

Nice big tank for your girl! She must be enjoying the extra space. Take more pictures once you've got the whole set up done.

[missibsu]

Yea for Sheba! She looks so happy in her new tank. It's a nice tank! I'm envious.

[industrial_girl_2000]

where you you going to put the lights? Can you put them like under the wooden lid?

The guy at the saltwater shop (where I bought the tank) showed me a fixture that is ultra-thin & light. It mounts nicely on the wooden canopy & there are a nice selection of various types of thin/long bulbs you can get for it.

I went last night to a couple of pet stores, looking for platforms & bought a large hollow molded plastic "tree root" for Sheba's tank, thinking it might be tall enough for her to sit on temporarily, but it is STILL too short by 5 inches. So I have to go online today to see what else is available platform-wise. I may have to order something.

My old tank had the platform attached *on top of* the tank (my dad made it out of scraps of acrylic he had lying around). It was a nice setup, but unfortunately doesn't fit on the new tank because of the 20" width (old tank was only 14" wide). So I find myself in "new territory", trying to find new aquarium goodies for her...! This is going to be a daily project, until I can get her everything she needs.

[marisa]

Nice looking set-up! (A little greenery---even fake---would add so much to the look of it.)

[Shavannah]

Very beautiful large tank!
I agree with marisa about some fake plants, weighted down, would look nice. And some large smooth river rocks scattered at the bottom. She would enjoy moving them and redecorating with them as she sees fit. It'll give her something to do. Another idea for a basking area is to use pvc pipes and elbows or t's, and some slate or ceramic tiles cut and stair-stacked on top. It's very inexpensive, frees up swimming space underneath too. Check the photo gallery for 'Gandalf's new digs', my pics are on there, as well as Steve's to give you an idea. It only took me an afternoon to build it, and my turt loves it.
I'm also curious about the lights, you explained the thin tube light that goes under the hood, make sure it has the correct UVB rating. I'm not sure I'm understanding how the light for heat will work though, considering it will need some way to vent out of the top.
Keep us updated, and post more pics as you go along! Good luck!

[CV Cream]

Nice Tank! You ordered it online or what? If so, what website? I have been looking for places that ship tanks that size. Im looking for a new 75 gallon, and a good deal on it.

[industrial_girl_2000]

To answer your question, I didn't order this online, I went to a saltwater fish store and ordered it from the store. The store is called "Choice Aquariums" and it is located in Farmington Hills, Michigan, about 1/2 mile from my house. It was a custom-order which took 5 weeks to get to the store. Then they just delivered it! So I didn't order it on the internet, I actually walked into the store. They specialize in larger tanks & all the accessories that go with it. The tank & wood stand combo cost me about $800. Tanks that size are not cheap, especially since I was looking for the taller/deeper variety. You might be able to pick up one of the shorter/longer tanks for cheaper on closeout.

Funny how everyone is mentioning that Sheba will "redecorate" her tank once I put some stuff in there. She is already doing that with the large plastic tree root I put in there. She loves that thing & can actually swim under it. When I first put it in the tank, I put it in the corner. I came home from work to see that she had moved it! So cute. I moved it back into the corner this weekend when I was home so I could see how she did it. Sure enough, she didn't like where it was and decided to move it. She swam underneath, put it on her back, clunk, clunk, & was walking with it. It's hilarious! It took her about 1/2 hour to move it back to the middle of the tank. I'm glad. She needs the exercise! LOL

In regards to the light, I have to see what they have & what they can order. The guy at the store told me that they have all ranges of lighting for underneath these hoods so anything I need isn't a problem. In regards to venting heat from UVB bulbs, one thing you can't see is that the back of the wood canopy is open all the way across the back so it isn't completely closed-off as it appears in the picture.

I ordered Sheba's platform from a website last week, and it should be here today (according to the email I got). Yippeee!

One step at a time..... My baby's "movin' on up!"

[industrial_girl_2000]

An update: I got Sheba a basking dock (it's an acrylic dock, XL size that attaches with suction cups that I ordered from a website I heard about on here). So far, it isn't my favorite option since she is so heavy that it bends down when she sits on it (kinda like sitting on the edge of a diving board). It is a temporary solution for now.

She loves loves loves the large tree root I put in there and is always near it or sitting on it.

The waterfall filter that I have on my set up isn't working out too well either since the pump isn't strong enough. I will have to get something new this weekend.

Lights are coming soon too. For now, I have to get the filter/dock under control so I can get a good measurement of what I can fit under the hood.

One day at a time.....

[Turtleboy]

Sheba is a tank :O