Photo Gallery :: My turtles

[Emily]

I finally got a picture of my setup. You can see the girls on the dock.

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[cam722]

Nice setup.. a few suggestions though. You may want to move the tank away from the window because of drafts and sunlight hitting the tank. Also, is the light you have over the basking area both a UVA/UVB light?

My goodness they are so tiny.. May I ask how you are sure they are both girls??

[Emily]

The tank isn't near a window. LOL, that's the fireplace behind them. The flash is just making it look bright, but the sun won't be hitting it at all. They are sitting on the brick in front of the fireplace. The light is both UVA and UVB, I went and got that today. They are very tiny I looked at their tails. They are both long and skinny, and the hole(can't remember what it's called) is close to the base of the shell. Very close. Almost under it even.

[cam722]

sorry for that.. it looked like a window..

Just an FYI, you usually can't sex a turtle until they are around 4" .. what may look like a girl now, could turn out to be a boy next year. Mine all had the same sort of tails when I got them and I ended up with 2 boys and a girl. Unless they have been sexed by their incubating temp, it's rather difficult to tell at this point.

[steve]

Do you mean that is a mercury vapor bulb? If it is (those are the only kind that actually give off heat and sufficient UVB), then it might be too close to the basking area. I would recommend that you get a thermometer to measure the temperature there... also, do you have a water heater?

I wouldn't mind seeing some close-up pics of hatchlings

[Emily]

The bulb I have in that lamp is a UVA bulb, I'm sorry I didn't clarify this earlier. Tomorrow, I'm going back to the petstore to get a clamp lamp for my bulb that is both UVA and UVB, I'll show you the link to the one I got. I thought it would put off enough heat, but I realize now that it won't. http://tinyurl.com/d652y Is the bulb. So tomorrow, my third trip in three days, I'm going back to the petstore to get another clamp lamp. Thanks for all of the advice by the way, it's truly helpful. Also, thanks about letting me know about finding out what sex they are. I guess I'll wait a couple years. Then I'll find out, so for now I'll name them unisex names.

[marisa]

Didn't think that could possibly be a MVB because of the light they givie off. And is that dome light 5.5 inches? If so, I don't think a MVB would fit into it (and it would be dangerous to put one in such a small fixture).

Looked at the link--I can't believe that Petsmart upped the price of at bulb to match its in-store price.

Emily, that bulb should be about 6-8 inchers from your turtle for him to get the most out of it.

[adammaxis]

The filter looks insufficient.

Buy one that is rated 2 or 3x the amount that you actually have. I suggest a 50-100 gallon filter.

[Emily]

Thanks Marissa, I'll lower the light some more.

adammaxis, the filter is actually working very well. The turtles are staying clean, and there is no smell coming from the tank.

[sonyj]

...adammaxis, the filter is actually working very well. The turtles are staying clean, and there is no smell coming from the tank.

Maybe not now, but just wait as they grow a little. Turtles are extremely messier than fish, which is why the rating of filter needs to be 2-3x the size of tank. Also, the larger filter insures that your water quality stays healthy. The water may look clean in appearance, but there are other concerns about water quality that the larger filter will handle. RES need clean water to stay healthy.

[adammaxis]

Maybe not now, but just wait as they grow a little. Turtles are extremely messier than fish, which is why the rating of filter needs to be 2-3x the size of tank. Also, the larger filter insures that your water quality stays healthy. The water may look clean in appearance, but there are other concerns about water quality that the larger filter will handle. RES need clean water to stay healthy.

Thank you. All though I may only have 7 posts, I do know what I am talking about.

[Emily]

I'm sorry adammaxis, I did not mean to sound like you didn't know what you were talking about. I believe you, and I know I do eventually need a bigger filter, but right now, the babies are so tiny that it's not creating hardly any waste since they eat and poop in a different place. Again, I apologize.

[adammaxis]

If you can, return it and buy a new one. It pays off to buy big and plan for the future rather than upgrading constantly.. Believe me, I know.

[Emily]

Thanks for the advice adam...I'll probably be buying a bigger filter in the next few weeks made for a much bigger tank. But until I make some money this one will do. ^_^ I've spent all of my spending money this month for turtles.

[RESCHIU]

I see that you put your tank in front of the fire place, I'm not sure about how your house is like but my firehouse in first floor of my house has cold breeze come in(as I put my hand under it I can feel some cold air) You may want to check your fireplace too just to make sure. It might be that I have a bad fireplace though....but it wouldn't hurt to check to make sure there's no draft came in