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Almost-new Fluval 404 from Quebec - $80 on Ebay
Brand new still-in-box 75 gallon tank - $125 from CanReef
Home built-stand - $8 and 7 hours
Watching the confused look on your turtle's face when he zooms off the dock and doesn't bash into the glass - Priceless

Took a while, but I finally got everything set up! Ralph settled in quite comfortably, and started exploring as soon as I put him in.

First, I must post pics of the stand, because I'm so proud of it! It could hold up an elephant, so I it can easily handle the 600 lbs of tank




Overview of the tank: (you can see that I've already filled the stand up with junk ^^;


Dock/Basking area: The dock is currently made out of two pieces of egg crate (the same as in his old tank, I thought I'd provide something familiar for him), but I'm in the process of making one out of plexiglass.




His *only* decoration (besides the river rocks). I picked it up at walmart yesterday. It's a sunken beat up car! I thought it looked so cool! But the pic doesn't do it justice. I also thought it looked good in the corner, but Ralph decided it looked better in the middle of the tank. And I'm sure you all know, what turtle wants, turtle gets


Finally, a fuzzy close up of Ralph. It's just SO hard to get a turtle to sit still


Open to any suggestions in improvements

It'd look really nice if you later on painted the stand. I wish I had the tools to make a stand, I had to blow $80 on a stand yesterday and $150 on a tank, gosh this stuff is expensive! and the store said they were "liquadating" pshh not with those prices!

Ya, I might eventually make the stand into a cabinet... Cover it all with a 1/4" 'pretty' wood (like oak) and add doors and stuff, but right now I'm happy with how it is

Looks great! Like the stand.

Looking good! I like your basking dock! Different than I have seen before.

I love the stand! You did an amazing job! I bet ralph is absolutely in turtle heaven.

Thanks all!

Very nice. I do like that stand.

Nicely done.

Hehehe my turtle did that flying leap off the dock and into the aquarium glass. I had to almost laugh everytime..I wonder if she had brain damage. Now with her new tank as well she doesn't hit the sides and if she does, they're heavy duty rubber so no hard head bashing!