Photo Gallery :: New Pictures of Tanner

[CountryGirl68]

Hi y'all! Been away for a while - they've got me covering at work for someone else and the hours have been long ... and the days even longer. One of my co-workers got a job elsewhere, left without any notice, and left most of her work undone and mistakes galore!

Anyhoo, thought I'd share some newer pics of my little man, Tanner and his 75 gallon upgrade.

First off, this is Tanner when we first brought him home on September 2, 2006. Shy little bugger!


Here's his new larger set up. The redecorating was done by Tanner. I've added more water since then - these pictures were taken over a month ago.


Swimming, swimming, swimming ...


Enjoying the (artificial) rays (the greenish blotch on his shell is a reflection of the camera light - don't anyone panic):


He has finally gotten used to us enough to bask while we're home, but he jumps right off if we get too close to the tank. Had to use the zoom lens to get him basking! He is such a joy to have, I don't know how we lived without him for so long. He's beginning to shed his shell and spends a lot of time fluttering against a corner of the tank. But he's healthy and seems very happy.

[xsavingsaturdayx]

You have a realy cool setup,i cant wait till i upgrade

[Kallistos]

He looks very happy, what do you have covering the tank btw?

[missibsu]

I'm always happy to see updates! Thanks for sharing your new pics. He looks right at home in the 75 gallon.

[CountryGirl68]

I've got chicken wire on the top of the tank. So far, Tanner seems to feel his tank is much better than the rest of the apartment so he has yet to make a break for it.

[lotsofpets]

I am curious, how big is Tanner? Nice setup and handsome turtle! Congratulations on becoming a senior member!

[Hoooneylynn]

Does everyone become a senior member if you've been on for only 5 months?

[Andrew7769]

i think its more of a title that is brought about by the persons willingness to help and knolage more than time on the forums, i have been here since i got my turt which was a while ago but i do not post often and there are many deserving people it is just a question of need i guess.

[scripta_elegans]

Tanner is a very cute boy! I love the set up you have for him too! It looks great, and he looks healthy and happy!

[WeirdMeta]

Man, Tanner has a big tail of course thats how males tail are suppose to look. I too would like to know how big he is.

[industrial_girl_2000]

That's a great example of a male's thick, long tail in that first pic! Beautiful tank too!

[CountryGirl68]

I am curious, how big is Tanner? Nice setup and handsome turtle! Congratulations on becoming a senior member!

Ha! I didn't even notice I had become a senior member!!!

Tanner is 5" shell length. He's shed his skin quite a bit during the past month and now that his shell is shedding, I imagine he'll be adding some length to that in the next few months.

Thanks for the comments about the tank. (He is handsome, isn't he?) I used a reptile rock background on the back and a black one on the outside of the bottom so he's not looking at the cabinet base all day long. I've got about 10 river rocks about 2.5 to 3" and 1 larger rock in the tank; a zoomed dock, XP3 filter, Tronic 100 watt heater (which will be changed to a 250 watt stealth heater this weekend), T-Rex Active 100 watt UVB/UVA/Heat lamp, 3 fake plants, a large aquarium mountain rock, and two fake turtles. The fake turtles are actually heavy plastic back massagers that my mom bought for him - after cleaning them well, I put them in the tank and he loves pushing them around. Tanner told me long ago that he didn't want anything else in the tank with him, so I complied.

Compared to the 30 gallon he was in when we first got him, he's in turtle heaven now!

This weekend, we'll be adding to our family: I'm getting 2 budgies (parakeets) for my hubby for his birthday. Once I've got them settled, I'll add pictures of the entire "clan".

[Muirner]

Country, those are great pictures, the only one that i have a question about is the very last one. I see on the back wall of your tank you have a Zoomed stick on thermomiter right above the basking area. It reads almost 100, but my only concern is that with the back glass being that hot, out of my experience the basking rock will be to to hot.

Remember you should have it at 90* or so 10* warmer then your water temp. When i used the stick on thermometer to check my temps, i got it to say 88* on the stick on thermometer, but when i checked it with a glass thermomiter on the rock i found something quite different. Instead of the rock being 90*, it was a lot closer to 96ish, of course i caught this on the first day and changed the light angle things have worked out better. Remember always check the temp on the rock.

[CountryGirl68]

I see on the back wall of your tank you have a Zoomed stick on thermomiter right above the basking area. It reads almost 100, but my only concern is that with the back glass being that hot, out of my experience the basking rock will be to to hot.

Good observation and great information you've provided, Muirner. I tested the area with a rock like you suggested when I first set up the tank and even before Tanner came home. The temp used to be 86 to 88 degrees. Although Tanner would go up to bask, he never really stayed on too long and he never stretched out.

During my first major tank cleaning, I put the lamp closer to the dock. Well, it turns out Tanner prefers the 95 degree basking temp. That's the only time you see him stretch out completely in his "superman" pose. I became worried at first because I felt the temp was too high but I found out that each turtle will prefer settings in temps which can be anywhere between 10 and 20 degrees warmer than the water temp. Of course, I checked that out with the vet, who agreed with what I had been told. So, since Tanner likes it and he's comfortable, I've left the basking temp at 95.

But it is different for every turtle and you pretty much need to experiment (slowly, of course) to find out which is the ideal temperature for your turtles.

[Muirner]

I stand corrected country! Sorry for assuming. When i had mine set up that way my temps were high, and my babys would bask... but one day i read on here how to check the temp properly and when i did, i adjusted the light every day until i found the right spot, and monitored temps for over a week.

Now they bask and stretch out. Speaking of the superman pose, Ashley was basking today and had herself stretched out, in full SWF (sleeping while flying) mode. She was even letting her little legs "twitch" from time to time. I almost had a video of it but my camera died.