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This is Normans new setup. I used to have him in a 54 quart (13.5 gal) rubbermaid tub. My g/f suprised us recently with a 114 quart (28.5 gal) upgrade for him. Here is just a couple of pics i recently took. I know i need a new filter and another or new heater also. I have some river rocks i picked up tonight that i want too wash real good before putting them in the tank. Should i only put a few rocks? Or can i cover the bottom of the tank wit them because i think i have enought for that? They arent huge rocks where he could maybe hurt himself with or get stuck between/under them and they are not small enough to eat. And i also want to get some plants for him to float around on or hide in. Any other suggestions? Im pretty new at all this but i learned a real lot real fast thanks to this site and everyone on it that has been soo helpful.





Here is where i added some rocks. He loves them. They were all in one area as u can kinda see here. Came home from work tonight and now they are spread all over the tank where he wants them i guess.


Got a new heater to keep the temperature stable. The 50 watt wasnt cutting it in his bigger tank so i went for the 200 and its a monster, i have to keep it low. Added 2 more bags of rocks. The mcdonalds plastic cup was his cave until i added the plants. Not even a minute went by since i added the plants today and he was hiding behind them. Guess he loved it, Im definately gonna get him 1 or 2 more. The duct tape was just a test at preventing the bowing. The cord works better until i can construct a better brace of some sort.


And in another post here on the site i have 2 admit i lied. I measured him incorrectly at 1 point and he is not 4 inches yet. He was struggling with me on this pic so i didnt line the ruler up perfectly and didnt want to stress him out too bad so i snapped it fast. You can still see that he is tiny and just barely past 3 inches.


Thanks again everyone and we hope you all have a happy new year!

River rocks are a great choice, but do wash them more than you think is nessicary. I have the bottom of my tank with 2 turtles in covered with rocks and they love to push them around and dig in them. The only downside to covering the bottom of your tank is that alot of debris will get stuck down in it and wont go through your filter. Either way i think Norman will be happy! His new setup looks great too!

That set up looks great!

I love the name "Norman." Where did you get the idea for his name?

before i put my rocks in my tank i boiled them for about 20-30 minutes.

Cute set-up (uvb light?). Plants would add even more to the look. I don't think you need to cover the bottom with rocks--the added weight along with the weight of the water could pose some problems with the Rubbermaid (plus not have so many makes cleaning easier. ) You could have some rocks in one area and let your turtle push them around.

yea the uvb light is on the 1st pic top right corner u can see it a little bit. when i have the screen on its right on top of the tank.
The name Norman came when my sister and my niece found him on the bench in once of those small habitats abandoned and told me if i wanna keep him i have to name him Norman. So thats all she wrote,,hehe
Thanx for the replies...i was thinking of boiling some,,,im just gonna put 1 bag in for now see how he likes them and how it all holds up,
thanx again

The UVB light should be over the basking area next to the heat lamp. Your turtle really can't benefit from it if the light is that far from the basking area.

well yea when i have the screen on the top of the setup thats where i do keep it. I just moved it for the pics. Thank you tho. appreciate it.

Thats really nice... I was gunna get a rubbermaid tub like that similar in size... For temporary... but my mother thought the water heater would melt the plastic and cause a fire she wouldnt let me get it. So yeah.

Nice set up. Is that a cord rigged to hold the tub from bowing? If so, nice idea!

Great setup, I bet Norman loves it.

yup thats a cord to stop it from bowing. And the heater dont bother the tank at all. If it something that u worry about you could always get a heater cover but so far this is normans 2nd rubbermaid home and never had a heater problem yet. I added some river rocks today for him, will probably add more in a few days, i dont wanna freak him out by just bombarding him wit a ton of rocks out the blue. Kinda make them appear slowly until i think he had enough. Im also gonna get a better or another heater this weekend im having a slight problem keeping his water perfect since i almost tripled his tank size over this past week. Shoulda did a little more planning ahead before making the jump but soo far soo good and yep i believe he is very happy. He just does the backstroke all day in the middle of what seems to be a huge lake for him for now,,,lol

Kinda looks like this all day if hes not basking

Won't the cord stretch out eventually? I think a wooden bracket may offer better support. I can't tell from the pic, but if the filter is not supported in the bottom, then it will put additional strain on the container. A few people have used old books to support the base of it.

It's looking good!

When you get a new heater, think of your next move comming up. You'll want something that will be able to upgrade with you. Just keep that in mind.