Other Turtle Discussion :: Buying Tank Problems

[Turtle_Turtle]

well i tried going to a place where they custom make aquariums which i posted in the deals section but they said that they are not that good at making glass aquariums and my dad didnt want to chance it so he said no. then when i went onto craigslist they had a couple and i emailed them but no answers and its been 3 days . so now what, all i have is about $130 so now i have the idea of making a indoor pond with those preformed ponds and making a box around it so it would hold it and support it. but does anyone have any other ideas or is this a good one?

[DavidY]

I think that's an excellent idea. Actually, that's what I've got planned for my indoor pond. Just make sure the floor can support the extra weight. I'm going to build mine in the basement. I got my preformed pond at Lowes for $69 and its a 100gal pond. I was planning on building a plywood deck with a hole shaped the same as the pond except an inch smaller all around. It will also have some wood frame to support certain areas underneath the pond for added structure. Then the pond will drop into the hole with the rim around the top resting on the deck and the bottom resting on the floor. The pond will be in the corner of my herp room so two sides will have a solid back wall and the 2 front sides will have plexiglass walls. I'll probably use outdoor fake grass carpet to cover the deck along with some rocks and live plants and maybe some kind of cascading waterfall that will be fed by a pump in the pond and will flow back into the pond. I would like to have a section of that waterfall be a pool where I can grow live plants that the turtles can't reach so they will help naturally filter the water. Should be cool once it's done and shouldn't cost more than $100 for materials (not including the preformed pond, waterfall, plants or pump).

[Turtle_Turtle]

yeah i may have a floor problem in the future because i have a really old house with old wood floors but we just got some wood flooring and put it on top of it but my dad thinks i could probably get a 60gal but im wondering if i can get a 100 gal since i have 2 turtles

[Turtle_Turtle]

I'll probably use outdoor fake grass carpet to cover the deck

i was thinking of using real grass to go around the corners of the tank since it is circular and the turtles would water it for me when they get on it

[N4784N R4613]

I had the same idea, here is what industrial_girl_2000 had to say about it...

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6415&

[Turtle_Turtle]

ok maybe the grass is out of the question but i will think of something else

[industrial_girl_2000]

well i tried going to a place where they custom make aquariums which i posted in the deals section but they said that they are not that good at making glass aquariums and my dad didnt want to chance it so he said no. then when i went onto craigslist they had a couple and i emailed them but no answers and its been 3 days . so now what, all i have is about $130 so now i have the idea of making a indoor pond with those preformed ponds and making a box around it so it would hold it and support it. but does anyone have any other ideas or is this a good one?

That's weird that they didn't offer to ORDER a larger glass aquarium for you. When I upgraded Sheba's tank to the 90-gallon monstrosity that I have now, I went to a store near my house that specialized in salt water fish/tanks (which are anywhere from 75 gallons and UP....yes, they are HUGE tanks), and the store had a catalog with all sorts of glass or acrylic tanks & gorgeous wood stands with any kinds of dimensions you can imagine. I had to order my tank & put down a down payment. 2 weeks later, VOILA, they delivered my new tank & hauled away my old tank.

[Turtle_Turtle]

well they were are salt water aquarium place too but they said that they werent so good at making glass aquariums they were only good at making acrylic and they werent a big place either i was expecitng it to be huge but it looked like a regular sized pet store jammed with fish tanks and lots of cool salt water fish

[Turtle_Turtle]

well now my dad says i cant get a indoor pond but he says now that he is going to build a pond and i can decide the plans

[DavidY]

That's awesome! How big is he going to make it? I think an outdoor pond will be a lot healthier for the turtles with all the natural sunshine, fresh air, etc. But if it gets cold in the winter where you live you'll need to bring them in part of the year.

[Turtle_Turtle]

well my dad thinks about 500 gallons, and over here in californina it gets about 50 and lower but my dad just said that i could put a heater in the water and he would make some sort of cave and i could put there heat lamp in there or if it gets too cold i could always get a storage container and put them in there

[Turtle_Turtle]

also i was wondering does anyone have any ideas for my pond because i am trying to get some and do u think i should get idk maybe 1 more turtle to put in the pond

[industrial_girl_2000]

well they were are salt water aquarium place too but they said that they werent so good at making glass aquariums they were only good at making acrylic and they werent a big place either i was expecitng it to be huge but it looked like a regular sized pet store jammed with fish tanks and lots of cool salt water fish

Just so you know, they don't actually *make* the tanks at the pet store....they have to order a tank when they don't have it in stock (and they have LOTS of tanks already in stock so you can see the sizes in the store). But it sounds like the place you went wasn't one of the places that specializes in salt water...more like a regular pet shop that has a lot of fish. The stores that specialize in salt water also sell things like anenomes & live coral which can scratch the delicate surface of an acrylic tank (!). They even sell certain fish that have hard fins that can scratch the walls also which is why they still sell the gigantic glass aquariums in there since the glass is so much harder to scratch.

Also, when I looked into the costs of upgrading my turtle tank, acrylic tanks are more expensive than glass. I got glass, not just because of the cost difference, but also because I knew my big turtle was a bull-dozer in the tank & would hit the walls with her big shell. Acrylic tanks are pretty, but scratch way too easily when you have a turtle.

Not trying to talk you into anything in particular, just giving you more info so you know for the future!

[Turtle_Turtle]

yes they do specialize in salt water check there site http://http://www.crystalviewtank.com/index.htm. Also i would get a tank but my dad already has a pond in mind and my floors are weak so i wouldnt be able to get a big tank for them anyway

[N4784N R4613]

WOW!! You went to that place!?!? I would love to visit a place like that!!!

Oh, and this is the link you want...
http://www.crystalviewtank.com/