General Care Discussion :: destruction

[chefglue]

Why is my res intent on destroy whatever I put in his tank. I just build a nice new basking dock. and he keeps try to squeeze between it and my power filter like he is trying to break it. Why do they do this

[steve]

I think they feel safer in tight spaces, but like to explore too. Unfortunately it can also be deadly. What's the basking dock like?

[chefglue]

its made of egg crate light grates and sip tied to more egg crate above. He is a large turte 6 years old he can't get stuck.

[sflemin2]

Maybe consider building one out of pvc pipe and a large piece of tile? The little store bought basking areas just don't support the weight of full grown turtles so that's out. Or build an above tank basking area. You may be able to use the one you already made if you get creative!

[theartbook35]

It's a turtle thing. They like to take stuff apart or move it around. To avoid them breaking filters, it's better to use filters that you place on the floor with pumps leading into the tank. However, those cost A LOT of money.

Sadie has developed a habit of lifting her filter off of the wall mount and letting it fall to the bottom of the tank. She did something to it a couple of days after we got it that screwed up the fan, so, half the time when we turn it on, we have to flick the fan with our fingers to get the filter started. It's supposed to start automatically.

I am NOT buying an Eheim or another filter that is not submersible. I just know my cat is gonna try to "play" with it, since it is pumping water. My cat is more destructive than all of my turtles combined.

[sflemin2]

The canister filters may be expensive but they are totally worth it I think. I had two Fluval 4 Plus filters in the 50 gallon tank a while back that were submersible and they did good (I had to clean them a lot though) but they were $50 each. You could get a canister filter for $100 more but it will give you so much more room in the tank and the maintenance is much better.