General Care Discussion :: Help me do it right!

[Lodi]

Hi, I am new to the forum here, My name is Scott and Ive been keeping fish and reptiles for 10 or so years.
I currently have 2 rescued beardies. One (Drake) with MBD but, making a slooooow comeback and one (The Oz Man) has scoliosis of the spine, he's a twisty one.
Also have another one (Sasha) who I got as a premature juvie (was retardedly small) and has grown into the biggest tank I've seen lol.
I keep a 110 gallon reef (55 display and 55 sump) and am breeding Brichardi (Lake Ttanganyika Cichlid).
i tend to DIY everything from various items around the house (The lady loves that )

So, I aquired 3 RES that were not getting enough attention. I took 2 of them to my LPS who specializes in reptiles and exotics.
The one I've decided to keep is about 1.5" across the shell. I've done a ton of research on these little buggers and this site has been a great source of info and inspiration.
I plan to house it in a 150-180 with above tank bask box down the road but for now its a 60 gallon with 20 gallon sump and small bask box.
I'm looking for some seasoned vets to chime in and voice opinions, I know how forums can be so no off topic rants please .
I want to know if theres some noob mistakes I'm makine, BE BLUNT, I can handle critisizm.

The setup specs:
60 Gallon Display with CS50 overflow box and Quiet One return pump.
200 Micron Vertex filter sock to catch all debris/waste/particle matter.
20 gallon sump filled with bioballs, running an Aquaclear 30 on it with red mangroves for extra nutrient export.
36x18x12 (LxWxH) basking box with 2 windows (ripped apart a 10 gallon rimless for those lol).
300W deep dish heat lamp with 125W Mercury Vapour bulb.
300W Ebo Jager heater in sump.
Basking spot is a black 12x12 ceramic tile with a small 4"x4"x1" stone.
2 eggcrate ramps up to the platform and one eggcrate bridge/sleeping area covered with indoor/outdoor carpet I use for my dragons.

Parameters:
Water temp 80F
PH 7.5-8.0 seems to vary slightly in my city so Ive added a piece of driftwood.
Air temp in box 75-80 when I checked.
Basking spot 90F and 95F on top of small rock. Gave him the choice for extra heat if he wanted it.
Feeding Hikari Turtle Sticks about 3 pellets per day I'm thinking and will sub in some fruit/veg/insect/feeder fish on occasion.
Ill post a ton of pics and have a look, tell me any mistakes Ive made or input to help make it better.
Thannks Guys and Gals!!
Pic time!!

ALL THREE OF THEM ON MOVING DAY


BLURRY SHOT OF THE WHOLE SETUP


THE SUMP


TOP VIEW


SIDE VIEW


THE ONE I KEPT (STILL NAMELESS)


THE BULB


THE FOOD

[BlackAndChrome]

The only possible thing I can come up with is to make sure the basking platform is secure enough that the little guys can't find a small place to wedge themselves in and drown. Also if that plywood box isn't sealed it may last long (water based polyurethane is the way to go by my understanding). Although with an open top I doubt humidity will do too much, just the occasional splash and possibly some mold.

Kudos on a good lookin build!

-B&C

[steve]

If you find out you have a male, you won't need more than a 100 gallon tank. Larger is better in this case, so feel free to get that 180. Sumps don't work well with turtles, so you might want to consider a canister filter during your next tank upgrade. Keep an eye on that MVB, it's very powerful to be used on a small turtle.

Everything sounds pretty good, Welcome to the site!

[BlackAndChrome]

I don't claim to be an expert on the use of sumps with turtles but I see no reason why an appropriately sized sump would not be capable of handling a turtle/turtles, always up for enlightenment. You would want to increase your mechanical filtration by switching to a "pour onto pad" design instead of the sock since the solids will clog it too quickly requiring near daily maintenance. Trickle bio media is also more effective to my knowledge, that amount of plastic media should be no problem for that size load but will not be enough for 3 adult turtles. That being said what works for some may not work for others, keeping an eye on ammonia/nitrates will always be the judge of if your filter is working or not.

-B&C

[Lodi]

@BlackAndChrome:
Thanks for the cudos. I was really trying to be mindful and block all little spots he could get stuck.
The plywood is unfinished but also temporary until I build my all glass one.
As for the sock vs pad, I know it's going to need cleaned more often but I didn't like the idea of detritus entering the sump water itself.
I just actually finish a DIY trickle filter from plastic drawers set.
Great minds think alike I suppose

@Steve:
Thanks for the warm welcome.
As for canister vs sump, I liked the idea of visually seeing if the sump needs cleaned where I can't see in the canister.
Last canister I ran was a nitrate factory.
Could you back up the idea of dumps not working for turtles with an example or two please?
I'm not against change at all just like to know why it's worth the change.

Thanks for the replies and hope to figure out some good upgrades.
Just have ONE turtle now and quite small.

[steve]

I can't explain it any better than VeipaCray:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=32335&p=307241&hilit=+sump#p307241
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=33203&p=315602&hilit=+sump#p315602

There are a few more, just search for "sump" under his posts.
search.php?author_id=7270&sr=posts

edit: bad english

[Lodi]

Ahh I see the overflow is a surface skim and poop sinks.
I'll get a powerhead blowing on the bottom for now to help keep it suspended until I upgrade to the canister.
Thanks for the enlightenment. Being a reefer, I always run to the sump.

[Lodi]

So just a small update.
I ordered the glass for the all glass basking box and I picked up a Fluval 404.
Just rinsed it out and added in some new sponges, next to add the media from the sump and hook her up.
Can't wait to get it running, thanks for the info about sumps and turtles.
Will update after I get the bask box built.