General Care Discussion :: Just have to vent....

[adam85491]

Hey everyone. I just got back from the petstore and I finally have a complete setup. 20 gallon long tank, stealth heater, filter, dock, veggie clip, uvb light, uva light, and two clamp lamps. I was told the tank was 26 inches long in the store but its not so now I have no place to put it. My brother will have one built for me at work but I can't use my brand new tank until then. My parents kind of hate me right now though because I got the bigger tank and keep yelling at me and want me to get rid of my pets when they get big. I said it was a healthy hobby and I don't mind spending my earned money but I don't know. Has anyone else had a support issue? I have plenty of room in my bedroom and the only difference is I will have a piece of furniture that is about six inches longer...I just hope everything works out.

[SpotsMama]

Are you saying the stand is 6" longer than the tank? Or is the tank 6" longer than the stand? Is the tank 32" long?

[adam85491]

The tank is 30.5 inches (they told me it was only 26 inches long), the furniture I wanted to use is 29. I am getting a 32 inch stand from my brother. My mother thinks it is a monstrosity, though.

[xsavingsaturdayx]

If she thinks that a 20 gallon is huge, wait till she see's a 100 gallon in a few years..

Yeah my mom and dad think that my 60 gallon is unecessary for my two 3 inch turtles. But I work and everything i have comes out of my wallet..so they cant complain,

[adam85491]

I'm 15 and in tenth grade so I don't have a job but I mow lawns. They give me 5 dollars per side when I do it but it is my money but they complain. I told them that I'm gonna do my best to get them to be comfortable but when I move out I'm getting a huge tank. She says she doesn't want to even look at my room and wants me to close the door now...she's really p.od.

[xsavingsaturdayx]

I dont understand why she dislikes your setup so much? I mean, it is in YOUR room..and YOU bought it, right?..Doesnt make sense

[adam85491]

I know but it's her house I guess. We have a small house but I have plenty of room in my bedroom...she thought my incomplete ten gallon setup was too much. Most people think a turtle can live in a little palm tree lagoon but they can't. She used to try and help me..she bought be a reptile container which was like 30 bucks and a ripoff and was there for me but when I did the research and discovered what they needed and how to save money (pricematched a visitherm stealth heater and saved 12 bucks today) she thinks I am crazy. She will warm up eventually I hope.

[xsavingsaturdayx]

My mom was like that too. She used to always tell me "you dont need alot of space for turtles that small!" but she went with me to the vet a couple of times and learned to like them (even though she doesnt touch them if her life depended on it) she picked up on what they eat and what kind of special lights they need (UVB..etc)..She doesnt realy mind them at all anymore, and she even says she sleeps better hearing a river coming from my bedroom..

[rayzherup]

i had lots of pets growin up. it is a good hobby. at least your not smokin weed or sumn. they could have it alot worse.

[adam85491]

i had lots of pets growin up. it is a good hobby. at least your not smokin weed or sumn. they could have it alot worse.

That is what I tell her. I was like I could have spent my 60 dollars on pot today but instead I spent it on a healthy hobby but she still shunned me. She thinks it is a waste since I am just going to put this ten gallon in the shed along with the five gallon she stopped using when her fish died and the 20 that was given to me. I told her we should just craigslist the tanks since they all have hoods and the five gallon as an undergravel filter and heater.

[RunninWideOpen]

I would put the tank on the stand you had planned. It's a small tank and won't be that heavy, and will be supported in the middle, right? As long as the furniture is wider than the tank, I see no harm in it sticking off 3/4" on each side length wise.

How big is your turtle adam? or turtles?

Sorry your mom isn't very understanding. I hope she comes around. Does she know these little guys live a long time and make great long term pets?

[adam85491]

They are both really small and I don't really measure them. One is smaller than a half dollar the other is slightly bigger. I heard that hanging off was bad so I'll just wait until my brother gets someone to make me a stand in his shop (he works with valves) they do stuff for people all the time and are really nice..he'll probably give them something for their time/effort but if they aren't busy it only takes about a day.

[DavidY]

Well at least your brother is cool. Moms/wives can be like that sometimes. My wife gives me grief every time I bring home a new tank or animal. I have my own herp room in the basement and this is the only hobby I have and the only thing I spend any money on (compared to her clothes, makeup, jewelry, gadgets...she spends 10x more money than i do).

Anyway...just keep your bedroom door closed so she can't see it and she'll get over it eventually (or find something else to complain about).

[adam85491]

Yeah, my brother is really cool about it. He takes me to the pet store and even told me to measure a piece of furniture he had to see if it was big enough for me. The faster I get the tank set up the better. He said if one of the guys in his shop isn't busy it will get done fast..he just gives them a free lunch or something. I got a real deal on this stuff. $28 for the 20 gallon long tank. $12.49 on the UVB bulb (though it isn't working and I feel it is my fault since I never used one before) and $16.99 on the stealth heater.

Prices are rough around here (New Jersey) so if this seems like a bad price to you I assure you it is the best I could do. I pricematched for the first time too and it felt good I made him get a stealth heater for his 46 gallon bow front because I told him they were the best so I wasn't going to be a hypocrite.

[DavidY]

Wow, those are great prices! Even around here (NH) pet stores won't sell stuff that cheap. I usually go online to buy my supplies. What's wrong with the UVB bulb? What brand/type is it?