Habitat - Indoor :: would this work for now?

[beejium]

i was thinking about a 110 gallon stock tank with a repti 8 uvb. maybe a cross section of a log hung from the wall or ceiling, with a 75 watt clamp light. keeping 100 gallons in the tank to lessen the chance of escape, what filter would be the best for one turtle. or is this a death trap?

[marisa]

Why do you think this would be a death trap?

I think with 100 gallons of water in a 110 gallon stock tank, there would be a very good chance of escape (unless you added a barrier around the top of the tank). I have less water than that in my stock tanks. Whatever filter you use (read some of the posts on filters), if it has hoses going in and out of the tank, make sure your turtle can't use them to climb up on and escape as well.

Rather than a Repti 8 (this is a tube flourescent UVB?), for a tank that size, I'd use a combination mercury vapor UVB/UVA light, which would provide everything including heat (you wouldn't need a clamp lamp, they should be hung vertically). Frankly, with a stock tank, I think clamp lamps are rather difficult to use. You can hang the lamp over the basking area. I've had good luck with the T-Rex Active UVHeat bulbs, and the newer ones are state-of-the-art.

Don't know what kind of log you're thinking of using, but I'd use something that's water resistant or build a basking area. I use corkbark, which is water resistant and very natural looking.

[beejium]

well what i was thinking about turning the clamp so that it would aligned vertically with the wall. then put 2 screws in the wall estimating where it is to be placed for the proper basking temp not to mension a safty wire that can be made out of anything needs to go from the ring on the top of the light, to an i hook or something to keep it in place and add some extra security that it won't fall in. it would bviously need to be tested and adjusted by a thermometer on the basking surface. i was also thinking about hanging the biggest uv flourescent that i could find leingthwise over the tub, just high enough so the turtle won't come in contact with it.
i am verry intrested in the light setup u mensioned, would it save time money and energy? what kind of materials are required? or where would i get it? how costly is it to setup/maintian?
think i might try the corkbark idea less work and less weight to work with.

[marisa]

The lights are more expensive that regular UVB lights, and are best ordered on line (or price match at a place like Petsmart or Petco if you can). The advantage is that the lights do everything and you need fewer lights and have fewer cords around. They are suited to larger enclosures, which is why I suggested them. Over time, they are probably more cost efficient than regular UVB lights (assuming you don't have any problems with them) because they need replacing once a year vs every 6-8 months. If you do a search using the brand I gave you, you'll come up with a number of on-line retailers. Zoo-Med also makes one called the Powersun. This bulb seems to be more fragile and there have been a number of complaints about its longevity (the reason why I never bought one).

Don't estimate the proper basking temp--check the temp with a thermometer. I suppose attaching a light to the wall is doable, but these lights really should be vertical (and in ceramic fixtures).

[beejium]

ok i think i will go with the T-Rex Active UV Heat bulb, it seems to be evan cheaper than the flourescents. i already have the fixture and it's just one less thing to mess with. i thought at first that it might be more power consuming until i added up the ammount of the two lights together and its almost equal. the guy at the petshop was talking like i need some huge elaborite setup... i hate petshops. also if i end up getting a female turtle would i need some sort of sandy spot outside of the watter for her to lay her eggs? or will she lay them on the regular basking spot? i guess i wanna know all the details before getting a turtle and having an unfortunate problem because of the habitat.

[sonyj]

Female RES need a separate nesting area outside of the tank preferably attached and easy to access that is made of 50% organic compost 50% sand. Here's a great link on nesting sites so you can read up before purchasing one: http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/Nestsites.htm

[marisa]

If you want to know "all the details," do some reading on this site and read some of the posts on the forums.