Habitat - Indoor :: need help

[francinemarie]

this is my new 50 gallon that i got for free from my aunt.




i'd like to know if anyone can give me ideas to make a basking dock. using any other safe materials other than plexiglass (although i do like & prefer the material, it's too expensive for me to buy a heat gun & materials to score & cut the glass). i've looked at the different ATBAs or basking spots/areas from other people on the forum, but i'm still having a hard time. mainly because i want her to have as much swimming space as possible, but i also want her to be able to get onto the basking ramp easily. i don't want an ATBA, i just want a nice basking area that's inside the tank. i had an idea in mind, but i'd like other ppl's ideas

[chrisinva]

Have you considered a Large Zoo Med Dock with some bracing ?

[francinemarie]

Have you considered a Large Zoo Med Dock with some bracing ?

i have Zoo med dock & i'm pretty sure it's the largest one, but she definitely doesn't fit on it anymore & it cannot carry her weight. i wouldn't know how to brace it.

[marisa]

A nice piece of corkbark wedged between the sides would look really nice in there. www.blackjungle.com is one place you can order some.

[francinemarie]

A nice piece of corkbark wedged between the sides would look really nice in there. www.blackjungle.com is one place you can order some.

i'm a little hesitant with using corkbark because my turtle has a habit of biting things & i don't want her biting off chunks off the wood. And usually you have to cut the corkbark to shape & i don't have the materials to cut it with.

[untsmurf]

You can add extra suction cups to the dock to reinforce it.

You can also get one of the plastic docks. A lot of owners with bigger turtles have had success with it. I'm blanking on the name brand right now, but it's clear plastic with green tread on it.

In order to maximize swimming space you can get the plastic dock I described and put it at the very top of the tank. The you can get some egg crate and make a lid. Not a flat lid, but like a box. I did it with mine if you need pics to understand what I mean. Basically it will allow your turtle to bask at the very top of the tank and it will allow you to fill the tank all the way and take full advantage of its size.

[francinemarie]

You can add extra suction cups to the dock to reinforce it.

You can also get one of the plastic docks. A lot of owners with bigger turtles have had success with it. I'm blanking on the name brand right now, but it's clear plastic with green tread on it.

In order to maximize swimming space you can get the plastic dock I described and put it at the very top of the tank. The you can get some egg crate and make a lid. Not a flat lid, but like a box. I did it with mine if you need pics to understand what I mean. Basically it will allow your turtle to bask at the very top of the tank and it will allow you to fill the tank all the way and take full advantage of its size.

i never heard of those plastic docks. do you know which you're talking about?

[untsmurf]

Here's a link for it, they come in a bunch of sizes and have great reviews:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=6016+10931+8809&pcatid=8809

[francinemarie]

Here's a link for it, they come in a bunch of sizes and have great reviews:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=6016+10931+8809&pcatid=8809

oh that one! lol, i do remember seeing others using it. i was looking into it but i wasn't sure what size to get. what size would you suggest for me to buy for my female 6 inch turtle? she's about 4 inches (or more) in size.

[megcornell]

I'd say go ahead and get the largest size. You don't have to worry about it being too large, but you don't want your turtle to outgrow it quickly so the larger the better.

One member on here uses it for her 9 or 10 inch female. She reinforced it with magnets to help support the turtle's weight.

[francinemarie]

I'd say go ahead and get the largest size. You don't have to worry about it being too large, but you don't want your turtle to outgrow it quickly so the larger the better.

One member on here uses it for her 9 or 10 inch female. She reinforced it with magnets to help support the turtle's weight.

oh ok. would you happen to know how big is the largest size? i'm afraid it won't fit in the tank.

[untsmurf]

The measurements are on that link I posted.

[francinemarie]

The measurements are on that link I posted.

oh i'm sorry i didn't notice. thank you.

[Reel Girl]

Wow! Congrats on getting the free tank - that is so cool!
Look forward to seeing what you decide on for the basking dock.

[francinemarie]

Wow! Congrats on getting the free tank - that is so cool!
Look forward to seeing what you decide on for the basking dock.

hehe thank you! i'm rally looking forward to designing & creating it too. every time i go out, i look to see what i could use to make the tank pretty or mainly what i could use to make the basking dock. i went to get sand today, but they don't have it anymore because it's out of season. so i'll have to order it online & unless i can't find a good way to create a basking dock, i'll have to order that online too.