Habitat - Indoor :: Basking spot question

[bently11]

Do you think I could go to the pet store and buy one of those big rock formations they sell and use it as a basking spot? Any other ideas for a 100 gallon stock tank basking area???

[mat012]

I dont think they would be tall enough. In an 18 inch high tank you will probably fill to at least 10 inches. More in a taller tank. Some folks seem to fill to a much lower amount but the turtles like having enough water to drive and swim freely. My is filled to within 6-8 inches from the top. Also the turt has to be able to get completely out of the water. So you would need a nice " landing" area too.

That said I have found some beautiful drift wood and mopani wood "sculptures" at a fish store in Houston. Some of them were tall/wide enough to be a basking area. There are also instructions on how to make on at Austin Turtle Page. So nice...

[TheComputerGremlin]

Plexiglass and PVC pipe. You can pick the size, shape, and height with ease, and it's cost effective (mine cost ~$30, those wood pieces in the pet stores are about that much as it is). You could probably devise a way to attach the basking area to the side of the tank (a few holes, some zip ties, a support of some type) or attach it square in the middle.

[steve]

I was real lucky that the corkbark I bought fit perfectly into a 100 gallon Rubbermaid stock tank. If you also have a Rubbermaid, I could imagine using PVC to create a level that rests on the tank's bevel.

[stars sc]

I used the large rock formations in my turtle aquarium for a basking area so it dose work in smaller aquariums though. but what i had to do was get the formations that were flat on top then i found a larger flat rock and made sure it would be stable on the two formations so i ended up palceing the rock on two formations placed close together and getting a little bit shorter formation and putting it up close to the flat rock (twords the side so he could still dive off) so my turtle would have something to help get him up on the rock but the formations can be a little pricey so if u dont want to spend a lot of money it might not be what you want to do.