Habitat - Indoor :: indoor habitat on a budget

[laurapa]

If you had $300 to spend and even that sounded like a fortune to you, and you had a 4-year-old turtle who is only 4" long (underfed by his previous owner, I think, and not showing any signs of growing even though I'm feeding him enough now), could you make him a whole new indoor habitat? How? I need all of your creative advice!

I adopted this turtle with no CLUE about his care (other than what his previous owner told me) and I assumed that what she had given me was adequate. Then I discovered this site and learned that his tank is far too small, his diet was very inadequate, and that he was unhealthy and probably malnourished. I've done everything I can for him in his tiny little tank to improve his quality of life, but he simply needs a new set-up. I've been meaning to renovate his tank forever now, but I keep waiting for things to go on sale. They never do--at least, not enough. If I had known how much a turtle habitat would cost, I probably wouldn't have taken him in. Now I love him and would be heartbroken if I had to give him away. So please tell me that I can afford a new set-up with a $300 limit!

Here's what I have already that is transferable to the new tank:
-ceramic heat emitter bulbs and clamp lamp
-UVA/UVB CFL bulbs and clamp lamp
That's it.

The rest I need to figure out. I am willing to be creative, but I live in a tiny apartment and have no access to carpentry tools, etc. I am willing to build my own filter if the process is easy enough. In this apartment I CAN'T risk leaks (no Rubbermaid storage bins for me) because I live above other people and would get in big trouble if something catastrophic happened.

So...what would YOU do for a 4-year-old, 4 inch turtle on a $300 budget? Could you give him a sturdy, comfortable, and healthy home?

[Daniel3507]

for a good price on tanks look on craigslist. there are always good deals on tanks there. you will need to get a water heater and a basking dock as well. what is the size limit for aquariums in your building? (if there is one)

[Squishy]

That's definitely possible. The biggest hurdle would be finding a tank/filter setup for under budget. If you live in or near the suburbs, there are sometimes moving sales where they've downsized and can't take their tank along with them. I got my 135 gallon tank for $135 from such a sale. Your turtle may still grow, so aim for a 75 gallon tank, but a 55 gallon would be adequate if you feel he will stay under 5-6 inches. You should be able to find a basic 55 gallon tank for around $60; a 75 gallon can be had for $80. Finding deals like that takes patience and stamina - check Craigslist and Kijiji every day.

I'm not too sure about filters for a tank that size - maybe a Fluval 404 or Rena Filstar XP3? Don't know specific pricing, but you should be able to keep it under $100. If you are really paranoid about water leaks and don't mind cleaning the filter more often, "hang-on-back" (HOB) filters like an AquaClear 110 won't fail catastrophically like a canister filter might - in the case that a hose leaks and siphons out all your tank water onto the floor.

If your room temperature drops a lot in the winter, you will want to get a 200-300 W water heater for about $30. A plastic casing is preferable to a glass one, and make sure you are able to adjust the temperature to your liking. A basking dock can be improvised with some non-toxic materials for the time being, or you can pick one up at a pet shop. I have an entire custom-made above-tank basking area, so I have no idea what the "floating dock" things cost.

This page on the main site gives a list of equipment and estimated prices: http://www.redearslider.com/startup.html

[BullDog]

As Squishy said, a 55 would be good, a 75 gallon would be great. Check Craigslist/kijiji, even freecycle (freecycle.org to find a local group).

For filter, I'd go for either the Fluval 405 or Rena XP3. I believe the XP3 is usually a better price (around $120). You could also try to find one of these that are used, but you may not be able to get as good of a price as you might think.

Those will be your two biggest expenses.

You'll also likely need a heater, about $30 as squishy said.

For either size of tank, if you go for a canister filter you'll want it elevated a bit. Again, you can look on craigslist for a stand, or you can just use cement blocks and some plywood. I would suggest 5 blocks (1 at each corner and one in the middle), with a piece of plywood on the top AND the bottom (to help distribute the weight). Cinder blocks are cheap, about $8 each where I live, and you should be able to pick up some plywood for not too much, or even find some scrap for free.

You can make your own basking area for cheap or free - check out the sticky at the top of this forum.

[Bumby's Mom]

You could get a stock tank (or preformed pond) for more than half the price of a glass aquarium. They are made for holding water so no leaks will happen. Everyone usually builds a wooden support box around it though.... atleast this way you won't need a stand or anything and that cuts out another cost.

[zoologist]

i have the directions for a fast, very very cheap (under $20) ATBA if you want them. just PM me

[laurapa]

Thanks for the help so far!

If I get a stock tank (which does sound like the cheapest option), I shouldn't actually need to bolster the sides, right? It's meant to stand there filled with water on its own, isn't it?

I don't mind cleaning the filter often, and I would love to try a hang-on-tank filter, but there are so many warnings on here about not using a filter that can circulate 5x the amount of water in your tank per hour that I thought anything other than a canister filter wouldn't be an option. My turtle LOVES swimming in and out of the waterfall that his H-O-T filter creates. If I bought one more H-O-T filter (so I would have two) and changed the filter media once a month while re-using any bio-media, would that really work? Would I have to clean out the whole tank all the time, too, or would good filter maintenance enable me to get by with partial water changes (with an occasional tank scrub-down every few months)? Since the tank is going to be bigger I want to avoid hauling it to the bathtub to do a full clean as much as I can.

I check his ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels often and find that the bio-media on his little H-O-T filter works great. I've seen the tank cycle after a thorough cleaning and his numbers are always very low. Partial water changes work great.

I figure I'll shell out the $35 for a Stealth heater so my turtle will be safe and healthy.

If I find a tank on craigslist, what is a safe way to disinfect the used stuff in case its previous inhabitant died of some contagious turtle disease?

I think those are all of my questions for now. I have an idea for the basking area, but I'll come back asking for ideas if mine doesn't work.

Thanks for your help, and keep the great ideas coming!

[steve]

Correct, a stock tank should be able to stand on it's own. The Rubbermaid ones are just large, dark, heavy plastic. The rims are fairly wide, you might need to be a little creative when using a HOT filter. I've opted for an internal one since I had priming issues with a canister filter. If you are using bio-media, then I would not do 100% changes.

For disinfecting a tank, a few use diluted bleach. "2 oz. of bleach to one gallon of water can be used to create a solution of approximately 1.5% bleach. Afterward rinse well with clean water repeatedly and allow the object(s) to air dry for at least 24 hours or longer. This allows for fumes and chlorine to dissipate."

If the water level is high, do consider some type of screen as well.

For substrate, consider a few white colored river rock since that will brighten it up a bit, or if you're adventurous, you can try some sand.

[laurapa]

Is there any reason not to go with an internal filter? Are they cheaper/more expensive?

[steve]

They take up more room in the tank and offer much less media options (bio, chemical). They do have their pro's too, but you would be looking at more frequent water changes/filter cleanings.

[marisa]

laurapa, I bought a 100-gallon Rubbermaid stock tank from the local classifieds a several years ago and paid $10; the following year, I found a 150-gallon one the same way for $30, so I would also look at the classifeds just in case. Fish had been in them previously and one had a lot of dried algae on it; I scrubbed them well and let one sit in a weak solution of bleach (the other I just scrubbed with white vinegar), rinsed them well and let them sit in the sun for a few days.

Stock tanks are meant to hold water, so, unless a stock tank develops a crack or the drain leaks (use teflon tape to make the stopper fit more securely if necessary), you shouldn't have any worries about it not holding water.

I don't know what kind of H.O.T. filter you're using, but if it's an Aquaclear, you should be able to cut the rim down a bit so it will fit on the tank (I remember someone doing this in the past).

[laurapa]

You all have been so helpful. I just bought the first few pieces for my homemade filter today. A 210gph pond pump (not quite as strong as I'd hoped, but strong enough) and some tubing. I'm building a drip filter (I posted about it in another thread called "filter pump") that is made of four stacked buckets (or in my case Snapware), each with a different kind of filter media. There are holes in the bottom of each bucket. Ideally, the pond pump should pull water up to the top bucket, then gravity will pull the water through each bucket until it pours out back into the tank. This filter will sit directly above the tank. I got this idea from another poster here somewhere.

Total, this filter should cost about $70 as opposed to nearly $200 for a canister filter. And the best part is that if it leaks, it will just leak right back into the tank!

I'll look for stock tanks and aquariums in the classifieds. I have seen some aquariums on craigslist already, but the prices haven't been good yet. I'm surprised that a new stock tank is about $75, but that's still a lot cheaper than I'm seeing most aquariums. So I'm willing to buy new if I have to.

Once I get the filter built I can have fun designing a basking area!

[blulite]

2 words

FLEE MARKETS!!!



I paid around £50 or about $70 for a 30gal setup with all accessories including hood and some extras. for that price i got 30 gal tank, 2 filters, 2 pumps, 1 heater, 1 thermometer, 1 lighting controller, 2 lamp holders, 1 heat lamp with bulb, 3 ornaments, 2 bags of gravel and a uvb strip light.

[ilcapo21]

I have taken the rubbermaid storage container route for a while. The container cost about 18 dollars the bigger you can find the better, look on craigslist for used lights, im not sure i would use a used heater, bc you never know what kind of baterial might still be in it. Put together a make shift basking dock, and voila you can have a setup, if you want to see a pic of the prior rubbermaid, let me know ill post.

[blulite]

not sure i would use a used heater, bc you never know what kind of baterial might still be in it.

the heater was new but it was included in the total cost. theres a store near me that sells all of its heaters for £10 no matter what size.

http://www.rabyroadaquatics.org.uk/

check out the offers section

and what the hell is a rubber maid tub??????????????