Habitat - Indoor :: fifty five gallon tank.

[abbleyhart]

WHOOT! I scored a fifty five long gallon tank for free for my babies.
I now have two babies, Turk and Zola.
They're barely an inch and is currently in a twenty gallon tank.
I'll be getting the tank tomorrow or Sunday so I'd like to know what I need.
I don't have a filter as I change the water regularly each day and I'd like to know the recommended filter that's not pricey.
I'm using legos as a turtle dock, and the turtles love it!
And no, I'm not using the rough side, I'm using this flat piece that you can use as a floor and I'm using the back side which is smooth.
The babies basks regularly and gets tons of calcium and veggies, yum.
We need
-Hood

-New light fixture

-Good filtre

-Live plants [Any good ones that grows large and edible? Zola and Turk are HOOKED to romian lettuce and carrots)

-Turtle safe decorations all under the price of $100.
:O
I'm ransacking the Petco and Petsmart web sites right now so I can annoy my dad to take me and get the stuff possibly tonight or tomorrow.
[=
PICTURES COMING SOON AFTER WE GET THE TANK.

[ScrewZoo]

Youu trippennnn..DOnt get live plants ur turtles will eat em right away.. but where u getting the tank 4rm??

[MoreBloodWine]

Live plants are fine and are actually recomended, just make sure you dont get any that will kill your lil guys. One of the wiely used but perfectly fine plants to use is Anacharis.

[megcornell]

Your best bet for a filter is a canister filter. It's definitely a pricey investment, but it's the best value out there for larger tanks.
When I first had my one turtle in a 55 gallon, I used a submersible fluval (the 4+ maybe???) and that worked for a while, but with two turtles, I think you'd be pushing it to it's limit.
As for plants, anacharis is great for turtles, but don't expect to grow it in the tank... most turtles demolish it immediately. I buy a bunch and give it as a treat to supplement their regular veggies.
With a 55 gallon you have the option of buying an MVB bulb instead of a separate UVA and UVB bulb, that may be something you want to look into. It's also better than hoods because you can adjust the distance the bulb (or bulbs if you buy UVA and B separately) is from the tank to adjust the basking temperature. UVB bulbs shouldn't generally be any closer than 10 inches or a foot to the basking area.

[MoreBloodWine]

I thought MVB's werent so great to use, I read something here not to long ago about not using them.

MVB = Mercury Vapor Bulb

[megcornell]

MVB's are fine in larger tanks, but they are too powerful for smaller tanks.
I don't recommend them for anything smaller than 55g because they would heat the water up too much.

[Fuzzy Hamster]

MVB's are actually the ideal solution since they provide all the required light in one fixture and typically last longer that compact bulbs. They are mostly used in marine tank scenarios because they provide the best possible 'sun-like' light that you can get for indoor use. The light also permeates deeper into the tank than compacts so they are essentially more efficient.

The only real downsides are the potential cost (some are expensive) and the fact that they can't (or shouldn't) be used for smaller tanks, typically under 55 gallons.

[MoreBloodWine]

So on the 72x24x30 tank I wana get an MVB would actually be recomended then ? Also when using an MVB dont you still need another light or something ?

[Fuzzy Hamster]

An MVB fixture would be recommended in your set-up, but because you may need to suspend it sevral inches over the basking area (so you don't blind your turtle) you may also have to get a separate heat source. I don't currently have MVB lighting so I'll defer to someone that currently has an MVB to answer questions about their heating configuration.

[MoreBloodWine]

Well for the original posters sake and mine I suppose lets hope some others do end up replying on the whole MVB thing. In either case it would be suspended above the basking spot atleast 10" if not more. The good thing though would not be needing a second lamp or element for a heat soruce, but like you said let defer to someone who owns and uses MVB's right now and how they have em placed in height etc.

Also whats the minimum height for any light source so as not to blind ones turtle... I know brightness has to do with it a bit.

[Daniel3507]

i have a mega ray mvb for my 55gal. its hanging directly over the basking area about 10 inches away and i dont need any extra heat source. just keep an eye on the basking temp till you get it dialed in and be sure and follow the instructions on the distance.

MoreBloodWine, i have no clue haha

[steve]

If you plan on using a MVB for a tank, you need to make sure there is vertical space to adjust the height/distance of the lamp. These are large bulbs that need dome fixtures, so I'd say you should have roughly 3 feet of space above the basking area.

[MoreBloodWine]

I'd say you should have roughly 3 feet of space above the basking area.

So what are you saying 3ft from bulb to platform ?

[steve]

No, that would depend on the strength of the bulb. For example, the T-Rex flood MVB -- 100 watt mvb needs to be 12" away, a 160 watt bulb needs to be 18" away. You add the turtle height, plus the height of the lamp dome, then 3 feet is a rough estimate.

[marisa]

You need to follow the mfgr's instructions for the distance the light should be from the basking area. Typically a 100-watt MVB is 12 inches, a 160-watt MVB is 18 inches, but there is a small range that the bulb can be adjusted to allow for temp adjustment while allowing the turtle maximum UVB benefit.