Habitat - Indoor :: Anything else I should add to the "must get first"

[MoreBloodWine]

This is just a list of items I put together of stuff I need to get first before I buy the turtle. Only thing I dont have listed are foods n vitamins because I'm looking for input on those, but ya give my list a once over and make comments on what I should add to the "get first" list like other equipment, food n vitamins... Thx.

1. 72 x 24 x 24 Tank Stand
2. 72 x 24 x 30 Acrylic or Glass Aquarium
3. 2 x 300W ViaAqua Titanium Aquarium Heaters @ $29.99 per
4. Freshwater Master Test Kit @ $16.99 per
5. 2 x Fluval FX5 Cannister Filter @ $200 per
6. Zoo-Med Floating Turtle Dock @ $18.19 per
7. 39 (195lbs) x Exo-Terra Riverbed Sand @ $5.29 per
8. 2 x Economy Floating Thermometer @ 1.59 per
9. 100W PowerSun UV Mercury Vapor Bulb @ $51.99 per
10. Repti Deep Dome Clamp Lamp 8.5" Diameter @ $18.19 per
11. 6ft Deep Blue Sea Aquarium Background @ $2.39 per
12. Aqua Light Digital Power Center @ $30.89 per (Timer for electrical stuff)

[megcornell]

I'd switch out the floating thermometers. Turtles have a tendency to bite them and break them. I'd get digital ones. They aren't much more expensive. Mine were $8 or $10.
I'd also make sure the clamp lamp is correct for a MVB bulb, I don't have one so I'm not familiar with what they need to be in.
The only other thing I see is if you're planning on getting a hatchling you'll want some floating plants so they have places to rest on the surface of the tank. That's a large tank and they could easily get exhausted. I'd probably get some even for an older turtle because chances are they won't be used to such a large tank either.

Other than that, it looks great. It make me jealous that I didn't have the means or the time to plan out a final set up before getting a turtle. You're really doing yourself and your turtle a huge favor.

And as for the food, that really depends on the turtle you choose and what age they are as younger vs older turtles have slightly different requirements.

[untsmurf]

With a tank that size, you're going to want to add a few bubble discs/sticks. It will help to agitate the water.

As for food, reptomin or mazuri are considered to be the best.

You could switch out your sand for play sand from Wal-Mart. They are $3 for a 25lb bag. That's what we used in our tank and it works wonderfully. Then you'd only have to buy 8 bags and only spend about $25.

You should also add some fake foliage and some hides. This will help your turtle feel secure in its new tank. Also, it will give your turtle something to rest on as it's swimming around. We have three different sizes in ours, short, medium, and the same height as the tank. They also come in different designs and colors.

You might want to add a veggie clip. It makes feeding vegetables much easier, and it's easier to monitor how much your turtle ate. Plus, they're only about $1.50.

Also, you'll want to get a water de-chlorinator. I use Tetra Aquasafe.

You can add some egg crate or a hood of some sort. This will allow you to fill the tank up farther than if you don't have the tank secured.

That's all I can think of at the moment. Besides a power strip. But yeah, that should give you the perfect setup.

[MoreBloodWine]

I'd switch out the floating thermometers. Turtles have a tendency to bite them and break them. I'd get digital ones. They aren't much more expensive. Mine were $8 or $10.
Well theyre not really floaters, theyre the ones that have a single suction cup and stick to the side of the tank. I did actually consider digitals at first but with turtles needing just that right amount of temp for the water and me not wanting to come home to turtle soup I decided to go with the "original" more acurate thermometers. I suppose though that I coul go digital and use the regular thermometers to check the digitals weekly.

I'd also make sure the clamp lamp is correct for a MVB bulb, I don't have one so I'm not familiar with what they need to be in.
I actually did check the dome out and its rated for MVB's up to 160W and the bulb I'll be getting is a 100W which should be more than enough for the basking spot.

The only other thing I see is if you're planning on getting a hatchling you'll want some floating plants so they have places to rest on the surface of the tank. That's a large tank and they could easily get exhausted. I'd probably get some even for an older turtle because chances are they won't be used to such a large tank either.
I do plan on getting a hatchling / juvenile... I'll be going with a Rio Grande slider. As for floating plants what do you mean exactly ? I get the whole floating aspect but do you mean ones that like float mid water but suction cup the the inside of the tank or something so they dont go to the top ? Maybe you could post some links to some of your favorite floater plants

Other than that, it looks great. It make me jealous that I didn't have the means or the time to plan out a final set up before getting a turtle. You're really doing yourself and your turtle a huge favor.
Well like I've said in some of my other posts, I'd rather spend alot now and be safe then spend a little and be sorry later just to end up spending more. It's funny though, Ive always wanted a turtle but havent thought about em for almost the past yr. Then all of a sudden one day I stumbled upon this site and went hmm... why not lets do it.

And as for the food, that really depends on the turtle you choose and what age they are as younger vs older turtles have slightly different requirements.
This is what I'll be going to use as a staple food basically, its the same food the retailer uses to feed their hatchlings / older turtles. Of course I do know I'd still have to have a varied diet which is why I was asking for suggestions on food and vitamin supplements etc.

With a tank that size, you're going to want to add a few bubble discs/sticks. It will help to agitate the water.
[color=red]I plan on going with like three 18" bubble wands. One for each of the sides then the third for the back wall.

As for food, reptomin or mazuri are considered to be the best.
Check above for a link to the food I'd more or less be using as a staple, but I can also add both of those to my list so this way I'd have three foods to alternate on then all I should have to worry about is the vitamin stuff and occasional leafy foods.

You could switch out your sand for play sand from Wal-Mart. They are $3 for a 25lb bag. That's what we used in our tank and it works wonderfully. Then you'd only have to buy 8 bags and only spend about $25.
I actually considered that but I like how the ExoTerra riverbed sand looks with its multi color. Ya it would cost me a lil over $200 for the amount of bags that I'd need to achieve the 2" of sand but I feel it will be well worth it all be it a tad pricey at the time of purchase.

You should also add some fake foliage and some hides. This will help your turtle feel secure in its new tank. Also, it will give your turtle something to rest on as it's swimming around. We have three different sizes in ours, short, medium, and the same height as the tank. They also come in different designs and colors.
Could you please post some pics of your tank and maybe even some links to some of your favorite fake foliage / hides that I could consider for myself

You might want to add a veggie clip. It makes feeding vegetables much easier, and it's easier to monitor how much your turtle ate. Plus, they're only about $1.50.
Never even heard / seen one of those before... but I'll see if I can find one on the site I frequent.

Also, you'll want to get a water de-chlorinator. I use Tetra Aquasafe.
Ahh, good idea heh... I thought of it at one point but I guess I forgot

You can add some egg crate or a hood of some sort. This will allow you to fill the tank up farther than if you don't have the tank secured.
Well, I already have a plan to make a homemade hood / ATBA but I figure that will be the last thing on my "to do" list which is why I have the large floating turtle dock. This way I can get away with using that while I take my time working on the homade stuff.

That's all I can think of at the moment. Besides a power strip. But yeah, that should give you the perfect setup.
If you look I already have a digital timer / power strip on my list. I'm gonna use it to cycle the basking light on and off at night as well as using the "night" sockets to start up the moonlight bulb I wana add for night time viewing.

[megcornell]

http://www.petsmart.com/graphics/produc ... 78t400.jpg
I have something like that in my tank and even though my turtle is older now she still loves to float alongside it. It is also nice because she peeks her head through the leaves and she feels secure and hidden, even though she isn't .

As for thermometers, in my experience the digital ones have been far more accurate. It's good to have 2 in case one does go haywire, but I haven't had any issues yet.

I looked at the food link, but there isn't any indication of what the actual ingredients are. I'd email him and inquire so you'll know what to supplement. At the very least, grab some cuttlebone for a quick calcium supplement. I also dust my turtles' food with a calcium/D3 powder but that's because I split their UVB light between the two tanks.

[crackerlady2007]

Looks like you're cracking! Be sure and post pictures when it's all set up!

[Chrisbarnett]

Everything sounds pretty good except the sand. Thats ridiculous.

Just get a few 50 lb bags of the 3m color quartz, in brown and black, and mix them together. You'll have the same thing for cheaper.
Last time I checked, shipping was free.

http://www.vbpstore.com/50-lb-bag-of-3m ... uartz.html

[MoreBloodWine]

Looks like you're cracking! Be sure and post pictures when it's all set up!

Heh, gotta get the just over $2,000 first... sure I can buy the small stuff but the tanks the biggie $1,190 for a 72x24x30

I did everything up in an excel sheet... anyone interested to get a better look / feel for what I'm getting and maybe see if anything else needs to be added please check it out and be sure to comment. I added the suggestions from above as well.

http://www.choice-online-gaming.com/turtlechecklist.zip

Everything sounds pretty good except the sand. Thats ridiculous.

Just get a few 50 lb bags of the 3m color quartz, in brown and black, and mix them together. You'll have the same thing for cheaper.
Last time I checked, shipping was free.

http://www.vbpstore.com/50-lb-bag-of-3m ... uartz.html

Ya, see that kinda worries me... ceramic coated crystals. I'd rather a turtle injest a tablespoon of riverbed sand than a teaspoon of ceramic coated crystals.

[Chrisbarnett]

Well hundreds of people use it with their cichlids who must inadvertently digest that sand at some point or another, and they aren't having any problems with it. Turtles are much more resilient than cichlids, so i would think the sand would be just fine.

I doubt ceramic would leech, tons of things are ceramic.

[Daniel3507]

I doubt ceramic would leech, tons of things are ceramic.

Like the coating on some headers

[MoreBloodWine]

I'd really rather just spend the extra bit of cash all be it a good chunk just to have that peace of mind. But ya if anyone wants to see the excel worksheet I put toegther and see if anything else needs to be added as a must have "stuff to get now" then by all means please DL the zip and tak a look. I believe I got literally everything I'll ever need listed minus the tank decorations, as always I'm open to opinions and suggestions

[Raphulk]

did anyone mention to get a python "no spill" siphon?

i dont know how you plan to do water changes with that size tank, but pythons work really well.

the posts are pretty long, but ididnt see anyone mention it

[MoreBloodWine]

I've actually already got a I think its a 50' one from my aquarium days, but ty for mentioning it. I think I need a new faucet piece but the rest is good.

Edit: Come to think of it I might have to do my initial fill and water change fills usign a garden hose because none of the plumbing inside the house has the right hookups for the python aside from the laundry stuff. I know people have issues with garden water but it all comes from the same main line so no biggie. I'll jut have to buy a new clean hose and use it strictly for fills / refills on the tank and cap the ends when not in use.

[untsmurf]

What kind of faucet do you have on your kitchen sink??

And here's a pic of my tank. We have about a dozen plants in our tank. The ones that I've loved the most are fake lilipads. They come with fishing line and weights to keep them the safe place, so I just cut those off and threw in the lilipads. Mikey spends all day flipping them over so the flowers are pointed down. I think he really enjoys it. Anyhow, here are the pics,





And I don't have a close up pic of the entire thing, but this little fishy is the veggie clip:


We got all of our plants, including the lilipads, at petsmart.

And about the egg crate comment, I only mentioned it because it's cheap and it could act as a make-shift lid for your tank until you can make your ATBA. If you don't have something like that, you'll have to put less water in your tank to prevent escape. But, since you're getting a hatchling, you'll probably be doing that anyways.

Sounds like you're doing wonderfully!

[MoreBloodWine]

The faucet head on the sink I've tried to unscrew before and it didnt work so I dont think it will work right. But getting a spare garden hose to use just for fills and capping the ends when not in use should work just fine. I actually found some nice fake plants and a veggie clip I can use, if you download the zip and pull the excell spreadsheet from it you can see everything on my list so far along with anticipated costs minus applicable shipping charges. As for the ATBA, ya I'll be leaving about 8 inches from the floating dock to the top of the tank til I'm done making it. So I should be safe in that regard then when he ATBA is doen the floating dock will either come out or be used as a ramp to tha ATBA and then the tank filled to the top, also I'd like to think I'm doing wonderfulyl so far. Some people tend not to plan ahead and even if they do some not as much as I am.

Dumb question but whats in your veggie clip, lettuce ?