Habitat - Indoor :: Sophia, Henry, and Harrys' set up

[ronnie]

We will be picking up sand today but this is our new 70 gallon tank :d its a big improvement from 20 gallon they just had.

[Rubicon]

I would spend the money on a better filter and basking spot. You need to get as much water in there as possible.

Also considering the size of the turtles that would definately be considered an upgrade compared to a 20 gallon. But judging by the size of them I'd still think that a 70 is to small. General rule of thumb is you want 10 gallons for every inch of turtle. Also you want a filter that can handle cycle the water 5x an hour. If I remeber correctly that little water fall (I have the same one on a shelf) does not put out even 100 gallons an hour.

[ronnie]

Well on the box it says it does 90gph it this one right here:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... 7530000000

[pickerbp22]

more waterrr!!!!!

[grem89]

Ronnie,
With how much of a mess turtles make when they eat, and poop and shed skin, you need a very powerful filter. You want to filll that tank up as high as you can without the turts being able to climb out and escape. don't listen to pet stores that say you only need some water. Turtles natural habitats are lakes and ponds and can be several feet deep so fill that sucker up. As for filtration you want a filter that has a water turn over rate of about 3x the water capacity of your tank. Meaning that since your tank is a 70 gallon, you want a filter that has a gph rating of ATLEAST 3x that amount so you want to look for a filter with a gph rating around 250-300.
I have a homemade sump filter i made out of a 10 gallon tank. You could even use that old 20 gallon tank for a new sump set up (20 gallon longs are great for sumps). You can find ideas for great sump setups over at http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com . All you need is to buy media and a pump and you could spend as little as 60 dollars total. Or... you could go with the storebought approach and get a canister filter such as a Rena or Fluval for around $150-250. If you have any questions about making a sump filter let me know. It really isn't hard and you can make one with very little tools or know how. Canisters can also be easily made. I just made a 2 and a half foot canister filter out of some 4inch pvc pipe and a pond fountain pump. I wouldn't buy that filter you have posted there. Its not powerful enough.

[pickerbp22]

yea i didnt even see that. dont get that filter. you need a much more powerful filter than that. look into cannisters. pricey. but you willl need the filtration

[res08]

get a stand. it looks like the entire weight of the tank is resting on the glass bottom.

[pickerbp22]

you should probably invest in a larger basking area as well

[Rubicon]

get a stand. it looks like the entire weight of the tank is resting on the glass bottom.

OMG I didn't even see that!!!! I would rather have it on the floor than that setup. I can't believe the mail crate thing hasn't collapsed.

[Caphits]

I personally have had a 10g crack having it on a non-ideal place. Luckily, it didnt leak all over the place! I still threw it out though. Dont waste a tank by not having a stand of some sort.

[Daniel3507]

definitely get a bigger filter and stand. you need to have the entire bottom supported or else the tank could break. once you get the stand you can go ahead and fill that thing up more. you should consider an ATBA that can have all 3 of them basking at once.

[papoopeepoo]

im sorry to ask, but is there any way you can resize those pictures so there's not so much scrolling sideways to read everyone's posts?

1- you need a real aquarium stand. water weighs in at 8.8 pounds per gallon, plus the weight of your turtles and equipment. Look at it as about 10 pounds per gallon. Then put the weight of the tank on top of that!
2- Fill the aquarium up as much as you can without the turtles being able to escape.
3- You'll need a bigger basking area that you need so all your turtles can all bask at the same time if they choose to.
4- You'll need a canister filter for basically any turtle setup, they're just that messy.
5- Invest in a good thermometer for the water and basking area (infrared is best)
6- Get a water heater designed for a 70 gallon or larger aquarium to maintain the important 72-78 degree water temps

[Rubicon]

I could probably designed a ABTA basking area to cover half the tank. It would easily push $75-100 if not more as it would require alot of acrylic.

[moldygrape]

buy some egg creat and a stand from the thrift store man u got to !!!! fill the tank to the top and make a very cheep very effective atba if you need help feel free to send me an email moldycheesegrape@yahoo.com i can help you with the atba!!!