Habitat - Indoor :: 90 gallon tank help

[kmaldona1]

I just got a 90 gallon tank for my RES. and I have no idea what to do. I don't have any idea what filters are best, that wont break my wallet. or what i should even put in it as far as basking spots, etc. She just recently outgrew her 10 gallon tank, so i decided to go as big as I could afford. So any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[bover907]

I got a rena xp3 for $139 shipped from petmountain. Best price I found for a brand new one.

Look at the pics in this thread for ideas.

Even though my tank is smaller, right now my basking area is just a pile of rocks with a flat one on top. (free) until I can get creative. I eventually want to replace that for safety/water volume reasons.

If she's just a little girl, you may want to start with the water depth that's not too much more than it was in ur 10 gallon, and increase in increments as she may be overwhelmed in an all the way full 90, so I've read.

[untsmurf]

You should get a floating dock for basking. That will allow you to take advantage of the size of the tank.

Get a few fake plants for color and to give your turtle some resting spots.

If you fill the tank up enough, make sure you secure the top. You don't want your turtle escaping!

As for filters, XP3's are really common, so they aren't that expensive. I run two on my 125 tank. They are really easy to use and work great. If you do decide to get one, buy it online because it's way cheaper than getting one in the store. That's the only canister filter I have experience with, some of the others will chime in soon.

I do recommend getting a canister though, because with a tank that size, that's the most cost efficient way to keep your tank clean.

[BullDog]

For filters, I use a Fluval FX5 in my 75 and 90 gallon tanks. I love them.
It is more expensive, but it's totally worth it. You should be able to find one on Ebay for $200-250.

For basking spots, like bover mentioned you can check out all the ideas on this forum. I made my above tank basking spots out of eggcrate. It's cheap and easy to work with.

[kmaldona1]

She is a little over a year old, and I think she is a girl, I still cant tell. And I am still learning a lot about RES. This website is great! Any more suggestions I will take I need to know as much as possible.

[kmaldona1]

i was thinking of creating an above tank basking area to utilize all of the tank for swimming. I am not handy, but my father in law is, i'm pretty sure he can make me something, what are the most cheapest and durable materials to use. I have a turtle dock in her tank now and I hate it, she never gets completely dry and the suction cups on the bottom wont stick anymore and it slopes, its just awful. But she is only in a 10 gallon right now so I don't know what else to use for a basking area in such a small tank

[kmaldona1]

She is a little over a year old, and I think she is a girl, I still cant tell. And I am still learning a lot about RES. This website is great! Any more suggestions I will take I need to know as much as possible.

[theartbook35]

This was just recently brought to my attention, and I'm glad it was before I decided to buy a large tank.

Does your tank have brace on the top and bottom of it? If not, you need to make one. You can attach strips of wood, plastic, or in some cases glass across the width of the tank. This will basically keep your tank from exploding. If you've got a brace already, you are all set.

Maybe, for your above tank basking area (ATBA), you can cut/saw off one wall of a storage tub, and leave the bottom still attached to bend it down for a ramp. The ramp should have either pebbles or a reptile carpet, or anything the turtle can grip easily glued to it. Make sure you tie down the storage bin, because your turtle will definitely tip it over if you don't.

[untsmurf]

There's a sticky thread with pics of everyone's ATBA's. You should start there to find ideas for what will fit your tank best. Make sure it keeps your turtle in the tank, provides you easy access to your tank for cleaning, and is durable.

I used plywood and plexiglass to make mine. Then I used egg crate to box in the rest of the tank.

[kmaldona1]

I made an ATBA with the egg crate everyone has been talking about. It was very easy to do. I raised the water level in the tank so my turt can access the ramp. But she has been frantically just trying to get up for air. and wont go near the ramp. it almost like she can't swim properly. she keeps sinking to the bottom of the tank and then frantically tries to get to the top. It disturbing to watch, i feel like she is going to drown. I dont know it 's weird. I put something in the tank so she can rest and she wont go near that either. Could it be she is too stressed out to the change of her environment. Any suggestions?

[moldygrape]

she might be a little stressed but if shes still like an inch or two they kinda swim funny at that age, but still keep an eye on her. u should just try filling the tank slowly over time oh and no pebbles alot of new people love to put sml rocks in their tank the turtle will eat them and die a horrible death it sucks sorry ive made it a rule to tell this to every new person on here =). good luck i hope more people can help u !!

[untsmurf]

It sounds like something my turtle does ALL THE TIME! After I fill up his tank (from evaporation or maintenance) he frantically swims up and down the height of the tank. I think he does it because he likes the room and is exploring how much he has.

Moldygrape is correct, smaller turtles still swim awkwardly because they haven't really developed their method of swimming yet. It also take a while for turtles to come around to their new surroundings. Give your turtle some privacy and if it'll slowly make its way up to bask.

[kmaldona1]

Can anyone help let me know if she is indeed a girl.

[untsmurf]

Looks like a big beautiful girl to me!

She might need a light scrubbing to get the algae off her shell

[kmaldona1]

How long should I wait before I become concerned that she won't go into the ATBA. And after reading all these postings on this site, I realized I have been overfeeding her. I bought her two rosies, to see if she would eat them, and she doesn't seem interested in them, should I offer her something else or wait till she is hungry enough to go after them.