Habitat - Indoor :: My first phase of my turtle's habitat is built!!! - pictures

[V Lou]

I'm the one who wondered if I could use copper, redwood, etc.... and I started building my ATBA.... well, phase one is complete. The nitrogen cycling is complete, so I bought colorful fish to entertain my two turtles and am letting them sit back and we all enjoy, even my cats!!

I won't have time until this summer to finish the ATBA, but it is functional now and that is most important.

I applied some tags to some of the following pictures. I don't know if they will work. This is my first time ever to upload pictures. I apologize in advance if I did something wrong. But, if the tags did work...? ... move your cursor over the images and some of them will have labels appear. I hope it works b/c that would be so cool

The following are my ATBA pictures:
I hope they work...

[V Lou]

Oh, well, the tags didn't work. That's okay..... at least the pictures are there.

[DocShay]

Very well, I like the shutter window on the front. Are you planning to put something in front of the "mesh" walls, or just keeping the industrial type look? Either way, good job!

[V Lou]

Well, it might be difficult to tell, but the front and sides are plexiglass, the back is that vinyl-coated screen (i guess you could call it that). The turtles prefer it to my first choice for the back. I first had an opaque white plastic for the back side, in order to hide the wires and whatnot, but it freaked the turtles out to the max. They don't mind the screen. And the added plus is that the air flow up there is better. The white plastic back with clear plastic fronts and sides blocked the airflow and it felt "closed in", too. I don't like seeing the wires, but the turtles needed to have it this way.

I do plan to get a wall paper that will surround the room in some sort of scene, whether an ocean scene or an Hawaiian waterfall or something. That should obscure the wires and give the turtles something to gaze at. But, that will be later....

I'm must lower the whole thing about 6 inches this summer, so I will be able to raise and lower the lights, ...have a better range for temp and uvb adjustments. The stand that came with the aquarium puts it at eye level, so the lights above the ATBA are practically on the ceiling as it is. And, I am going to decorate the ATBA, have awesome shutters for the "French Doors" and give it a Cabo feel. Too fun. Just not enough time right now.

[BullDog]

Awesome!

[rsour24]

i like that, its different and neat, nice job

[V Lou]

The 3 light fixtures in front, from left to right, are
1) heat projector (IR only),
2) MegaRay uvb,
3) visible/IR;
back fixture has
4) daylight fluorescent.

They go on and off at different times to simulate outdoors. The uvb is placed over the screen so the fish and plants below can benefit from it as well as the turtles (~50% available uv, after the screen filters it, passes thru the water).

Life in the fast lane........... i love this hobby!!!!

[LilTurtSquirt]

[V Lou]

Thank you!! My turtles are soooooooooo happy