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Any comments or questions are welcome

Very nice! A couple of comments...I started with a dock like that and it lasted for a couple of months max. Not to mention, that you can't raise the water level because of it. It was all I could find at one point, took some searching to get what I needed. Is the water level high enough for the heater? What kind of lighting do you have, and it your tank covered with a screen?

Is there a water filter somewhere?

Thanks for the replys! Yes, I agree, but once I get a larger tank, I will get a larger dock

Yes, the heater works fine.

I have a UVA light, I havn't gotten a UVB yet... I can't seem to find one anywhere. Is it life or death situation with the UVB?

Yes, it's a screen, with large holes, so the light gets through perfectly. Is that a problem? The person at Ruffins says it's good to keep the turtle in, and the cats(lol I have 2 ) out. Haha

No, I don't have a water filter yet. I didn't realize that my turtle was going to be so much money. I change the water every couple of days, so it stays quite clean. I will be getting one as soon as I have the money

UVB isn't really life or death ,but put you should try and get one ASAP. As long as the screen has holes 1/2" it should be fine. From a previous post I think 1/4" filters out about 30% of all rays. As long as you keep the water clean like it is in the picture you don't need the water filter. Actually I'd recommend getting the UVB bulb before you get a water filter. You seem very dedicated to your turtles!

Actually UVB is a matter of life or death.. a healthy life. A turtle can get metabolic bone disease without UVB which helps them to metabolize calcium. You can get one for around $25 at many sites online.

You can read about Metabolic Bone Disease here.


http://www.redearslider.com/index_health_1.html#mbd


My other comments regarding your setup is as RESowner has said, you should get rid of the gravel because of the possibility of impaction. Do a search in the forum for this and you'll be able to read of cases of death because of this

Also, I'd get rid of the styrofoam as soon as you can replace it something else. Turtles are notorious for eating just about anything.. this could cause serious health concerns and death if they ingest it.

I do have to agree that turtles are a lot more expensive to care for than most of us realized when we purchase the cute little buggers....

Awesome, thanks for the suggestions guys!

oh and cam, I don't have gravel or styrofoam. I don't know where you are getting that from. lol!

Okay, I will get a UVB light ASAP, I will be getting payed soon, so that's not going to be a problem

rawrbaby wrote:Awesome, thanks for the suggestions guys!

oh and cam, I don't have gravel or styrofoam. I don't know where you are getting that from. lol!

Okay, I will get a UVB light ASAP, I will be getting payed soon, so that's not going to be a problem

Let's just say it's been ONE OF THOSE DAYS.. sorry for the confusion, it was another picture and I confused the 2...

lol cam i was just looking at that other post w. the gravel and styrofoam and probly woulda said the same thing if i didnt see ur post.

i would say follow everyone elses advice, its good advice...

the only thing that worries me is your heater. just because its working fine doesnt mean it might not break. most aquarium heaters have a "minimum water level" line on them almost at the top showing where it should be submerged up to in water. if its not in the water enough it could shatter, possibly killing/hurting your turtle.
maybe u wanna take another look at yours and see? i have had a few heaters break on me in the past, and its kinda scary!

Unless your heater is fully submersible (it should say on the packaging), I second the above post. A lot of bigger or more well known heaters are fully submersible, check the packaging, but are also slightly more costly. I'd say your heater is fine now, but if you ever upgrade your tank in the future (which you should), consider a fully submersible heater, Marineland Visi-Therm Stealth Heaters are the most preferred among the users in this forum, they are reliable for the most part, and are encased in plastic, not glass, so a decreased chance in breaking.

And other than a tank and heater, I'd say a proper water filter is one of the most needed pieces of equipment in turtle and fish keeping. Turtles make a lot of waste, and can dirty up the water very quickly without a filter, making it stink and unhealthy (before I had my filter set up, the water was disgusting in one day, and unbearable in two). With a filter, the hassle is dropped by a lot, and means a healthier environment for your turtle. As read on this site, it is best suggested that a filter be rated 3x your aquarium size, though this may not apply for small turtles in small aquariums, the sucktion power could be strong enough to drown your turtle. For small aquariums, a good Hang-On filter is sufficient, but most users will change to a Canister Filter when they upgrade to a large tank.

looking good! Best of luck!