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this put me out 8 dvd box sets so it better last a long time i'll be getting a stand in about two weeks, and i'll be asking my boss for materials to build the above-tank basking spot.

FULL VIEW
55L tank


PLAY AREA
two ''broken" pots, aquarium rocks and silk plants.
they don't seem interested in the hiding spots. yet.


BASKING AREA
but only for a few days:


SPECS:
55 gallon tank filled with approx 42 gallons. currently at 83 degrees, but it will cool off (i put too much hot water in it)
marineland penguin filter 350gph
top fin 300w heater set to low
same lighting; exoterra 60w sunglo uva bulb and repti 5.0 uvb
tetra aquasafe w/ bioextract water conditioner

the background is going on tonight, i forgot to buy the tape to put it up =Þ the filter is turned off for now. it is LOUD b/c the water level is too low for it. that'll be fixed in a couple days when i get the above tank basking spot finished. i also will be making a wall around the intake, aeryn had that look in her eye and i'm really worried she may get too curious. i don't know how that suction is. still a work in progress, but it will be complete soon

any advice?

The broken pots are really cool! As your turtles grow, you'll have to watch out because there will come a time when they can get stuck in them. But for now they look neat!

Hey great job! I'm really looking forward to seeing the new above tank basking area (I really love those and seeing people's different designs)

Your babies look soooooooo tiny in there!

Hey! Nice large tank & it looks like you got all their basic needs under control. Your kids are gonna love it!

Oh wow, they do look tiny in there, I didn't even realize they were in the pics until Breigh mentioned them
Nice looking tank set up though, you have some lucky turtles!

nice setup. what i usually do for the high water temps after a water change or something is keep a couple of 20oz bottles filled with water in the freezer and drop them in the tank and monitor the temps until it gets to where i need it.
or even some ice cubes...or u could just wait,,lol,,. Congrats tho, i know both you and your turts will enjoy it.

wow i didn't think i would be getting these type of replies! this will be fun

SpotsMama: thank you for the advice. i actually upgraded to the pots from a little hiding cave i got them. i saw aeryn struggling to get out of the opening the other day i've already shopped for the upgrades

Breigh: it's going to be a temp-to-hire, i kinda did some measurements wrong. depending on the stand i wind up getting, it may be permanant. if i get the metal, i will have to build a higher boarder and get a landing pad *crosses fingers*

megcornell: thank you very much! i didn't even realise they were in the tank either until you mentioned breigh said it funny how that slips through, and really gives me a sense of culture shock for the tanks. i do very much aim to spoil them

d0eb0y: is that a jthm reference? thank you very much for that advice, i do worry obsessively about their temps. they've had some very unpleasant heating problems in my tenure as pseudo mommy to those turtles, that is very helpful!

thank you all for the input & advice

The set-up looks good! It's just me, but unless I was sure that the dyes on those pots were meant to stay on in the water and not leach off, I'd be reluctant to use them...(They do look nice, though.)

they are designed specifically for aquariums, so it's all good. i checked for bleeding when i rinsed them out before putting them in the tank, so it's all good

i just went downstairs to check their basking temps, and they were both on the basking rock. i couldn't believe how close they let me get before sliding in the water.

i put some plexi glass by the filter to keep aeryn away from it, raised the water level and covered it up. i'll have to get more plexi glass and a ramp, so i can finish what i started with the above ground basking spot. that was going to come later, really, but the boundary to keep them from the filter didn't turn out how i planned it, so i had to start over and used more plexi glass than planned good thing i bought extra! *edit* blast it, john knocked it and got stuck. insta-heart attack. i try so hard to do right by those turtles, why must they test me? why why WHY!!!

turns out the above ground basking spot will be permanent after all, and i need another clamp lamp *head desk* these two really throw me for a loop sometimes the guy at the petstore said i should be okay using my 20L fluorescent light fixture on that tank, but no it wasn't. it fell in lastnight. don't worry, everyone's okay. i got it out before it was even done falling, and fortunately it was off.

Wow! Sounds like a roller coaster ride at your house!

sometimes it really does remind me of when my son was a baby.

omg you live in 2018 it's sooo cool dude!!!

So, he was stuck to the intake of the filter? Did you wait to see if he could get himself off, or did you just grab him? Was he franticly swimming and trying to get lose, or was he just sitting there looking at you.

no he wasn't stuck in the filter intake, he was stuck in the small space between the wall and the tank, i left a small space so the water could circulate. apparantly he knocked the wall then got himself stuck trying to go through it, i just saw his head on one side, and the rest on the other, and he was limp. i screamed, got him unstuck *very carefully* and prepped myself for the turtle cpr. he jumped out of my hand, flipped over and took off so it was relief to see he didn't drown. i've been keeping a watch on him, no change in activity or stools or anything. i think we both had a good scare.

and yeah haha 2018 has hovercars! jk, i'm just too lazy to reset the date every time i change the batteries.

Ya I agree, with the rest, that your tank looks realy nice. I have that same colorful pot in my tank, its nice to put in a little color.