Photo Gallery :: My set up

[felmel]

[jenaero]

very nice! Hey, is there any way you can pm me about what materials you used and how you built it? I'm planning on building something similar for a basking spot for a stock tank and I'm SO not handy with stuff like that.

thanks

[ellman605]

yo, how much did that tank cost you?????? i need one DESPERATLY, but i'm no cash...

[sonyj]

Nice tank! I love the basking area!!

[steve]

Nice tank (how big is it), what are you using for UVB light? I'm also using tiles for the basking area and you'd want to make the surface more irregular so their plastrons can dry off as well.

[felmel]

I'm not sure how many gallons, the size is 48" by 18" and 20" high. I paid $50 for it at a garage sale. I put aquarium sealant on the tile for ridges, suggestions on what else to use. The basking spot came out real well, all the turts use it. I made it with normal sprinkler system pipes and connections. I thought I would need to glue it together, but so far it is fine. I didn't close all the openings so water fills it. The slope is part of a kitchen shelf gadget and is attached with those gadgets that you use to bundle your wires with. It is plastic and tightens up real well. I used it to attach the fake plant to the structure. I love Lowes, you find all kinds of stuff there.

I have two lights, one a basking and one has a coil lamp. I'm looking for better lighting for UVB but will have to wait until after Christmas since I currently have 8 kids, 5 with birthdays in Nov. The best purchase I ever made was my filter, the XP3. I love it and it does a great job.

We are new to turts. A friend moved in the early summer and left us her two. They were in one of those little lagoon things and were so big that they couldn't fit in the lane and their shells were turning up on the ends. We recently got a smaller turt from someone who got tired of cleaning after their turt. He was in a seperate tank until last week when we got tired of dealing with two tanks ourselves and tried him out with the others. Other than them pushing him out of the way when they are begging, they all get along. Just today I was watching all three of them basking together and doing the "superman".

I am worried about maintaining the temperature. They are in a Florida room that is attached to our house and doesn't have its own heater yet. Most of the doors and windows have been removed allowing for some heat, but it is the coolest room in the house. I have a second heater and am thinking of adding that when it gets real cold. We are in SC so it won't be too bad. Of course they loved the summer when it was the warmest room in the house. We didn't even have a heater in at that time.

We have some large river rocks scattered along the bottom and a large artificial stump. We will eventually remove the stump but right now the smallest turt loves that area. Any other suggestion for decorating?

This site has been a great source for information. I had no idea what I was getting into when I said I would take the first twoo turtles!

[ellman605]

Your tank is 65 Wide, i know because i'm gonna try and get $150 and buy an acrylic aquarium from glasscages.com (dont trust me? i made another post in Habitat - Indoor) apparently, acrylic has many advantages over glass.

There are quite a few differences between acrylic and glass aquariums.

Glass is a long-time favorite of many aquarists because it is traditional and therefore has a loyal following. Aquarists who favor glass believe acrylic is a poor choice because it scratches easier than glass. Although this is true, acrylic has many advantages over glass.

For one, acrylic is 17x stronger than glass, softer and more flexible than glass, making it highly impact resistant.

Secondly, acrylic weighs 50% less than glass, making it much more portable.

Thirdly, acrylic insulates 20% better than glass, which reduces temperature fluctuations and saves on heating and chiller bills.

If these benefits aren't enough, the seams of acrylic tanks are molecularly welded. The resin used to seal them chemically melts the two pieces of material into one solid piece for a clear polished seam that is virtually unable to leak.

Another advantage of acrylic is that it has a transparency rating of 93%, which is as clear as optical glass. In fact acrylic passes the most light of any known material.

For all of these reasons virtually all modern public aquariums are made from acrylic. And while acrylic can scratch, scratches are easily buffed out of acrylic without having to remove fish or water.

Many myths have been laid to rest about acrylic. Some believed it could turn brittle or yellow with time. Plastic can do this, but acrylic does not. Others believe acrylic tanks bow and distort. An acrylic tank made to proper specifications will not bow or distort. One caveat about acrylic that my be important to know, however, is that it is flammable. You won't want to create ambiance by setting a burning candle on top of your tank.

The best type of acrylic for an aquarium is domestic cell cast acrylic

GUYS, YOU ALL SHOULD GO TO ACRYLIC! I think that acrylic will last me a LOOOOOOOOONG time.

[felmel]

My turts beg on the side of the tank, scratching at the side to get to me (or to get my attention). Wouldn't this scratch the side of the tank up?

[ellman605]

my turtles dont do that anymore, they KNOW i will feed them. And when i walk to the tank, i walk slow, they dont seem to care.

Plus, the turtles dont scratch very hard, they just swim at the wall to me, dont even seem to touch the sides until they push off of it.


I can stick a VERY thin layer of plexiglass around the sides. that will protect it, but i still think it will be a good choice, cause it is very durable, can transport it easily.

[TinySlider2]

my turtles dont do that anymore, they KNOW i will feed them. And when i walk to the tank, i walk slow, they dont seem to care.

Plus, the turtles dont scratch very hard, they just swim at the wall to me, dont even seem to touch the sides until they push off of it.


I can stick a VERY thin layer of plexiglass around the sides. that will protect it, but i still think it will be a good choice, cause it is very durable, can transport it easily.

NO matter if you just feed your turtles and 5 mins later you walk by the tank they are going to beg. When they swim to the wall of the tank to you they are begging.

Nice set up! Looks great!!!

[felmel]

Turtles are great beggars. I had to put their daily food in a bowl each day because everyone was feeding them when they begged. Yikes, they grew fast and once I realized that ALL the kids were feeding them, I had to implement the daily bowl ration.

[marisa]

felmel, that looks really nice! From your dimensions, it's about a 75 gallon tank. To add texture to the basking area, some people silicone small rocks. If it were me, I'd silicone strips of corkbark (leass abrasive). Some greenery in the tank would be nice.

If you're worried about maintaining the temp, you could build a canopy over it, or at least over the basking area to trap in warmth (if you do, check the temps with a thermometer to make sure it doesn't get too hot).