Here is a pic of the first day I got him. He was a spur of the moment gift to me and my wife in a coffe cup. When we got home, he went into a bowl. I didnt know untill now, but to keep him from drowning, the water depth needs to be at least, 2 shells deep (long ways).
After reading all over this site, I realized I was going to have to make some BIG changes. The same night I go him, I dug out a storage tub that was free'd up because of x-mas. I washed and filled it a 1/3 up with tap water (thats all I had), and put a rock in the bottom that stuck out of the water. I then went out to the storage shop and found a drop light & wall outlet timer to use for heat & control. I used a 60 watt bulb, thats what I had. I made sure to keep the room temp at around 75 degrees that night because I didnt have a heater for the tank. Pokey was eating and basking, but I new the habitat was'nt correct.
The next day, I went all over the city rounding up supplies.
First stop was Walmart;
I first grabbed a 95 quart tub, checked for cracks or defects ($9.97).
Hit the fish section and tossed in the following;
Tetra heater rated for 30-60 gal. ($22.76)
Tetra Whisper flow bio-filter rated for 30-60 gal. ($34.97)
Ammonia clear tank buddy tabs ($2.64)
Another clamp light ($5.88)
Some stuff to dress the tub up, plants, rock & simmulated wood ($24.66)
And a python tank cleaner tube thing, I'll figure out how to use it as I go. lol. ($32.44)
With NO TIME TO WASTE, I hit our local pet store place. I didnt mess with Petco or Petsmart. I wanted to try the little mom & pop store first, maybe they knew more. I bought the following based on what I read here on this site;
2 pack of Turtle bones ($3.99)
7% UVB bulb, 60 watts I think ($27.99)
Large Zoo-Med turtle dock ($28.99)
Digital thermometer ($12.99)
6 guppies and some turt pellets ($4.99)
I went home, and set up Pokey's new place. I rinsed EVERYTHING in hot water and filled the tank with room temp water. Not sure if this was the correct thing to do or not, but I tossed in an ammonia tab while I was setting up the filter and acceceries.
Here is what it looked like when I was done.
Its been a few days since we got Pokey, but after all the re-search I had done on this site, I still need a WATER TEST KIT. Pokey is eating good and basking on a regular basis. He seems to love his new Casa.
HERE ARE A FEW PICS FROM TODAY, he measured out at 1.5".
He has some ammazing COLOR! Does he look healthy guys? He does to me, but what do I know? Unless its a Jeep, I'm LOST!
I didn't see you mention it, but you'll want a couple digital thermometers. Make sure the water temperature is at 78 and the basking platform should be about 88-90 degrees. If the UVB lamp isn't giving off heat, then just use a regular household bulb for heat. Your turtle would love some more water, as long as your provide plants etc. for him or her to rest on.
He must have been an oldie, but still gittin around, geez, he was on top of a mountain eating prickly pear fruit. 
