Hi! Introduce yourselves here. :: Hello, not really new, but finally active. Heres my RES

[spin1078]

This is Roxy. Yes, I know about the drip loop. Im actually zip tying the strip to the leg of the tank in a bit. As for the heater, there is one, but its not in in the pics. I felt that 300W is over kill in So. Florida. Nor do I want the thermostat to go nuts one day and cook her. I think with it being by a window, a weak 100W will help stabilize it since it rarely fluctuates. I use the blinds to allow daylight for her so the UVB light is not really nec. but will be installed soon. I moved the basking light to take pics, its normally placed in one of the pictures. My camera phone isnt all that but is impressive for 1.3 MP.

Water Temp: 80-82F

Filter - Fluval 4Plus w/ added Carbon media and a whisper 200 (for looks and added mechanical filtration)

Heater - Ehh, a Top Fin. Fits inside the lil mountain but I dont use it there.

Food - Reptomin pellets for now, any suggetions?


I had a RES named Betty who was my baby but my evil ex-gf took her from me. Said it was for the kids (who paid 2% attention to her, I took care of her all the time)

So heres Roxy.

[spin1078]

Adjusted the pics brightness a bit

[SpotsMama]

Hey there Bradd and Roxy! Roxy is a foxy lady!

I like your setup. That stone look with the black tank works.

On the light, the problem is that the UVB rays won't penetrate the window glass, so that's why even people who put their turtles in a window have to have the UVB bulbs. Sorry!

Your tank may be large enough that you could handle all the light needs with one mercury vapor bulb. How many gallons does your tank hold?

[spin1078]

I leave the windows open right now. I know UVB wont penetrate glass or clear plastic. Unfortunately this open windows thing is only going to last so long here in South Fl. I am planning on getting a light.

Now that I have the background, I really need to move on getting a light. I let it go for a while but put up the background for fear of an algae bloom. Those are not fun.

Its only a 55 gallon. So it eventually will have to be upgraded. Im thinking either a Fluval or Rena for filtration. I have seen the discussions on them. All I can say is Fluval rocks. I think thats what I'll be getting.

I got the tank, hoods, and lights (useless because of the clear plastic - on a latter note, I have heard that since it is leadfree glass, it will allow UVB, but Im not buyin into that.) and stand all for 50 bucks. My buddy cut me a deal, longtime friends and all.

[spin1078]

and surprisingly, this Fluval 4Plus rocks. I have to give credit to the added Tetra Whisper200 as well. Together the turn the water well. It is crystal right now. The pics dont do it justice. I know rule of thumb is double the water filtration over size of the tank. Way I figure is the 4Plus is for up to 57gal tanks (so say 60) and the Whisper is a measly 20 gal tank. Thats about an 80 gal tanks worth of filtering and Ive prob got only about 40 gal in there. Im movin close to 350 gal/h say 320. That fluval HOT spews water. It was kinda hard to position it where it wasnt overpowering.

[SpotsMama]

what a deal! If your tank is 55 gallons you could use a mercury vapor bulb if you choose to. If you haven't already, you can read up on them by doing a search on MVB.

[spin1078]

more pics, night helps






fuzzier pics than I thought it would be. Shes been basking for a bit so shes in shed-mode.

[spin1078]

MVB eh? I will def look into it, thanks!

[steve]

I would remove those decorative pebbles in exchange for some river rocks

[spin1078]

they are just for her to play with. She likes to push them around. They are waaay too big for her to digest. Do you suggest it for safety or looks? Looks wise, I'm definitely doing some more work. This is just the end of the 1st week of setting it up. If its safety, I wasnt aware that they could be dangerous. They are about the size of a quarter each and fairly thick. If there is any risk, I will remove them ASAP.

Next on the agenda is a river rock bed, a nice UVB light, and a decent heater since I am taking back my 300W. Its just too much for a tank in So Flo. Even with AC on, the water doesn't get colder than 78 at night (from my previous tank). With the lights on, it heats the water nicely. I just need something to stabilize it at night. Right now, it remains at about 82. That is because its still open window weather here. When it gets hot out, AC is going on.

On a brighter note, I havent had AC on for a month now, and my electric bill loves it.

[steve]

River rocks are natural. I've had colored decorative rocks and they leached colors in the water. I've heard of people with the glass variety and they cracked in the water.

300watt heater could come in handy during water changes