Hi! Introduce yourselves here. :: New User - I introduce you all to Optimus. HELLO!!

[William115]

Hello everyone,

My name is Will and I am a new user to this TURTLE TALK FORUM. Allot of great information on here and helpful thoughts from previous readings. I have a Diamond-Back Terrapin named Optimus. He is a curious little guy and always wanting attention LOL. Not quite sure if it's a male or female, haha, but I consider it to be a male, because he is a "cool dude". He grew up in a 40 gallon tank and is now in a 30 gallon tank with a deeper water level for better comfort and maintenance. Here are a couple pictures of him in his new 30 gallon tank as of now.





I currently have a nice filtration setup that I some what copied from this guy, here is the link: http://www.turtlepuddle.org/health/smal ... ilter.html.

I have a Cascade 700 external canister filter equipped with the following filter media, from the bottom basket to the top. Bottom basket: black bio sponge X2; Top basket: carbon bag X2. The tank stays very clean and clear for a turtle. This is due to the pre-filter filtration from the under gravel filter. There is about 2.5-3 inches of gravel on top of the under gravel filter. The Cascade 700's intake hose is fitted to the under gravel filter, much like the link given above. The exhaust hose is then routed into the tank for an effective natural water current. I really think this is the master effective filtration setup for any turtle aquarium tank. Maintenance has been once a month for my setup. Feel free to ask questions and leave comments. Everything helps.

Thank you.

-Will and Optimus

[penelope]

Welcome Will and Optimus!
He looks quite inquisitive. How long have you had him?
Your tank looks nice, too
but...umm...you may want to part with the gravel, before he makes it his dinner.

[William115]

Thank you, I believe I have finally mastered the maintenance of his tank. I have had him for a little over a year now, but the current tank setup is what he has been in for over a month or so. I was concerned about the gravel issue at first and him possibly swallowing it, but I have kept an eye on him when he does dig around and bite at the gravel and seems like he knows not to eat it. Thank you for the input though and I will continue to be aware of the possibility.

[penelope]

Glad to hear all is well.
Well, once again welcome!!

[Diamondbacks4Life]

Woot another dbt person haha!

[William115]

Thanks again fella's. He is as healthy as can be and still as always a curious little guy. He seems to always try to swim through the glass LOL. And still yet hasn't learned that he can't. Are all turtles kind of like this. That is the reason why I chose him at the pet store because he was the most active and always swimming around. Maybe soon I will upgrade to a tank that is longer and deeper. New tanks are pricy, but I have always wanted to custom build/design a tank. Allot of the builds on this site look pleasing.

Here are some more pictures of his home.


This picture is with his two tube lights on. One is a white display, and the other is a blue display.



These are with his blue display light on only. Don't worry, that heater vent is disabled.




I spy his head...LOL That is also the water current from the exhaust hose.








And here is his neighbor. He is a 7ish year old Leopard Gecko. Had him since he was a baby. I have a red heat lamp for him at night and a basking heat lamp for the day. He is nocturnal, and the red light really makes his leopard print pop at night time viewing with all the lights off in my room. He is awesome!! Gecko is his name.
Just did a water change for the first time in a month, which is why it looks somewhat cloudy. Should clear up by morning. With the new filtration setup, after a month, this is how bad the water was. Pretty good for a TURTLE!!





He is about 9 inches long. Not sure his weight, but overall he has been 100% healthy.






On the hunt!! That cricket is about an inch long.

[michaelg]

Welcome to the forum. You've got a good looking turtle.

I would still be concerned about the gravel. Do you feed Optimus in the tank? If so, you might try feeding him in something else to determine for sure if he is eating gravel. I was watching my turtles when they were nosing in the gravel. It didn't appear that they were eating it, but when I went to change their tank and gave them some food while changing it, they pooped gravel. And then they turned around and ate it.

-Michael

[steve]

Welcome to the site! I agree with Michael, gravel needs to go. I would also consider putting something underneath the tank, like plywood. I have a lot of wire shelves and you need something to distribute the weight.

Does the blue display do anything or is just a tinted bulb?

[RosesNKeeks]

Hi and welcome! I love that he looks like he has a mustache! Too cute. Your gecko is beautiful! I've always wanted one

[penelope]

Thought I posted this, but maybe it didn't take....

Whatever you choose as the primary platform, a nice layer of a Styrofoam sheet (1/2 - 3/4 ") helps take the pressure off of any imperfections on the tank bottom and, therefore helps maintain the integrity of the tank.
Especially good for large tanks

[William115]

Surprisingly the gravel is no concern for him or the filtration. However, what would you all recommend for a replacement of the gravel? No gravel at all? He has been in this setup for about 2 months and I haven't noticed any flaws or health concerns.

Welcome to the site! I agree with Michael, gravel needs to go. I would also consider putting something underneath the tank, like plywood. I have a lot of wire shelves and you need something to distribute the weight.

Does the blue display do anything or is just a tinted bulb?

Pretty sure it is just a blue tinted bulb that I got from my local pet store. The blue bulb plus the white display bulb, both on, give the tank a nice blue aquatic look.

Welcome to the forum. You've got a good looking turtle.

I would still be concerned about the gravel. Do you feed Optimus in the tank? If so, you might try feeding him in something else to determine for sure if he is eating gravel. I was watching my turtles when they were nosing in the gravel. It didn't appear that they were eating it, but when I went to change their tank and gave them some food while changing it, they pooped gravel. And then they turned around and ate it.

-Michael

Besides not having any gravel at all, what would be another substitute. I'm not looking to having sand either.

Thought I posted this, but maybe it didn't take....

Whatever you choose as the primary platform, a nice layer of a Styrofoam sheet (1/2 - 3/4 ") helps take the pressure off of any imperfections on the tank bottom and, therefore helps maintain the integrity of the tank.
Especially good for large tanks

He has been on this wire rack for over a year now and haven't noticed anything wrong with it. But for piece of mind i might just take your advice to evenly distribute the weight the next time I do a water change. Thank you.

[William115]

Hi and welcome! I love that he looks like he has a mustache! Too cute. Your gecko is beautiful! I've always wanted one

haha it does look like he has a mustache

[Gracie Turts]

@william115 i was gonna say sand for substrate, but a couple of big river rocks will do.
how come you don't want any sand? the substrate in the gecko pin looks awesome.
idk if the gecko sand is ideal for the turtles, if not, river rock or Quikrete sand are really cheap.

[michaelg]

Besides not having any gravel at all, what would be another substitute. I'm not looking to having sand either.

I like having gravel at the bottom of my turtles' tank and I had it for months with a previous pair of turtles until I noticed them eating it. It didn't bother them, but I did notice after I took the gravel out, that they were pooping gravel for weeks afterwards.

I bought a bag of River Pebbles from Lowes for like $3.50. The River Pebbles are larger than regular aquarium gravel and too big from them to eat. However, there can be smaller pebbles that could be a problem, so I had to hand pick all the good sized pebbles. Once our 2 RES hatchlings outgrow their tank, they'll be in the pond with our Yellow Bellied Slider. The indoor pond has nothing at the bottom, the outside pond has sand.

-Michael

[William115]

The reason why I went with this setup with the undergravel filter was because the intake hose, fitted to the undergravel filter, created a more even intake suction through out the tank. Instead of just one side of the tank. Plus the pre-filtration through the gravel before the actual filter. Opinions on this, and or recommendations are accepted for a different filter setup.

@william115 i was gonna say sand for substrate, but a couple of big river rocks will do.
how come you don't want any sand? the substrate in the gecko pin looks awesome.
idk if the gecko sand is ideal for the turtles, if not, river rock or Quikrete sand are really cheap.

I have never had sand before and it seems like it would make it harder to maintain the quality of the water. Is there a specific sand I would use for his tank?

Gecko's substrate is some sort of coconut "like" shavings or something. I have had it for a while and really controls the odor and cleanliness. I seem to have trained him to got to the bathroom in his den that he is sitting on in the picture above LOL. But the substrate probably wont work for Optimus because it floats.