Habitat - Indoor :: My set-up

[zoologist]

sorry for the crummy pic. i had to use my macbook camera.


Its a 29 gallon tank. i have sand substrate, and a filster XP1. i built my own over the tank basking area. It has a 10.0 UVB bulb and a 100w house bulb.
Torti is almost 5 inches now, and i realize the tank is too small. She will be getting an upgrade when i move to college.
She shares the tank with a few/many mud minnows. They're too fast to catch, but she loves to chase them. In the upper right corner under the fish sticker i have a "sleeping dock" which torti loves to sit up on and look out of the tank.


yepp, hope you like!

[Nettle]

Looks nice. I like the croc skull.

[TheComputerGremlin]

Well, since you already know it's too small, I worry about your basking area. I like it, it's nice you built your own, but with your turtle already being 5", those barrier "walls" are low enough that she could pull herself over and have a very long drop. I'd recommend fortifying those walls with something higher, maybe egg crate or something like it.

Also, it sounds all nice to say you'll be upgrading when you go to college, but remember that many colleges (esp. if you are in their dorms) don't allow aquariums. I don't know where you are from, USA, Canada, somewhere else. But I know many dorms won't allow large tanks, you know, fear that if something breaks, it will flood the next floor down.

And I do like the skull!

[Take-One]

I also think the tank is too small. A rubbermaid would do just fine.

[Cim*Forever]

I think its lovely for what you've got to work with

Your background looks like it adds depth, very pretty

[zoologist]

naw, trust me when i say she doesn't go over the walls. i've had the basking area for a while and she has never tried anything. Same with the sleeping dock, she likes her tank and hates being out of it.
I'm not going to be in a dorm, i'll be in an apartment and i was already planning on a rubbermaid tub.

yepp! i know the tank is too small, thats why i said it!

[Chrisbarnett]

Your tank is much too small for your turtle, you need 10 gallons per inch of shell. Jk

Nice, I see you got the soap dish resting dock!

Have you done a 100% water change with the sand yet? I Just did a full water change last week, dealing with the sand was easier than I thought it would be!

[steve]

You have a boxie too?

Both my turtles have been able to pull themselves over walls with their forearms gripping the top ledge. It was in rubbermaid containers, not their tank. Do not underestimate them!

[res08]

I like the basking area

[zoologist]

Thanks Chris, love your sense of humor! No. i havent done a 100% water change, i'm glad to hear its easy though! now i'll have to try it! (i was holding off for fear i'd lose most of the sand down the drain)

oh i don't under estimate Torti at all! she's tried to pull herself over the lip of the tank a few times but always plops back down into the water, very fun to watch... poor girl, haha.

Yes, i do. She's a hatchling e. box turtle. i'll have to post pics of her set up too. i'm quite proud of it!

[Tenodera]

I really like the way the basking area is designed, but...

like everyone else, I would make the walls just bit taller. Maybe just glue some plexiglass to make it taller, or, if you don't feel like making things, just tape or glue pieces of cardboard to make them taller. Anything to stop them from getting a grip on an edge. I've seen my turtle climb this stair that was way taller than he was.

[Chrisbarnett]

What I did was set a small bucket inside a larger bucket. I put the siphon output hose into the small bucket, and sucked out the sand into the small bucket. The water overflowed into the large bin and the sand stayed all in the small bin. I was able to suck out pretty much all of the sand before the tank drained.

[zoologist]

Chris: thats an awesome idea, thanks! i'll try that.

New idea for a basking area is in the works. The one i have now is bowing due to the weight of sand/turtle. The next one will have higher walls which will also help keep the lamps a bit higher. Thanks for the concerns!