Habitat - Indoor :: Need HELP with a new setup, **please look inside**

[fouroh8]

Hey everyone I am new to the forum but with all the reading and browsing I have been doing it looks like everyone is full of information and can answer most of my questions

I have a 3 year old RES and he is currently housed in a 20 gallon tank. He eats like a pig, is growing rapidly and I think at this point his growth has been stunted because he is at the limit of the tank capacity. Also, since he has been growing and I have been filling the water level along with his growth, the filter I am using is no longer efficient (the water turns green after 2 weeks)

I have been planning to get a larger aquarium for him with a new filter for some time now and next Sunday I am going to the NY Reptile Expo in White Plains so I can finally make my upgrade. I will most likely be purchasing a tank from glasscages.com, I might have to make a pre-order so it's available at the show.

I am somewhat limited to the size tank I can get (the 20gallon is on the top of my entertainment center right now) I took measurements and have a general idea of what size tank I can get (54"L x 22"D at MAX)

My question is, what size tank (at those measurements) can I get without having to upgrade for a few more years.
Also, What kind of filtration system do you recommend? Right now I'm using the ZooMed 501 and like I said before, it's just not efficient anymore for the amount of water I have in the 20G.

Money isn't really an issue on the tank or filtration system, I want to make sure my RES has plenty of room and will remain healthy for many years to come! When it comes to pets I want to make sure they have the best products on the market!

Thank you so much for any and all help!

[adam85491]

This site shows the common dimensions of various sized tanks including long, tall, and breeder styles. http://www.alysta.com/books/fishtank.htm
The XP3 by Rena is supposed to be a great canister filter and if you get a tank around 75 gallons I would get that. You want to get a filter rated for three times the size of your tank.

[fouroh8]

Hey thanks for the link! Looks like I'll be getting something in the 75 to 90 gallon range. Is the height of a tank just as if not more important as the length and width?

Besides my filter question, what kind of heater should I be using with this size of a tank? Right now I have a submersible that works great on the 20gallon, can I try to use it for the new tank?

Thanks for the help everyone!

[adam85491]

The common rule is 3-5 watts per gallon, so at least 250 watts. Most people believe length is important because it gives them a bigger footprint to swim and its easier to clean, but a deep tank works just as well. There is someone with like a five foot tall tank and another with like a 5 foot long tank so it varies.

[ellman605]

Last time i checked the growth wouldn't be limited to the size of the tank, thats just an old rumor.

[fouroh8]

I pretty much rescued this guy from my girlfriend who got him from an old chinese lady at a flea market. My GF had him in a small circular hermit crab tank looking thing with no filter or heat and he didn't eat at all. He was like this for quite some time before I talked her into letting me take him. I had him in a 10 gallon and he grew about 2-3 inches in no time. Now that I put him in the 20 gallon (last summer) he is a full 6 inches in shell length. He eats every day and is very active but his growth is slow. Maybe he's just reaching full size?? She got him back in '04 and he was under 2" in size so I'm just assuming he's 3 years old now.

I have about 50 inches of length and almost unlimited amounts of height for the tank. I found a tank that's 48 1/2" long 18 1/2" wide and 21 3/8" high which is a 75 gallon....I'm thinking that should be fine?

What's the best working filter on the market right now? Would using two smaller filters be too time consuming and not worth the expense? Thanks again!

[grey goose]

If you are sure your turt is a male, 75 gallons should be OK. But females can get much larger, so you will eventually need a 90 to 120 gal. tank.....
There is some debate, but Rena Filstars (XP-3 or XP-4) seem to be the choice of most keepers. Another choice would be the Fluval 405, but I don't recommend it for more than a 90 gal. tank.

Here's a link to a heater guide:
http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/tipsa ... ersize.htm

[fouroh8]

I'm not sure if it's a male or female but from reading other threads I believe it's a male from the length of it's nails. I'll try to post some pictures ASAP

[steve]

Here is a tank calculator, it will also estimate heater wattage for you:

www.redearslider.com/calculator.html

[fouroh8]

Just ordered a 75 gallon (48x18x21) from Glasscages.com I'm picking it up at the White Plains, NY Reptile Expo on 4/22.

I'm looking to buy a filter and heater at the expo also, would the Fluval 405 be efficient for the 75 gallon? It will be housing one RES. What about a heater?

Thanks everyone.

[grey goose]

A 405 will work fine in a 75 gal. For a heater, I just got one of those Stealth heaters, all plastic, no glass. It works very well for me.....

[fouroh8]

Hey guys,

So I got the 75 gallon from Glass Cages at the NY Reptile Expo today, I do have to say the quality is excellent and I'm completely happy with the tank. Next is to build the stand/cabinet for the tank =) I found a good build sheet on here for a 75 gallon aquarium and the cost of materials is about $50-75 compared to $180 for a cheapo from PetSmart.

Anyway, as far as the filter, I am thinking about getting the Rena Filstar XP3 filter (a friend of mine recommended it and it's cheaper than the fluval 405 unit) and it flows 350GPH which should be enough for my setup, right?

Now for the heater, would any 300W submersible heater be ok? Are there any particular brands that I should look into? This is my first time doing a large(r) aquarium setup and I know you guys and gals are experienced and have done the homework already.

One more question, my 75gallon is 48" long, should I get a 48" strip light for the UVB bulb or would a smaller strip light be ok? Right now I have a 14" UVB stip light on my 20 gallon .. is that too small for the 75??

My friend has a catalog for www.thatfishplace.com and there is alot of good stuff in there for pretty cheap prices! Just thought I would let you guys in on that if you didn't already know.

Thanks for all the help!

[SpotsMama]

Would your 14" strip fixture fall into the bigger tank? That would be the main concern. You don't want to take any chance on that happening. Otherwise it would be fine.

My 100 gallon tank has a glass divider shelf on top, so all a fluorescent tube fixture has to span is about half the width of thank (tank is 5' long, strip only has to span around 2'. I could use two 24" fixtures and they would work just fine on my tank.

[DavidY]

Congratulations on your new tank! You must be having fun setting it up!

I like the Stealth heaters because they are reasonably priced and unbreakable. The 14" light strip is ok as long as you place it over the basking area and leave room for your heat light. Are you sure it's only 14"? The 20gal long is like 30" long. The smallest flourescent tube that I know of is 18" and 15 watts.

That Fish Place is very good. I've bought from them plenty of times and have always been very pleased.

[octpusgirl8]

I only recently realized that That Fish Place/That Pet Place had a website, it's right by my boyfriend's college so when i'm up visiting him and he's in class...i'm at the pet store. I love it but i spend too much money that way!