Habitat - Indoor :: Penelope's New 500 gallon Tank ***the pics begin**

[VeipaCray]

This might be a tool for your large tank: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=33171

[penelope]

Thanks! That ought to keep my over-analytical mind busy for a while.

By the way - you'll be happy to hear that I bought carbon and purigen in bulk along with some mesh bags (Yes. I know stockings work well, but I'd be too tempted to use them for myself)
I have bio media and floss up the kazoo!
I rinse (not change) my media every 2 weeks.
Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate have remained at ZERO!!!!!!
I think I am finally getting it

[cutepanda86]

Yay for zero nitrate and ammonia!! Glad to hear things are working out.

[penelope]

Yay! is right.
Funny. Tonight I lost my gal.
Seriously. I went to go check her out and didn't see her in her normal spot, so I started looking around the tank at all angles. I still couldn't see her. Now, I know she did not get up and walk out...then after awhile she came out from her hiding spot. It was odd to 'lose' my RES in her own home

[Gracie Turts]

Good thing penelopes alright. My heart just sank halfway through the story.
All that work for nothing.
I found my turtle a few weeks ago after he went missing for four days (before
I came back from the Taiwan trip). Sooo incredible that he's still alive.

[BlackAndChrome]

How are your mosaic tiles holding up. I'm using your idea on a similar dock but the web attaching mine is not terribly strong and I think my turtle would wind up pulling them off when trying to get onto the dock. Now looking for a way to adhere them without spending a fortune on aquarium epoxy.

-B&C

[cutepanda86]

Goodness gracious! Glad to hear she's ok. Sheldon loves to hide under his lily pad.

[Kado]

Lol..I couldn't find my turtle last night either. Found him sleeping belly side up under his cork bark basking log. Gave me a really good scare untill he moved.

[cutepanda86]

Sounds pretty scary Kado.

[dumbork14]

@penelope-i read awhile ago about your high ammonia levels. it's my third week of water testing and ammonia level is now 4.0ppm (nitrate and nitrite at 0). may i know your highest reading of ammonia (is it at 4.0ppm)? i also noticed about the "stoner eyes". dumbork has that now, though there's no changes in basking and appetite. i know that the cycle takes really long, and that i should wait for the good bacteria to arrive, but i'm getting impatient. when i tested the ph, it's at 8.2. anything i should be concerned about? is there such thing as ammonia poisoning for turtles? i know they can breathe air, but how about when they're sleeping? thanks!

[AmberEve]

Wow! What a fantastic deal and a wonderful surprise! Congrats!!!

[penelope]

@BlackandChrome
the mosaics are holding up great! I just sat in front of the tube and put a dab of sealant on each one, put it on the platform, let it dry and voila! I only used the epoxy on the brackets.
So far only one mosaic tile started to loosen (on the corner), which I promptly fixed with a dab of krazy-glue. The only thing I had to do other than that was pull a few strands of webbing from the outer edges. Other than that I love it, and it seems like Penelope does too.

@ Gracie - now I know why you disappeared hope you had a great trip! and...so glad you found your runaway turtle. Maybe he wanted to go on a little vacation too.

@Dumbork - the ammonia reached something in the area of 4.0 ppm, maybe a little higher. Hard as it was I followed Mr. Veipa's advice and just let it go. Finally the ammonia subsided and the nitrites kicked in. I continued to wait. Then the nitrates rose and promptly returned to zero after I changed the carbon and purigen. Last weekend the nitrates were slightly below 5.0 ppm +/- I did a partial water change and this weekend they are far beyond 5.0 ppm. So, now I have some research and work to do. I've been reading katie_turtle’s thread on the nitrate issue and hope it resolves soon.
As for Dumbork, even at night they come up for air. It is really hard to just ignore the ammonia level, but I did learn that they will survive. After all, Penelope was recuperating, just like Dumbork, and she came out just fine. So hang in there! it is beyond our control. The real challenge, as I have recently learned is the nitrates…yuk!

@Kado - Belly up? whoa! That always freaks me out - even if for a second - because their lungs are on top and when upside down all the innards put pressure on the lungs. Buy, hey! if he was happy then what can ya say? Glad he was OK

[dumbork14]

@penelope - whew! your reply put my mind to ease. will test again on monday, hopefully the ammonia will soon subside. the water has become cloudy, though none of the milky-type thing that i've seen on the forum.

[penelope]

I think I need to ditch the rocks
Only problem - If I ditch all of them she can't reach her dock. Maybe I'll keep whatever is necessary to allow her to access her dock.
There is just too much crud that is is not being managed by the filtration. I have tried several configurations. Her Nitrates were high, presumably due to lack of proper filtration. By vacuuming every day I have managed to keep them to zero, but its quite a bit of work.
The problem seems less to do with filtration and more to do with lack of circulation. The water simply is not getting moved enough along the bottom, because the rocks are getting in the way.
I've moved them around to create a clear channel, tried a power pump, etc. The bottom line: the rocks are preventing good filtration and only daily human intervention keeps her tank clean. It gets to be a bit much.
So....since I almost killed her once due to dirty water, I won't risk it.
She will miss her little cave (the one she played in before going on"tank strike") I'll just put something around the side of the that allows her to feel hidden.
It's kind of sad. I loved those rocks! However, it's not about me. I will go for whatever I need to to keep a healthy tank...bye rocks
Hello bare bottom tank! (except for what is needed to get her up to her dock).
Oh well.
More room to swim...if she decides to...

[cutepanda86]

That is a bummer. Especially when they seem to enjoy it but you're right filtration and circulation are key. That and your sanity. Post pics when you've readjusted things.