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this is skittle's new set up. i only added a heater which i have set for almost 79 degrees. let me know if its too warm or cold. ( i do not know the norms). i only put it higher than the A/C in the house which is on full blast. instead of a red heat lamp i found a 75 watt basking bulb which has reflectors and gives off uva rays for reptiles from zoomed.

i did find a habitat which i loved cuz of the built in stairs and huge basking area but that part took up vaulable swimming space. it also had a net for the top so nothing climbs out. only bad part is that its smaller than her current setup and the guy at the store said if you drop it it will crack. pet supplies plus had a turtle tank 40 gal for $109!! which is more square than a normal aquarium.

we did try out a tractor supply store and they only had a 300 (yes 300) gallon stock. it was only almost $200. i thought "wow skittles will be set for life" But we have no space right now in the basement cuz it would be too heavy to put it on a normal floor. my mom's afraid to forget about skittles as well since im not taking her back to my apt untill im settled somewhere after finishing college. 1st of all i would love to have it but i would have to save alot to get a adequate filter for 150 gallons of water that i will put in times 3.

Well turtle tanks aren't really good so skip that. I like how the dock is stationary!..you do need a UVB bulb as well. Sorry if I am mistaken.

I like how you've kept it simple, allowing for maximum swimming space. I don't know how big your turtle is, but unless it's a hatchling, I would drop the temperature down to 75 degrees. Remember turtles are excellent swimmers, so the more water depth you can provide, the better. It seems that you have a rubbermaid container, make sure you brace the sides so it doesn't bust open from the water.

In addition to a UVA lamp which provides heat, you will need a lamp that provides UVB rays. Don't purchase those "turtle tanks" they only allow 6-8" of water, which is insufficient. (Believe me, this is from personal experience...unfortunately)

Other than that, it looks very nice. Could you please tell us how big your turtle is and how many gallons that container holds?

Yes you need a UVB bulb, you can use a normal light bulb for UVA. Turtle tanks are useless pieces of crap, reread what resowner said above my post, buy a fish aquarium, or a stock tank/rubbermaid etc for your next upgrade.

Are you sure the UVA light can warm the basking dock to the normal basking temps (88 - 95 degrees)? It looks kinda far away to me..

I agree with the above-I didn't realize that before.

the container is actually a sterlite decorated wreath storage container.. right now i have about 11 gallons of water so the filter can run without sputtering. i cant put any more water in or the trees cant hold the raft. if i fill it up more, im afraid she can climb out since there is a little ledge in the plastic. i noticed that skittles is taking up the whole flat top of her turtle dock so next month i will go buy her a new one.

when i got the uva lamp, i can feel the heat and i also feel it on the water and a little bit on the dock. last time i had a heat lamp clamped to the setup wall, skittles barely went on her raft so i thought it was too close and too hot and stayed on the other side of the set up. so i made it the same distance as it was on the 10 gal tank. for some odd reason she likes to stare at it

where do i get a uvb bulb?

how do i measure the temp on the basking spot from the lamp?

i added 2 more gallons of water to the set up.

skittles is about 4 inches wide and 5 inches long probably 6 all stretched out. she is also only 2 years old

If you can order online, go for this: http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.ph ... ts_id=1817 if not, try to find it in a store, like petsmart. There are other brand of UVB bulbs out there, stay away from the Reptisuns 10.0.

You measure the basking temp by holding a thermometer on the dock (not on the dock, but above it, like what you think would be the height of your turtle) for a couple of minutes until the reading stays put. It should be around 88 - 95 degrees.

thanks. i will look into that soon. i put the uva lamp closer (back on the set up wall) skittles seems to bask more now since i keep catching her on the dock before she jumps. the site said thru uva radiation; does that mean along with a uva light or does it give off uva rays? can i use this bulb with another dome ceramic based clamp lamp? thanks for the site

UVB bulbs also give off UVA rays, but little to no heat, that is why it's best to have a seperate lamp to warm up the basking area in order for them to bask. Normal lightbulbs also give off some UVA. Are you talking about using a UVB bulb with a ceramic clamp lamp? If so, yes, you can use both bulbs in one, there is no problem.