Habitat - Indoor :: Lights, basking, and above basking platforms

[mcghee.kevin]

I inherited some turtles from my dad who was old school... ie. had them for 10 years, no basking spots or any way to get out of the water, no UBA/UBV lights, just regular tube lights etc. Anyways they survived and I have them now. I have currently given them a way to get out of the water by piling rocks to one side and placing halogen lights above to bask, and replaces the 18" tube lights with the proper UVA.UVB lights.

So heres the deal they are big guys in seprate tanks, ones 9" long and the others 6" long and the rock piles are taking up valuable space and they cant truly get dry dry there. so I want to make an above tank basking area then fill the tank with water, that way they can have more swimming area and a place to bask.

What I need to know if a couple of things, will filling the tank up with water so they cant touch the bottom be ok, or will they drown since they arnt used to being in very deep water

Also the only way for me to make an above basking is to take off the canopy hood with the tube lights and mount the basking platform there...... but then I lose my UVB/UVA light over their water, now unless I have it wrong, dont they need this light on them all the time when they swim or is it only when they bask and in this case i could have another uba uvb light next to my basking heat lamp on the upper basking area and that will be enough for them when they bask?

Thanks for any clarification you can offer!!!

[SpotsMama]

Good for you for trying to take taking care of those turtles. You'll see a real lift in their personalities once their habitat gets corrected. I'm amazed, frankly, that they've survived this long. What condition are their shells in?

You are right on target about the rocks. The sooner you can get them out and get them a decent basking area the better.

The turtles may need time to adjust to deeper water. Try filling the tank a little at a time - an inch every day or so. If they seem to be panicking, slow down the pace a little. Over the long run they will be much, much happier with deep water and it will be much easier to keep their water clean.

On the light, they only need it for basking. And yes, you can have both a heat bulb and a UVB bulb next to each other over the basking area. There are a lot of good examples on here of above tank basking areas - try doing some searches and see what you can find. Also, check out the habitat gallery on the main section of this site. Here's an example I'm fond of that was posted by Starchick last summer:

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewt ... ght=#95760

[megcornell]

How nice of you to take over the care of the RES- they must really appreciate all the habitat upgrades!

As for the above tank basking area- that's a great way to increase swimming space, good plan.
RES are naturally aquatic so they are born swimmers. Given that the RES haven't been able to swim very well for years, it may take some time for them to get used to deeper water. I assume the tank you have them in now has deeper water than they had with your father, so that's a good in between step. If the turtles seem to be struggling in the higher water, lower the level and gradually deepen the water until they feel comfortable. You may have to adjust a different basking area for that time, so they always have an area to get out of the water. Another good idea is to put some floating plants in the tank. It provides a nice place for the turtles to rest.
As for the lights, they just need to be over the basking area. The rest of the water doesn't need lighting.
Look through the photo gallery- there are quite a few creative above tank basking areas on here and you may get some good ideas. Below are a few links to some that I found on a quick search-- Good luck!

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewt ... ve+basking
http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewt ... ve+basking
http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewt ... ve+basking
http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewt ... ve+basking
http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewt ... ve+basking

[mcghee.kevin]

Well the big turtles shell seems fine, and shes fine, ive since moved the turtles to separate tanks, gives them more room since their tanks are under sized for them but I cannot afford two more tanks at this time, and they fight when together, the smaller male harrases the bigger female and trys to bite her neck off..

The little one was fine for a few months I had them but lately hes been acting like somthings wrong. heres a link to my thread on getting help with pictures of his shell. I talk about white spots and people in other forums have said its just shell damage, probably from rubbing around his toys which might be true since he never had them when I got them.
thread: http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13050

Thanks for the info, I thought they needed to be under UBB/A at all times, but not that its only basking will greatly help me in my plans. I will still run a UBB seprate from my basking light since I use a infared light cause it doesnt grow algae but the UVB/A will become a spot light type in my new hood.

[megcornell]

I don't see the link to the shell problems, but pictures would be very helpful.
I'm confused about what you're saying in regards to the lights. It's fine to have a separate UVA and UVB bulb- but both need to be focused on the basking area. The nice thing about having an above tank basking area is that the basking area will obstruct the light from hitting the water- greatly reducing it's contribution to algae growth.
Given that fact, where were you planning on putting the infrared light? THe infrared light doesn't do anything beneficial for the turtles or their environment, so I'd nix it.

[mcghee.kevin]

Oh sorry, heres the link http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13050

Also the infrared light, the red one, I have one over one tank, and a regular halogen light over the other, they are strickly for the heat purposes as they have uva/b lighting from other bulbs, what I have found is bothn turtles dont seem to care about the color of the light, just the heat they give for basking, what I have found is that in the tank with the infared light, no algae grows on the rock or gravel, whereas in the other tank with the halogen light, within 3 days of cleaning there is algea everywhere. So my plans are to build an above basking area and using a UVA/B bulb in the baksing area as well as the halogen light he likes so much. If the algae problem persists, Ill give him his Infared bulb back, he will still get what he needs from the UVA/b bulb, and the hear from the infared but no algea

[megcornell]

Are you using a water heater to keep the tank water warm? That's very important for turtle health.

[SpotsMama]

If you can't afford a couple of big tanks at this time (and most people can't) why don't you consider using a rubber maid tub? They are very inexpensive - I got a very nice 50 gallon one for $17 at Lowes and make good turtle homes. If you don't care for the looks of it, when you can get the funds together to change it out, then you can, but a lot of people like - or even prefer - the way they look and feel they make more natural turtle habitats.