Habitat - Indoor :: Xp3 arrives NEW SETUP FOR ZILLA!!

[Dillon]

As well as a new light....some before and after pictures....

Before..


and the new light is a Powersun btw...i settled with the powersun because it seemed to be around here more, and easily replaceable....So far so good..

After...




I removed all the gravel from the tank, luckily i havent been finding stones in his feces. Think i got it in time if they're notorious for eating them like i hear.



And on a site note, since Zilla loves his water plants...im thinking of growing my own? Anyone ever done this? I got a side tank im going to set up for feeders and such...Thinking of trying to grow some plants in it..

Bigals was great and the xp3 is working great so far..Sputters every now and then with some bubbles but thats too be expected at first eh?

Thanks everyone!

[/img]

[octpusgirl8]

Looks great Zilla must be thrilled! About the plants, i set up a tank in my basement to try and grow plants in, it's finally starting to work. I'm growing anacharis because it grows pretty hassle free and my turtle loves it. I really need to get a little better lighting for it to work really well though. Again, great job on the tank, it looks wonderful!

[emma]

That looks great!

[FLhaven4strays]

Water hyacinth, water lettuce & anacharis all seem to do ok under my turts lights. The lettuce browns quicker than the other 2 though, and all of my turts prefer to eat the hyacinth over any other plant (though most turtles on here seem to like the anacharis better...)

I don't really know about long term plant growth though since I trade my indoor plants with ones from the pond when they begin to brown. I'd imagine a seperate tank / tub w/ a grow light would do them just fine though.

[SpotsMama]

I had a nice setup for growing anacharis for awhile. I had four minnows in a small tank with a lot of anacharis and a bubbler. It was virtually self sustaining - all I had to do was throw in some fish flakes every day or two. The plants lived off the fish waste. When Spot wanted some I'd just snip off a few strands and throw them in his tank.

That's a terrific upgrade by the way. You've got a first rate setup how. The only question I'd have is whether the water level might be even a little too high now. Is there any chance your guy could escape? They are amazing climbers. I've seen Spot lift himself straight up with just the strength in his arms. If your turtle can reach the rim of the tank from the basking platform, I'd lower the water an inch or two.

[Dillon]

The only problem is my output nozzle affecting the water line....can that be above the water? I dont see why not since its outlet? Or does it throw off the pressure?

Thanks for the comments and stuff...im going to build a different basking area today i think for zil..Those turtle docks just arent made for bigger turts.

i was thinking of just stacken some stuff on one side of the tank with a flat object at the top...Dont wanna use rocks....I was thinking of using tubbaware since its light and durable but worried about it disintegrating in water of time?

[N4784N R4613]

Yes, the output can be above the water line, that is if you can handle the splashing sound all day, and night! And I wouldn't stack something that high, it takes up to much swimming room, and it could fall on him. I would just get a piece of cork bark. Cork bark doesn't sink when a big turtle uses it.

Something like this...

http://www.herpsupplies.com/product.cfm?id=Cork-312L

[SpotsMama]

The XP's are designed so you can choose whether to have the outlet above or below the water line. If you want it above and desire a waterfall effect, it comes with an outlet wand with holes punched in it. The advantage of an above-the-water outlet is that it creates bubbles and surface agitation and gives the turtle something to play with. The disadvantage is that it's noisy. I minimize the noise by pointing the outlet so the water sprays against the side of the tank. Here's a photo showing the outlet wand:

[Dillon]

thanks a lot guys youre great! Nice pic spotsmama really helped me get what you're saying...

[Dillon]

So i have to use the spray bar with that pressure nozzle for it to be above? Or can it be any of the configurations for the outlet?

i just did it seems to work ok.

[octpusgirl8]

You don't need to use the spray bar if you don't want, i have mine just spitting out into the water. It's right around the water line so depending on the water level it's either halfway submerged or a little above the water.

[tHeLoCuSt]

ok i want to get one of those external filters but i only have my tank half full. will a external filter be able to pump the water up and over in to the pump?

[megcornell]

You could make the base for zilla's basking area out of PVC, a few people on here have done that, it's strong, and takes up very little swimming space. Then you just plop a tile on top and you're done.