Habitat - Indoor :: HUGE new tank... (Finished Product!!!)

[AHull5]

So a friends of my dad's is giving us a 100 gallon fish tank... And this is a HUGE upgrade for Squirrely (Who I recently discovered was a female, when we've been calling her a him for a year and a half). Being a poor college student, she's currently in a 10 gallon (because when we were sold her we were told that they didn't need anything and were just as easy to care for as a goldfish. *Beach turtle sales people are liers*).
So... I'm basically at a loss for what I'm going to do...
I'm pretty sure her rinky dink little lamps and basking ramp and filter aren't going to cut it.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

I'm interested in making like 1/4 of is a dry side for her to bask on... But I've heard mixed reviews... And I think the tank will be coming with a canister filter (Which I know nothing about).

So If you could help me out with some suggestions (And nothing too crazy cause remember, *poor college student*) I just want to make sure that she's happy and healthy.

Thanks!



The Old Puny Tank

p.s the water is super low cause water aint cheap in the county and we'll be using 100 some gallons this weekend for the new one.

[imderanged]

I went from a 20 gallon to a 75 gallon. The biggest investment other than the tank was a new filter, which it sounds like you may have covered already! I bought a new heater for $20, and bubbler, but that's not a neccesity, and a new basking light. I used the one of the old fixures, but got rid of my seperate basking lamp and compact fluorecent and went with a Mercury Vapor Bulb. I love having to deal with just one lamp, and Sylar seems to be basking more and shedding better. I think the Bulbs are $30-40 -ish, but I find it worth it. I used the same old zoomed basking doc from the old tank. I think a floating dock, or an above tank basking area is a better idea then dividing the tank. They really spend so much more of their time in the water, that its best to give them as much swimming room as possible. I did add a turtle landing pad and river rock and plastic plants, but that all extras...although plastic plants are cheap, and the turtle really love them.

[AHull5]

So the mercury vapor does the job of both the head and UVA UVB bulbs??
Right now I just have those two set up in normal desk lamps... I'm guessing I would have to get a special fixture for the mercury vapor one?

[octpusgirl8]

You'll need a lamp with a ceramic socket for a mercury vapor bulb, and you'll need to make sure it's rated for a high enough wattage. It's not an expensive thing though, they're not much more than the regular plastic socket lamps. With an MVB it's important to make sure the bulb is positioned vertically, so hanging it, from a stand or from the ceiling, is a good option. You should be able to use the old lamps until you get that all set up though. Do you know what kind of filter you're getting?

[AHull5]

I don't know...
The guy my dad's getting it from said that there may be a canister filter in the tank... There's also an undergravel filter (He had fish) and lots of crushed coral... which I wont be using because the river rocks I have now are enough of a pain.
Any suggestions of a filter brand and type in case I do end up having to buy one?

[octpusgirl8]

For a tank that size, a Fluval FX5 would be perfect...but from one poor college student to another, they are pretty expensive. A good filter is one of the best investments you can make in setting up a turtle tank, so it's money well spent. A Rena Filstar XP3 or XP4 would probably get the job done, they're generally a lot cheaper than the FX5. An undersized filter means more frequent water changes, which would be a problem for you i'm guessing, so you hsould try to get a good one. You could probably run the undergravel filter under the river rocks as supplemental filtration. Running it in reverse (water being pushed up through the bottom rather than being sucked down) would probably be a great help in keeping the river ricks free from gunk, if that's an option. If you have to get a filter, do a lot of shopping around, because prices vary widely from store to store, and sometimes you can find a really good sale.

[TheComputerGremlin]

I'd go with a Fluval FX5 or a Rena XP4. Both should be good for your size tank. Look on ebay, just look at reliable sellers, but as long as it comes new in the box, it should be good. (You might even be able to find a used one that you can clean out thoroughly, though I would avoid ebay on that one and look at local options so you can see the state of the filter first. Remember, though, that initially to replace ALL of the media, it will run around $25-50. The new ones come with some media, not all that you need though.)

As opposed to making a land side, which can be a pain, you can work on making an above tank basking area. These are good because then you can use all of the actual tank for water and the above area for basking. Since you have a female, you can build in a nesting area too for her future eggs.

You don't have to go with a MVB, you can use your two lights for as long as you care to, and then if you want to upgrade, you can do that whenever.

For a 100 gallon tank, you may need 2 water heaters, but those are pretty cheap.

Oh, and the better filter you have, the less water you'll need to change out, which helps a lot. Also, your turtle's water doesn't have to be awesome water, if your drinking water costs a lot and you have well water available (for like showering), that might be fine for your turtle tank. Depending on the filter you buy, a lot of them will remove a lot of stuff from the water, so that can help out.

[steve]

Look into creating a simple basking area using cork bark. It will give a very natural look to the tank, it's easy to make and should last awhile.

[AHull5]

I got the tank today and I think squirrely is going to love it.
We're busy making the stand right now... and it's taking a lot of wood. Haha.

My dad and I decided to make a sort of built in basking/nesting place out of some plexiglass...
I'm saving money up for a filter because of course it didn't come with one, but I'll be okay.

Thanks for all of your suggestions! Keep them coming if you think of anything new.

<3

[AHull5]

Bought two pumps for the under gravel filter, and another heater...
Only thing we have left to buy is plexiglass and the canister filter.



Project seems to be coming along nicely.

[zoologist]

here is a link to a good bulb:

http://www.reptileuv.com/megaray-sb-100 ... b-lamp.php

[AHull5]

I decided I'd update on the progress... The cabinet underneat was made by my pops and me...



We built everything in and have the surge protector underneath.


So Squirrely is going to be very happy to go from this...



to This...



And yay for Squirrely being happy.



[admin note - fixed the links]

[AHull5]

I was also wondering if having glass as the bottom of her basking area was a poor decision... Will it get too hot and burn her little feet?
It shouldn't if the lamps are the right distance away, right?
If not I'll just glue river rock to it...

[Bumby's Mom]

I would put down some reptile carpet. Glass will get pretty hot. If you decide to glue river rock you need to use aquarium grade silicone.

[AHull5]

Already bought the silicone! HaHa!