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I made an ATBA recently but my turtles doesn't seem like they like it =(
It is made with 3 pieces of plywood as sides and a piece of plexiglass on the bottom, and it sits on the rim on top of my 40g. As a ramp I used my old turtle dock.
Right now the plexi has nothing on it so it's just pure transparent plastic and I don't think my RES likes that, how should I go about covering it?

I thought about siliconing gravel/little pebbles to it but it seems like a LOT of siliconing if they're tiny rocks.
Any Suggestions?

(I've only seen them get out of the water on the ramp, they've never basked at the very top yet though, but I've been putting food on the plexi and once in a while they get eaten, never witnessed it though.)

Jon

how long have you had the ATBA up?
it does take a couple days to even a week for a new basking area to be used by the curious turtle.

anyway, i think it would be best if you had a ATBA floor that had some traction for the turtle, although technically i dont think the turtle needs it, its probably better (all docks sold in stores have some kind of traction flooring, so i guess its better)

i personally used zilla carpet for reptiles as my flooring, but a lot of people do not prefer carpet for many reasons like smell, it has to be cleaned, and other things that arent great.

some have done what you want to do, or you could put eggcrate/light diffuser if youre turtle is big enough.

The ATBA has been up for close to 2 weeks.

Basking still occurs but majorly declined compared to when I only used the turtle dock.

Toro is maybe max 3" and Franklin is still a hatchling, I'd say 1"-1.5", haven't measured them in a while, i'll do that tomorrow when they wake up.

Where can I find egg crates / light diffusers?

Thanks for the quick reply!

its a pretty cheap investment, found at local hardware stores like Home Depot or Lowes.

it will be in the lighting sections.

I would just cover the plexiglas with some shelf liner (the rubbery kind, not paper). It will add some grip for your turts and it'll help them feel more secure.

Found some shelf liner to cover the plexi! Also added some new ornaments, hope they will go on the ATBA more now....

One more question:

I got a clamp lamp right now but have nowhere to clamp it so its shining straight down! Mine's at at an angle right now and it doesn't even shine properly on to the basking spot (which i haven't seen them on yet)

Anyone got ideas / ways of clamping or suspending the reflector?

Your lamp only has to be straight down if it's an MVB. Regular lights can be set at an angle. If you still need/want it to be vertical, you can put in a shelf above the tank and hang the light from that. I think you might be able to accomplish that with a big eye hook as well, but I'm not sure about that.

You can also dangle them from the ceiling using an eye hook and some string. Also, why does an MVB need to be vertical ?

I use a hook in the ceiling with some chain to hang my MVBs. It's nice because it's easy to adjust the lamp to the perfect height, something that can be tough to do with a clamp lamp. I believe MVBs are supposed to be positioned vertically to prevent eye irritation, but i'm not sure. They're so big and heavy that i just wouldn't feel comfortable with one in a clamp lamp anyway.

Yeah i thought of using a hook, problem is my tank is by my front door and the ceiling is angled upwards and is quite high up, don't know if that will affect stability.

Here's a pic of what it looks like right now, still under construction as i need:
-background
-put the shelf liner in
-attach thermometer

I would add an extra barrier behind the ramp. It looks like the turtle could go up the ramp, get on the ledge, then fall off. Turtles are amazing climbers.

that piece of "cyro acrylic" can be extended out all the way until it reaches the xp3's intake tube. I'll probably just pull it out. Thanks for the heads up on that!

Here's another pic of the tank



Update: Wasn't home all day, but haven't seen them out of the water yet.

The ramp needs to be submerged more... it's needs to be way more accessible. Not sure what kind of light you have, but when using a MVB, it should be pointed straight down, which helps preserve the lifespan of the bulb.

Instead of hanging it from the ceiling you can use a plant hook or put a shelf above your tank to clamp your lamp on. Either way you go the lamp will be able to aim straight down, like Steve advised. Here's how I did mine. I used the self at first, but the clamp worried me.

I actualy like the plant hanger thing better. Just gotta hope you hit a stud when setting it up heh