Habitat - Indoor :: calm area vs. current (river like)

[Tokapeli]

Im planning on getting a 300 gallon stock tank soon, Im wondering if Kaya would rather have one large undivided swimming area with the basking area in the corner, or if I should put the basking area in the middle but closer to one wall. My goal would be to create a current with the filter output and intake in the more narrow space and have a larger calm area in front of the basking area, I would think it would feel a little more natural for her to have 2 different areas in the tank.

[penelope]

I agree with your concept and like the former. We have a "Wave" tank. I put all the "clutter" (uptake, basking dock) on the narrow side where there isn't much room for fun, leaving the rest for her to swim her little heart out. She can still hang out under the dock and stuff, but she had complete room to roam when she wants.

[steve]

What do you plan on using to make the basking area? Would it also serve as a nesting area?

[Diamondbacks4Life]

I found in my stock tank even without trying and no divider. A pretty good current is still made.

[Tokapeli]

i was plannign on using the fiberglass/ styrofoam method for the basking area, basically like a little island for her just off center in the tank and i would like to make it a nesting area also. If i get the 300 gallon rubbermaid stock tank, the dimensions are about 5'9"X5'3" and 25 inches deep. The basking area will be about 12"X18" im thinking, so if I put it about 18 inches away from the back wall of the stock tank, there will still be about 39" of open water in front of the 'island'. that might sound confusing maybe i can post up a quick sketch to show what im talking about. Basically that would make a current area about 18" wide that goes behind the basking island, and leave a (hopefully) calmer area in front of the basking area about 39" wide and 5'9" or 69" long. Shes going to love having all that space, when i got her she was about 7-8 inches in a 40 gallon tank with about 5 inches of mud in the bottom, so this will be quite the upgrade for her.

[steve]

You do have a lot of options with a 300 gallon. If you make it near the center, you can look for a plastic container around 12"X18" to fill with sand/dirt and make a brace to support it.

[Tokapeli]

^ yea that deffinitely sounds easier than the fiberglass thing, thats probably what ill end up doing at first but eventually id like to make one out of fiberglass to hopefully make it look more natural, i would like to make it look like a mangled tree coming out of the pond or something. The thing is if i put the basking area in the corner of the tank vs the middle i could have alot more fun making a basking/nesting area with a little waterfal for the filter output, also it would be easier to hide the hardware, I do think she would enjoy an area with a current though so its a hard decision. I guess with 300 gallons i could probably do both, have a waterfall in the corner with a shallow underwater resting spot, and a little island in the middle. I guess it will be easier to make that decision when i find out how hard it is to make the fiberglass thing work.

[steve]

You can definitely partition the end and let water flow through. That way you can keep heaters and filter tubes away from your turtle. How sturdy would the fiberglass/ styrofoam be? Is it heavy?

Think about incorporating a screened lid for it too. I've seen them dome-shaped before, so there could be room for all the things you're planning.

[Tokapeli]

yea the lid is a must with the new addition to our little family, hes a pretty playful kitty named Judah and hes already very interested in the tank. Im not sure how sturdy the fiberglass would be ive never worked with it, i know its pretty lightweight, i would assume it would be easy to repair or patch if needed, and i could probably add quite a few layers to make sure its nice and thick. The method i saw on youtube was to first sculpt with styrofoam, sand, then cover with layers of fiberglass and let it cure. Then I will airbrush it and cover with another layer of fiberglass to seal the paint. After the fiberglass dries they scoop out most of the styrofoam and use acetone to get it out of tight cracks and stuff. From what ive seen it looks like it gives you alot of freedom to create just about any shape you want. For water flow i would have screened areas disguised as caves, they would also double as good hiding spots for some chichilids.

[steve]

We'd definitely appreciate a build thread if you give it a shot!