Habitat - Indoor :: How much $$$?

[Sarah89]

My boyfriend and I are looking to upgrade our tank very soon. I want to buy everything in one go because I know if I get the new tank I will want to move Little Turtle in ASAP. I am just trying to figure out how much everything will cost. Right now I have a 20 Gallon tank. In the tank I have a 100 Watt heater, a small ZooMed floating dock, fake plants, and an interal filter than is set to filter through 30-45 gallons. I KNOW the filter is way to small. This is what I am hoping to do for an upgrade -- any advice would be GREAT! ALSO, just FYI my turtle is 2.5 inches long at this time. (:

Tank: I have found a variety of different tanks that I could invest in. I am a little overwhelmed by it all and don't need to be overpaying. The first one I have found that seems like a great deal is at PetsPlus. I cannot remember the exact size.. I believe it was a 55 Gallon tank. It came with the hood/tube light. The light it comes with will need to be replaced with the proper light. It also comes with a wood cabinet/stand. This is all for under 400 dollars. The 2nd one is a 55 Gal. KIT at walmart for 150. Here is the LINK: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product. ... id=3363264

It comes with a USELESS filter -- the same one I have now. It also comes with a hood and light as well as Fish Food, that i don't need. As well as a 200 Watt Heater. This particular tank is marketed torwards fish. Even though it comes with a bunch of equipment I don't need.. I am still saving money on the tank. Finally my 3rd option is glasscages.com... GREAT prices. But the options given are so odd. Ideally I would like a 75 Gallon tank.

Filter: I am thinking I want a Rena XP3. I have found one for 115 dollars online. Some places have it for WAY more. What price range should I be looking at? Is this filter too strong for my baby turtle? I want to upgrade as much as I can now to limit future upgrades. If this isn't to strong.. How about an XP4? Pretty much I am looking for something that won't hurt my baby -- and work well for an adult. To be honest I am only set on an XP because of all the great things I have heard on this website. Any other reliable brands? Price ranges?

Heater: Currently I have a 100 Watt heater in my 20 gallon. For the 3 - 5 Watts per gallon rule, this is perfect for my tank NOW. If I get a 55 Gallon.. that would be 275.. 75 Gal is 375 Watts. Stealth heaters are best? Any recommended brands? Again -- price range if known?

Basking area: I already have a Medium sized floating dock.. My turtle hated it! It's a little thicker and he can't quite climb up... and he refused to use the ramp! He still (barely) fits on his little dock though. Any other ideas for a basking spot? I had seen a picture posted before that showed an enclosed above tank basking area... I loved it! Does anyone know what sort of adhesive I could use?

My boyfriend and I have mastered the care of a baby turtle in a 20 gallon, and now it is time to upgrade. ALSO! If any of you know.. Are there any websites that could show me how to build some of this my self? I tried googling.. And I got so confused! I would love to be able to make some decorations, I want my turtles tank to look as natural as possible. Any advice would be great!! (:

Oh and one last thing -- My little turtle LOVES Anacharis. When he was really small I had small rocks as substrate and burrowed the plants into it so they wouldn't float off... Now I have replaced those with a half dozen larger river rocks.. And the Anacharis just floats into the filter.. Any ideas on how to keep them in one place? I was think maybe making a sort of suction cup holder.. or maybe mini Terracotta pots? Thanks again for any advice!!

[Nettle]

I got the same 55 gallon tank from wal-mart. It comes with a good heater, water conditioner, a filter (that is at least good for aerating the water) and a net, so you wouldn't have to rebuy those. The stand is about $100 and it works fine.

There are two hoods that come with it, but there's glass in between the light and the tank rendering it useless as a UVB. So what I did was I kept one to cover the filter's splashing and provide light for that half of the tank and the other half is open with the two dome light fixtures attached to the side.

As for everything else, online deals like bigalsonline.com, thatpetplace.com, ebay, craigslist.org, and glasscages.com are your best bet.

Good luck!

[BullDog]

$400 for a 55 gal with hood and stand seems far too steep. As Nettle mentioned, you can buy inexpensive metal stands for probably about $100. Plus, you're not likely to use the hood.
The walmart package is a pretty good deal, as long as you can use the stuff that comes with it.

However, your best deal is always a used tank. Check out www.craigslist.org and find a section in your area. A 55 gal will last you a few years, but eventually you'll need to upgrade again. If you could find a 75 gal +, that'll likely last you the rest of your turtle's life.

Filters: I've heard good things about the XP3, although I don't have one myself. From what I hear, $115 is a good price, since they've been going up recently. You could also check ebay, or craigslist for filters as well. A comparable filter (size wise) is the Fluval 404/5, but I think they're generally more expensive.
Either way, the XP3 would be perfect for a 55 gal, or even 75 gal, and I don't think it would be too strong.

Basking areas: Many of us with adult turtles have built our own basking area simply because there's not really any commercial product out there that can hold an adult's weight and size.
There's a million options for this, and you're only limited by your creativity. You can build an in-tank platform with plexiglass (see grey goose's posts), or PVC piping and tile (see for example Steve's), or you can build an above tank platform from plexiglass, egg crate, wood, even baskets that you can buy at just about any store. Do a forum search on "basking area" or "above tank basking area" to get some ideas.

For adhesives, if it's going to be in the water, you'll want to use aquarium silicone.

For decorations, many people just use a few river rocks, but the possibilities are endless. A background always makes it look more natural. There's lots of plants, live and fake you can add. And almost any fish decoration you can use as well. However, if you use fish decorations, make sure 1) There's nothing your turtle could bite off and ingest, 2)There's no holes the size of your turtle's head (or the size of your turtle, for that matter), since they could very well get stuck.

For plants, I think many people just let their anacharis float free, since the turtle's eat it up pretty quick. You could try getting a veggie clip, and sticking it in there. With a canister filter (like the XP3), it's not likely to get caught in the filter since it floats.

For any more info, you can do a search on the forum, or ask

[Sarah89]

Thank you so much! I've tried craigslist... I look every day. No one wants to give up their tanks -- just their reptiles! ):

[Sarah89]

ALSO!! Along with PVC, Egg Crate, Plexiglass.. Is anything else recommended? I was thinking maybe cork? I'm feelin' some ideas are coming.. But I only have a vague idea of what may or may not harm my turtle. Thanks!!


P.S. Sorry for so many questions. I'm feeling new to this all over again. I never really tried anything creative -- always kept decor and supplies to commercial products. ):

[marisa]

Yes, corkbark is very good. My turts swear by it.

[sneakyburrito]

im not quite sure if you have this kind of deal at your petco, but during the summer season, i believe in the month of either July or August, Petco has a "Dollar per Gallon" sale on all tanks. meaning 55 gallon tank for 55 bucks. def. do keep a look out on that if you havnt bought your tank by then. other than tanks, is rubbermaid stock tanks an option? they are relatively good price.

[Sarah89]

Thanks for the PetCo tip! (: As for a stock tank -- I would rather not. I know it is cheaper but I don't really have a place for one. My turtle also likes to get eye level with me, so an aquarium is definantly the better choice. I've seen some cool stock tanks though -- one had multiple totes fit together with cut outs... Gave the turtle a lot more room and variety of area. I was thinking of a stock tank outside for the daytime during summer though. Thank you so much for your response!!

[imderanged]

I am doing the exact same thing!! We are upgrading from a 20long to a 75 gal. my turtles 2.25 in. right now. I looked at alot of tanks and finally settled on the 75 gal. I think if you can afford it its well worth going right to the 75 gal. I say this cause I was looking at both tanks right next to each other in the petstore. The 55 gal is really narrow. A big turtle may even have trouble turning around in it! The next common size up was a 90 gal, and was $100 more. It didn't seem worth it to me, since it is the same width and length, just 4 inches higher. (accually when I really thought about it, the shorter tank was better for me, cause I am only 5 foot tall and would have problems cleaning anything taller then the 75 gal. ) Anyway, I went to a local fish store and talked to them about ordering something. You can get the size and finish you want this way...and a 75 gallon with pine stand in an oak finish cost me $330!!! you could get a RenaXP3, XP4, or even a fluval FX5 for the 75 gal...I decided to go with the Fluval...it was the most expensive choice, but some of the features are really great, like the fact you can use it to syphon the tank. I got it for $200 on ebay...media and shipping included! Ebay has some great deals on which ever of the filters you decide on. I haven't bought the heater yet but I think one 250w invisatherm stealth heater should do the trick. I haven't gotten any of the stuff in the house yet, I have to pick up the tank wed. and the filters being shipped UPS. I can't wait to set it up!!! I hope some of the research I've already done can be some help to you!!!!I LOVE SHOPPING FOR MY PETS!!!

[TheComputerGremlin]

Look around the photos section for basking area ideas. You can also make a smaller tank work longer with a good above tank basking area. That Walmart deal is pretty good, my 40 gallon breeder tank cost nearly that much at a local pet store.

[steve]

Unless you get a 100+ gallon tank (or a great deal), I'd wait a bit until you know if you have a boy or girl. If you have the former, you can probably stick with a 75-90 gallon.

[BullDog]

Oh yeah! Cost wise:
Just for reference, I got a new turtle in January, and I probably spent $600 for initial setup costs.
90 gal tank - $250
Fluval FX5 - $220
UVB light - $20
Filter media - $30
Heater - $30
Plus $50+ on other "nick nacks" (Fake plant, decoration, thermom, etc.)

Now, with that, I had some "non-costs". We built a cinder block stand (paid $8 for some extra cinder blocks). I found a WORKING lamp (with a lightbulb!!) in the walmart parking lot, which the UVB light is in, I had eggcrate and plexiglass for the basking area, and I already had food.

Ralph's was less, mostly because I was able to get a good deal on the filter and tank.
75 gal tank - $125
Fluval 404 filter - $80
Light - $20
The heater was a gift, but I know it costs about $40
Media - $30
+ not more than about $25 for decorations.
We built his tank a pine 4x4 stand for $8. (Cost of glue + sander belt)

Total cost for Ralph's tank was about $300.

As imderanged mentioned, there seems to be a huge price gap between the 75 and 90 gal tanks. Apparently that 6" of extra glass costs $100

The initial setup price can cost lotsa $$, but after that, it's really just filter media and food.
I would say (depending on the deals you can find), you're probably looking at about $300, give or take. But don't worry! If you buy a good sized tank, you'll only need to spend that amount once!

[starscollided]

I want to know where you got a 75 gal tank for $125!

PETCO's here dont do the $1 a gallon thing
and the cheapest i found my 40breeder was $100 and the stands are around $100 to $150

[imderanged]

I dunno where bulldog got the 75 gallon for $125....
But I think my tank is $150. I'm not EXACTLY sure cause I'm getting the tank and the stand (solid pine not composite) for $325 but I peeked at the computer screen when they were taking my order and I think just the tank was around $150. I was looking at just the tank in a petsmart and it was $210, so yeah they are more expensive. I shopped around a bit and was surprized to see the opposite of what you might expect....the little mom and pop type places tended to be cheaper than the big chains for tank set ups. And lots of times they do a discount if you buy both the tank and the cabinet. I would look in the privately owned shops in your area. And if you don't see something, ask...they can probably order it.

[BullDog]

I got the 75 gal from craigslist.
It was a brand new tank (still in the box!). The guy was going to do a fish room, but ended up having other priorities, so he had 2 75 gals to sell. He said he got them from bigals when they were on sale, but yeah, that was a steal