Habitat - Indoor :: Help me decide!

[sflemin2]

Thanks.. still needs work ..hate being broke lol

[Moose]

Wow I love it!
@happy camper! YOur ATB looks amazing, i'm thinking about building one myself, but I have no idea how to go about doing it

[Deorc Val]

Hi! This is my first post ever, although I've used this site for as long as I've had my turts!
I JUST finished setting up my 150 galling long tank! I upgraded from a 55. My tank us much longer than yours tho, it's 73". I decided to go with an inside basking area. At petsmart we found a large piece of flattened corkbark that fit perfectly in one end of the tank. We drilled holes and used the bracket and suction doo dad that comes with those Zoo Med turtle ramps. Also, I made a shallow area, as turtles like to have deep and shallow options, out of a PVC pipe stand disguised with vines and a sand filled rectangle Tupperware. It looks cool. I planted it and put rocks in it. Some ATBs make shadows and in tank darkness. Since ur tank is short it would cover a good portion of the surface. I was lucky to fond that corkbark, it was meant for creating terrarium 3D backing.
Whatever you do, your turts will LOVE the new 150 gal! so exciting!!!

[sflemin2]

I can't use the Zoo Med ramps because I have two full grown females ..one is about 8 inches and the other is 9. Big mommas! They use to knock the ramps off and sink them. And that was like 5 years ago when they were smaller. Theres no way I could find a big enough piece of cork bark.. I wanted to do that but at least the tile is really easy to clean! There is a lot I want to change on it so when its done, I will post pics. I just think the ATBA is too tall for me.. I already have trouble. I dropped something in the tank when I first got it filled and it took me like 10 minutes to fish it out because I couldnt reach!! lol

Deorc Val, I would love to see pics of your setup and your babies!!


They LOVE the new tank! And the basking area... I think they just really like that they can bask together. They are attached at the hip..even still! They have all that room and they just hang out together all day. They love to swim down to the bottom of the tank and touch noses with my dog lol

[Deorc Val]

Awesome! Yea, those are big girls alright! That'd be funny to see the turtle docks sink! lol
I'll take some pics and post them tomorrow! I'm still waiting for sand to settle, just a lil cloudy

[KatieSmeltzer]

I have an in-tank basking dock, mainly because I am not talented enough, do not have the patience, and do not have the space/supplies to build an atba. Also, I have a cat and I am afraid he will knock the atba off or make the turtle more accessible to him.

[sflemin2]

Deorc Val, It wasnt funny at the time.. I was like "Really!? I just paid $20 for that brats!!" hahaa. I can't wait to add sand!! They are going to love it! I am going to add it in a week or so. I'd be able to do it now if my electric bill and gas for my car werent making me broke . What kind of sand did you get? I considered the colored sand but decided to go with a more natural look. I want light colored sand. I can't wait to see the pics!

KatieSmeltzer, mine is REALLY ghetto lol. How big is your tank? I think my turtles could eat a cat lol. I see your turtle is tiny though . Have you looked through the build thread sticky? There are some really easy ones to build on there. Egg crate sounds like your best bet. Its very cheap and doesnt take fancy tools to cut..and you could even put it together with zip ties! I really like the in tank cork bark basking areas but my tank is too wide to find a good fit.

[Deorc Val]

The sand looks great, I'm just curious as to how our first cleaning will go... I'm also gonna get a poop scoop because the debris just sits right on top of the sand! ...Kind of unsightly. It's still kind of murky in there... I think this is day 2? Or 3? One of my turtles is a pond turtle named toothpick and he LOVES to throw sand on himself! lol! He just sits around with all kinds of sand on him! Here are pics of my set up in progress!


My 150 gallon long tank! Got it for $350 on Craigslist.


Under shot of the basking area, we currently are using an old turtle dock as a ramp up to the corkbark.


Shallow area we built, kinda uggie but meh... The turtles like to chill there.


A crawdad


Toothpick with sand on him


Chasin fishies!

Things I desperately need are more vegitation, lighting and another Fluval 405. AND a screen! Once I get some lighting, I may consider planting the tank! I'm trying to go for a natural "pond" kind of feel... I'd rather not have much plastic, although I've tried some real plants before and it was a mess... We'll see.

How's your new 150 tank coming along?

[happycamper]

I love the silk plants I got from Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss? ... vibran-sea

Love, love, love them!!

[KatieSmeltzer]

KatieSmeltzer, mine is REALLY ghetto lol. How big is your tank? I think my turtles could eat a cat lol. I see your turtle is tiny though . Have you looked through the build thread sticky? There are some really easy ones to build on there. Egg crate sounds like your best bet. Its very cheap and doesnt take fancy tools to cut..and you could even put it together with zip ties! I really like the in tank cork bark basking areas but my tank is too wide to find a good fit.

My tank is a 50 long. I've looked at the build thread sticky. I think my biggest issue with the egg crate (even when I was making covers for the top of the tank), is that I don't know what to use to cut them. I tried scissors, but it comes out all jagged and shards fly everywhere in my living room.

[Deorc Val]

KatieSmeltzer, I've seen an awesome way to shape egg crate! I dunno if you've ever come across this guy - "BauriBob" on Youtube. His video "Making Stuff for Your Turtle Tank" shows how simple it is to size egg crate using a heavy file. He just kind of wacks it and it breaks nice and clean. Check it out! That guy has a beautiful tank and lots of vids about his turtles!

[steve]

I've reposted his videos before. This is the video Deorc Val refers to: (go to 9 minute mark, but the whole video is worth watching)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQDepqFLpF4[/youtube]

[sflemin2]

I have read people use wire cutters to cut the egg crate.

Deorc Val - From what I have read, you just siphon right above the sand and it will stay put if you arent too close. Did the cloudiness clear up?

So I went to get sand the other day and left empty handed because I couldn't life it and was too frustrated to ask for help LOL! Taking the boyfriend tonight to get some! I made my plant tank in the spare 10 gallon I have..I'm pretty happy with it. I will take a picture when I get home. I am growing Anacharis and a water lily. I threw in the left over Anacharis and my turtles went insane over it lol. They like it much better than dandelion leaves..and they love dandelion leaves!

[sflemin2]

*giggle*
I bet they are getting so sick of me taking their pics haha

[Deorc Val]

sflemin2, I LOVE that pic! lol!! My tank is now crystal clear! Took about 3-4 days of cycling through the filters. I was SO surprised how heavy 50 or 60 lbs actually was too! I barely got it into my cart and then my car! And that's where it stayed until my boyfriend got it... and CLEANED it! lol! Tee hee...

I have a question about your plant tank! I've noticed a lot of people posting about their plant tanks, if you're going to plant the tank your turtles live in, is it common to also keep a smaller planted tank? To replace shredded plants? Or is it just for feeding?

I'm going to try planting my tank once I get the right hood and lighting.