I finally moved and was able to set up a pretty cool tank for my 2" loggerhead musk turtle. I'm really happy with the results, but I have some more decorating to do for the tank.
It's a 75g acrylic Azoo "garden tank" I got on clearance from AquaticEco. As you can see, the front wall is lower than the other sides. I like this feature right now, but it does limit how much water you can put in the tank. The water depth is 12 inches and hopefully this will be enough swimming room for my turtle for at least a few years.
The stand and 3D background are also from AquaticEco. As you can see in the picture, there's hanging arms for the light, which I didn't end up using. I'll have to eventually drain the tank and move it away from the wall to detach the arms. That'll be fun.
The 3D background is made of resin. It's a really rocky, dramatic piece and the detail on it is amazing. It's very texturized and has little nooks and crannies everywhere, which my turtle loves climbing on and exploring. I drilled 1/4" holes in several places in the background, where you can't see them. Water flows behind the background, where the canister filter intake is. Water flow returns via a spraybar in front of the background, as you can see in this picture.
The lights are two 48" T-5 UVB bulbs. The decor includes some driftwood and rocks, and a floating piece of driftwood which offers a basking spot for now. I have never once seen my turtle bask, and loggerheads are rare baskers, so I'm going to keep an eye on him to see if he needs a basking lamp. Because my house is in FL and is pretty warm, I am not providing him with a basking lamp at this time. It would bring the water temp close to 90F which would be way too warm for him. So for now, he's got a place to get out of the water but I doubt he'll ever use it.
I am not happy with the decor. I want to get some driftwood that is branchy without taking up a lot of space in the tank. I ordered some plants (crypts, Anubias, Valisneria, and moss balls) which I will be able to plant on Monday. I'm going to choose what works best with him, and put the others in my convict's tank.
He loves to climb as you can see.
It's a 75g acrylic Azoo "garden tank" I got on clearance from AquaticEco. As you can see, the front wall is lower than the other sides. I like this feature right now, but it does limit how much water you can put in the tank. The water depth is 12 inches and hopefully this will be enough swimming room for my turtle for at least a few years.
The stand and 3D background are also from AquaticEco. As you can see in the picture, there's hanging arms for the light, which I didn't end up using. I'll have to eventually drain the tank and move it away from the wall to detach the arms. That'll be fun.
The 3D background is made of resin. It's a really rocky, dramatic piece and the detail on it is amazing. It's very texturized and has little nooks and crannies everywhere, which my turtle loves climbing on and exploring. I drilled 1/4" holes in several places in the background, where you can't see them. Water flows behind the background, where the canister filter intake is. Water flow returns via a spraybar in front of the background, as you can see in this picture.
The lights are two 48" T-5 UVB bulbs. The decor includes some driftwood and rocks, and a floating piece of driftwood which offers a basking spot for now. I have never once seen my turtle bask, and loggerheads are rare baskers, so I'm going to keep an eye on him to see if he needs a basking lamp. Because my house is in FL and is pretty warm, I am not providing him with a basking lamp at this time. It would bring the water temp close to 90F which would be way too warm for him. So for now, he's got a place to get out of the water but I doubt he'll ever use it.
I am not happy with the decor. I want to get some driftwood that is branchy without taking up a lot of space in the tank. I ordered some plants (crypts, Anubias, Valisneria, and moss balls) which I will be able to plant on Monday. I'm going to choose what works best with him, and put the others in my convict's tank.
He loves to climb as you can see.
Yeah I definitely need to get the fish in there. I've had a hard time keeping ghost shrimp alive in his tank, not because he eats them but because they never get anything to eat because he's such a hog.
