I was searching through this site for a similar thread and have found none...
I have learned that theres many ways of setting up a proper turtle habitat. Hopefully people can share their turtle tanks here. I have a couple of RES turtles but I'd like to get people with other basking turtles to share their setups as well...
I'll start here is a video of my tank...
[YT]VtHRKv6fBc8&hd=1[/YT]
It is a 55 gallon riparium style tank. It houses a 6" male RES, and an 8" tiger oscar. the koi in the tank has been sold.
the filtration system has a Odyssea CFS500 canister filter running through an undergravel filter tray via a custom PVC attachment. cycles the tank about 8 times an hour.
the basking platform is made of corkboard sheets(hobby lobby) glued together with silicone to make steps.
the lights are a 50 watt red heat bulb 10" away and a Repti-glo 10 26watt UVA/UVB compact fluorescent bulb 12" away. I recommend the 10 (desert) rather than 5 (jungle) version because it emits much higher amount of UV rays. There are 2 of these along with a regular 5500k compact fluorescent for the plants on the other side of the tank. the total wattage used for lighting is 115 watts.
The canopy is custom made, it is raised by a 12" plexi layer that has the door. the reflector is an aluminum sheet that has a layer of reflective mylar glued to it.
the food that the turtle eats is a mixture of calcium powdered turtle pellets, canned peas, carrots. He also picks up any fish pellets that the oscar misses. I also give him shrimp every week for some extra protein.
the plants are mostly red mangroves that are suspended as well as a a DIY riparium planter with an arrow plant and a pothos plant that is slowly taking over the tank. There are also a few "lucky bamboo" plants.
I would like to set up another tank for my 2" baby RES but first I need some inspiration. please post here if you have any information thats relevant. thank you!
I have learned that theres many ways of setting up a proper turtle habitat. Hopefully people can share their turtle tanks here. I have a couple of RES turtles but I'd like to get people with other basking turtles to share their setups as well...
I'll start here is a video of my tank...
[YT]VtHRKv6fBc8&hd=1[/YT]
It is a 55 gallon riparium style tank. It houses a 6" male RES, and an 8" tiger oscar. the koi in the tank has been sold.
the filtration system has a Odyssea CFS500 canister filter running through an undergravel filter tray via a custom PVC attachment. cycles the tank about 8 times an hour.
the basking platform is made of corkboard sheets(hobby lobby) glued together with silicone to make steps.
the lights are a 50 watt red heat bulb 10" away and a Repti-glo 10 26watt UVA/UVB compact fluorescent bulb 12" away. I recommend the 10 (desert) rather than 5 (jungle) version because it emits much higher amount of UV rays. There are 2 of these along with a regular 5500k compact fluorescent for the plants on the other side of the tank. the total wattage used for lighting is 115 watts.
The canopy is custom made, it is raised by a 12" plexi layer that has the door. the reflector is an aluminum sheet that has a layer of reflective mylar glued to it.
the food that the turtle eats is a mixture of calcium powdered turtle pellets, canned peas, carrots. He also picks up any fish pellets that the oscar misses. I also give him shrimp every week for some extra protein.
the plants are mostly red mangroves that are suspended as well as a a DIY riparium planter with an arrow plant and a pothos plant that is slowly taking over the tank. There are also a few "lucky bamboo" plants.
I would like to set up another tank for my 2" baby RES but first I need some inspiration. please post here if you have any information thats relevant. thank you!
