Post by Jinx on Jun 7, 2004 1:25:15 GMT -5
hey all......I slept all day 
so I am wide awake and bored and so I am sharing my turtle joy with all of you...lol.
Part of the joy of keeping turtles, for me, is the challenge of maintaining and creating a realistic and natural habitat for them. I realize they are destructive and messy......so most opt for minimal decoration and plants and what have you. I am interested in seeing or reading about other people habitats.....how often you clean and well everything.......I am a curious soul......hmm my Benedict must have infected me......lmao.
Anyways....my habitats. Presently up and running I have a 135gallon (filled till maybe 4' from the top. And a 90 gallon, same as above 4" from the top.
The 135gallon
Occupants: 20 yr old Benedicts (RES), 4 Large Tilapia (13", 12", 11" and 9")
Filters: 2 Filstar XP3's. Each..Bottom basket (filter pads), 2nd basket (those plastic ball like thingys) and three (carbon).
Heater Ebu Jager 300W (I think....its more than enough for a 6ft long tank)??
Lights: ZooMed I think?oh oh - getting old
Other: Aquaclear Powerhead, Aerator
Substrate Sand....not the play sand.....silica sand....it is heavier and settles quicker than play sand.
Decorations Rocks and Driftwood
Plants None at present but normally anacharis and hornwort, hyacinth, water lettuce, cypress heads when in season. Planted heavily....fish eat it in less than three days, with help from the king himself, Ben...buggers.
Basking SPot A piece of plexiglass siliconed to one side with rocks and corkboard. Its a rampless style....my guy wont use one.....he never has in his entire life......go figure.
This image is a few months old....since then a plexiglass ramp has been added as well as lighting.
90 gallon
Occupants: 4yr old Dipstick(RES), 1 Fire mouth Cichlid
Filters: 1 Filstar XP3's. Same set up as above tanks filter
Heater Ebu Jager 100W(I think....man I am getting old)
Lights: ZooMed I think?oh oh....yeah yeah...sshhh
Other: Aquaclear Powerhead,
Substrate Sand....I used play sand in this tank, as my LFS stopped selling it before I had a chance to get enough for his tank. So his is actually a mix of the two..
Decorations Rocks and Driftwood, Broken pot siliconed to a piece of slate and decorated with rocks.
Plants None at present but normally anacharis and hornwort, hyacinth, water lettuce, cypress heads when in season. Planted heavily....as Dips enjoys sleeping on it at the top and peeking through it all......
Basking Spot Dipstick is considerably smaller and lighter than Ben and he doesnt like "man made things" he wont use a platform, he uses driftwood. I threw two chunks in and set up flow so it stays stuck in the corner with the light and. One piece is old....2 years now, and the other is very new, so they are sorta sitting on one another; Dips adores it.
After losing Sam and Ella, Dips was upgraded to a 90gallon.....he was in a 60 gallon wide. That is what is photoed below.......His new tank is much more deeper and open.....he ate all the greeney in that photo in a night....so it only looked this pretty for a few hours.....waht ever, its his home...right....lol
Well, I have been keeping turtles for close to 20 yrs and I have had many many set ups......but I am not that bored.......lol. I am merely trying to inspire you all to post your habitats and pics....
so I am wide awake and bored and so I am sharing my turtle joy with all of you...lol. Part of the joy of keeping turtles, for me, is the challenge of maintaining and creating a realistic and natural habitat for them. I realize they are destructive and messy......so most opt for minimal decoration and plants and what have you. I am interested in seeing or reading about other people habitats.....how often you clean and well everything.......I am a curious soul......hmm my Benedict must have infected me......lmao.
Anyways....my habitats. Presently up and running I have a 135gallon (filled till maybe 4' from the top. And a 90 gallon, same as above 4" from the top.
The 135gallon
Occupants: 20 yr old Benedicts (RES), 4 Large Tilapia (13", 12", 11" and 9")
Filters: 2 Filstar XP3's. Each..Bottom basket (filter pads), 2nd basket (those plastic ball like thingys) and three (carbon).
Heater Ebu Jager 300W (I think....its more than enough for a 6ft long tank)??
Lights: ZooMed I think?oh oh - getting old
Other: Aquaclear Powerhead, Aerator
Substrate Sand....not the play sand.....silica sand....it is heavier and settles quicker than play sand.
Decorations Rocks and Driftwood
Plants None at present but normally anacharis and hornwort, hyacinth, water lettuce, cypress heads when in season. Planted heavily....fish eat it in less than three days, with help from the king himself, Ben...buggers.
Basking SPot A piece of plexiglass siliconed to one side with rocks and corkboard. Its a rampless style....my guy wont use one.....he never has in his entire life......go figure.
This image is a few months old....since then a plexiglass ramp has been added as well as lighting.
90 gallon
Occupants: 4yr old Dipstick(RES), 1 Fire mouth Cichlid
Filters: 1 Filstar XP3's. Same set up as above tanks filter
Heater Ebu Jager 100W(I think....man I am getting old)
Lights: ZooMed I think?oh oh....yeah yeah...sshhh
Other: Aquaclear Powerhead,
Substrate Sand....I used play sand in this tank, as my LFS stopped selling it before I had a chance to get enough for his tank. So his is actually a mix of the two..
Decorations Rocks and Driftwood, Broken pot siliconed to a piece of slate and decorated with rocks.
Plants None at present but normally anacharis and hornwort, hyacinth, water lettuce, cypress heads when in season. Planted heavily....as Dips enjoys sleeping on it at the top and peeking through it all......
Basking Spot Dipstick is considerably smaller and lighter than Ben and he doesnt like "man made things" he wont use a platform, he uses driftwood. I threw two chunks in and set up flow so it stays stuck in the corner with the light and. One piece is old....2 years now, and the other is very new, so they are sorta sitting on one another; Dips adores it.
After losing Sam and Ella, Dips was upgraded to a 90gallon.....he was in a 60 gallon wide. That is what is photoed below.......His new tank is much more deeper and open.....he ate all the greeney in that photo in a night....so it only looked this pretty for a few hours.....waht ever, its his home...right....lol
Well, I have been keeping turtles for close to 20 yrs and I have had many many set ups......but I am not that bored.......lol. I am merely trying to inspire you all to post your habitats and pics....
