Habitat - Indoor :: New Set up in Progress - Suggestions???

[skipper susie]

Hi Everyone!! I just purchased a used 100 gallon tank and will hopefully begin set up this weekend. I have 3 RES The smallest being about 5 inches and the largest around 8 inches. They are currently living in the 40 gallon breeder that they came with. I have had them since February and FINALLY found a larger tank I could afford. I know this one is still too small, but we are also building a 400 gallon pond in the back. So a few questions:

1) I purchased the lava rock the previous owner used in the tank. It is about 100 lbs worth! I was going to use them in the pond, but thought they would make great resting spots and hideaways for them. The ones in the tank will be larger pieces. Any concerns about this type of rock? I don't plan on using all of it, as I want them to have plenty of room to stretch & swim.

2) I also acquired a lot of crushed coral, again with the tank. I have read this is actually a good substrate for the kids. How deep do you think it should be? I was thinking around 1/2 inch at least. Also, would you recommend having an area with sand in it as well? I was thinking I could create a section for each type of substrate. I know this will be a bear to clean, but I have read they actually do well in sand as well.

3) Currently there are no plants in the tank. I was going to go with the plastic stuff of various lengths under & around the basking platform to give them a place to "hide".

4) The last one for now, is about the basking area. The tank measurements:
HEIGHT= 24"
WIDTH - 15"
LENGTH = 60"

I built an ATBA that consists of a 12x24 piece of textured tile and a plexi ramp affixed to the bottom of the tile. It is large because I wanted the three of them to be able to all get up there at one time, which they often do. My plan is to modify the PVC stand with 3 legs and use the tile as the platform. The new tank has a canopy with fluorescent fixtures inside. So my thought is to have the platform 19" high; 12" wide and 24" long. I was going to run the Marineland Magnum 350 filter and sponge filter with powerhead (for aeration) behind the platform (when looking at it from the front). I am not sure I like the idea of have a 3" gap from the back of the tank to the platform. In the other corner of the back of the tank I will be running a NEXX filter setup with 2 canisters. Any suggestions on this? I am trying to filter as much as I can, water is expensive this year and I would like to minimize the number of water changes I need to do monthly. I think we will be filtering at least 600 gph with this setup.

I live in Northern California (SF Bay Area) so they can actually spend alot of time outdoors, once the pond is built and we know they are secure (racoons & cats rule this 'hood). I also have two large dogs and need to make sure they don't have access to the turts. So... any comments or suggestions?

Thanks so much for any input!
Skippy!

[steve]

Do you know all their genders?

1-I wouldn't use something that is very abrasive
2-I think coral is not good for the tank, I can imagine it being hard to clean.
3-you can do that
4-do you have a picture of it?

[skipper susie]

Hi Steve,
I am pretty sure the smallest is a male and the 2 larger are females. But not 100% on that. I will take pics of them and post ASAP.

That was my concern, the abrasiveness of the lava rock. This seems to be suprisingly smooth, but I may have another option. The main reason I thought the rocks & crushed coral would be good was that they came from a fully cycled and stable tank. I know that is good for fish, but I wasn't sure if it was as big a concern for these guys. I haven't constructed the platform yet, that will be done tonight. I will post a few pics during the setup. Would you go with just a bare bottom or sand? I am hesitant to put large pebbles/small river rock in because this is a glass tank and older. I can just see one of the bigger turts tossing rocks in the tank.

Thanks again for the response.... will keep you updated.

[Jeremiah]

1) Either toss the lava rock, or incorporate it into some bonsai tree displays!

2) The coral is actually just fine, unless it's in huge chunks. I have spoken with several experienced, trustworthy keepers who use it.

3) I don't like to use submerged plants, either real or fake. The turtles usually destroy and eat them, which is dangerous in the case of plastic plants (i.e., impaction).

4) Some pictures of the setup would help, like Steve said, but as for filtration I recommend Fluval. Nexx isn't very good.

5) Unless you've already dug the pond, you might just want to invest in a 300 gallon stock tank, and make a custom cover out of wire and window framing.

[steve]

Jeremiah, I think crushed coral will buffer calcium into the water. At least that's what I was relayed. Probably fine for the turtle, not so great for the tank and filter.

[VeipaCray]

Crushed coral will buffer calcium in the water and raise the PH. Much internet documents on the topic. Crushed coral is/was popular in marine tanks for that very reason. Natural seawater is 8.3PH, coral helps it stay that high.

[Jeremiah]

Oh, I do agree with the effects on pH and calcium spread.

I thought we were talking about effects on basic health, as I've seen quite a few healthy RES in tanks with coral sand or crushed coral substrate (DBT's love it, too--especially WC ones). It provides a calcium source if the turtle doesn't have supplements or cuttlebone, and having some may even things out if your city has softer water. I would think that having a thin layer on the bottom would be generally harmless.

[skipper susie]

Hi everyone. I am sorry for the delayed update. My grandmother just move in so life has been a bit crazy. Now for some updates:

The tank is going strong. I swapped out the Magnum filter for a Fluval. Hooked it up today and within an hour my water went from that funky brown to crystal clear. I decided to add an additional carbon bag in place of one compartment of bio material. This filter is amazing! Great advice on the forums about this model. I also added to sponge filters in each corner of the tank running off two separate air pumps.

I finished the basking platform. Used the PVC stand method and bought two pieces of tile from Lowes cut to fit. I decided to use non-skid tape on the ramp and at the edge of the platform to give them some traction. Kevin & Artemis have been up there and there is plenty of room for Persephone. I went half the width of the tank to insure the three of them could bask together in the narrower tank. They liked being laid out basking together so I wanted to make sure they could still do that.

Thanks so much for the info, especially on the coral. I decided to try it out, and they REALLY like it. I haven't noticed any chewing on a regular basis but they do tend to burrow and clear certain areas of the tank floor. Cleaning it is not fun, but I added the sponge filters to try and combat that.

I did put a few pieces of the rock in. They seem to like it, as they lie on them when submerged sometimes. I tried to select pieces that were dense and somewhat smooth... not injuries yet.

Will post pics asap. Again, any suggestions are welcome!
Thanks
Susan