Equipment:
- Marineland C-530 (55 turtle gals) under tank in 10gal tub; normal setup; lower foam pads > empty tray > small bio balls > ceramic rings + fine filter pad; flow center back of tank to front left corner
Fluval FX-6 (150 turtle gals) beside tank in 16gal tub; modified normal setup; outer foam pads > blue pad + 750g ceramic rings > 75 large bio balls > 150 small bio balls; flow left back of tank to right
Hydor Koralia Evo 850 circulation pump; flow bottom back of tank right to left
Eheim Jager 300W tank heater; maintaining 76-78F
Exo Terra 100w daytime heat lamp in compact dome; 12hr cycle maintaining 88-90F
Exo Terra 26W UVB 100 in deep dome; 12hr cycle
Intermatic TN311 mechanical timer running the above lights
Marineland Advanced LED strip for general dawn/day/dusk lighting (internal timer)
I have four C-530's in the house and I really like them for ease of cleaning and media basket volume. I don't like they are heavy to lift (no drain) and the handles that break suction of the lid tend to break. This is one of two FX-6's in the house; slightly more painful to clean because of the outer foam but the drain makes it lighter to carry and they run well. I have one Eheim 2262 in the house (awesome filter!) and I wanted to buy one for Missy, but wife and I decided we couldn't afford that when we had this FX-6 doing nothing (it and this tank were keeping goldfish until two years ago). I have four Eheim 2217's in the house and they are great for their size; I am a fan of the Eheim design.
Lighting scheme:
- Exo Terras on at 730am
Marineland blue LEDs on at 9am
Marineland white LEDs on at 10am
Exo Terras off at 730pm
Marineland white LEDs off at 8pm
Marineland blue LEDs off at 10pm
I've had the Intermatic timer since 2008 running heat lamps for dogs first and now turtle; it's been very reliable. The Marineland light is excellent except when the power goes out, it can't remember any custom times you've set. It defaults to the times I'm using... which is why I'm using them. I just have to reset the clock.
I have setup a Wyze Cam Pan v2 in front of the tank so I can keep an eye on things and check to make sure she's not basking before I barge in on her (she's a modest basker). I have two Wyze Cam v3 on the way which I will put on her basking area so I can enjoy her sunning. I'm pretty happy with this first camera.