# New tank 6ft



## cadwallader (Jul 21, 2011)

Hey, this is my new 6ft turtle & maybe monitor tank, started the dry docking area today, i was planning to do a semi background but not to sure if ill still do that.

pic coming now


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## high_yellow (Jul 21, 2011)

pics ??


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## veenarm (Jul 21, 2011)

and the no photos award gooos tooo


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## cadwallader (Jul 21, 2011)

here she is

got the canister filter on the way, gravel in the garage, lights and heater ready so excited


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## Twitch_80 (Jul 21, 2011)

Nice, you can never have too many fish tanks hahaha... Im guessing you have the uv and spot light for dry dock etc? You should look into turtle grit, its great and it doesnt matter if they eat it. What sort of canister are you using? Im about to get another one for a large tank I havent set up yet and Im still undecided between a few diff eheim's. More importantly what sort of turtle are you getting? Water dragons as well?


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## cadwallader (Jul 21, 2011)

i have a macquarie turtle got him basically for free of a derro who had him in a 1.5ft tank no light nor filter, so he is turning 6 this year and has a shell length of 7cm, im hoping he will grow so i can mix him with a water monitor but will have to wait to see how he goes. in regards to filters i got this one Aqua Aquarium External Canister Water Filter 2000L 304B | eBay and then will see how that goes if it doesnt work to well i willl get a eheim's. and yer uv and spot light for lighting. 
Cheers any advice


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## Twitch_80 (Jul 21, 2011)

Off a derro lol I just imagined someone walking around with a shopping trolley and a turtle tank in it. 2000Lt an hour is a lot, should be clean hahaha. Advice, well you seem to have it sorted, Im guessing you know about diet, keeping fish with it, health etc? Myself I dont use normal gravel for a few reasons, turtle grit and river sand is the way to go. Im guessing you know about australian freshwater turtles site? Great care sheet there and heaps of people that know a whole lot more than me.. yet.. hahaha.. Ah Im jealous your in QLD, we cant keep painted turtles here and I really want some. Are you planning on keeping him in that tank or building a pond? I started building my pond but winter hit so I have put it off for a few months. Turtles are great, so funny and active.


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## cadwallader (Jul 21, 2011)

lol yer 2000 is alot but i will be getting an 8ft hopefully not long after this one so will use it for that, also hoping the canister has a power control switch so i can slow it down a little. at the moment he is feed a mix of turtle fish blocks every few days, tank is always full of plants and feeder fish ad he love the odd cricket, i think for now he will remain in this tank but if he starts to grow then i have a pond out the back i could expand. yer i would love a pig nose they are sooo cute  painteds are also great where do you buy river sand from? does it have to be from an aquarium/pet shop?


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## Twitch_80 (Jul 21, 2011)

Check out the australian freshwater turtles site, you can buy the grit and sand from them or find somewhere that has it. Its great, good for their shell, the ph, they can digest it. Bit cloudy when you first put it on but clears up pretty quick. If you run out of plants get some nori and just put it in water for a min then give it to them, they love it. Mine get cichlid pellets as well as feeders, plants (they dont last long), nori, small yabbies (the big ones I eat lol) and the odd finger end if someone isnt paying attention.


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## Grogshla (Jul 21, 2011)

looks great mate.


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## melluvssnakes (Jul 22, 2011)

I have turtles too, and I would kill for a tank that big. My babies are still only a few months old and living in a 3 foot tank for now. 
...What's nori?


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## lizardman59 (Jul 22, 2011)

niice tank they will be happy in there


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## Twitch_80 (Jul 22, 2011)

Nori=Seaweed for Japanese cooking, sushi, salads etc. They love it and its better than buying plants they just destroy all the time. I just soak it in some water for a min then put it in. Zuccini is pretty good as well, peel it and put it in, I often try and wedge it for the fish but in the turtle tank its hard, they just tug it out. They Murrays seem to like plants a lot more than others though.


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## cadwallader (Aug 6, 2011)

set up the canister filter from the link above tonight... wow i knew it was cheap but it is the biggest piece of poo ever. it hummms and rattles. but over all the filter works fine but the connections for the inlet and outlet are shocking, the intake tubes are not air tight at the connection so it constantly sucking in air which is making all the noise... saving up for an eheim now :S lol has any one else used that filter?


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## mad_at_arms (Aug 7, 2011)

Jeez Glad I didn't end up getting that filter, I'd had a look at it also.


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## Twitch_80 (Aug 10, 2011)

Eheim are my fav filters, the classic style canister are fantastic as the inlet is in the base and the outlet in the top which means all the water has to go through all of the filter material. They are great value for the price, easy to maintain and clean and make next to no noise. I looked at the really fancy ones and they do look pretty smick, digital display, adjustable flow etc and they tell you when they need a clean but the price is a lot more. We also have a no name and an aqua one but the eheim does a better job, makes less noise, the fittings are better and it has four valves on the hoses so you can just unplug it to clean without getting water everywhere, imo they look a lot better as well. Highly recommend.


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## melluvssnakes (Aug 11, 2011)

I'm looking at getting an aqua one canister (cause that's the only brand my work stocks yay for staff discounts) and teaming it with and undergravel filter (cause I'm really lazy and hate cleaning fish tanks). Can you go too overboard with the filter? The 4 foot tank I'm getting has got a basking spot built in to it, and with the water level half way up the sides it holds about 110L. If I put a canister filter on there that's designed for a 200L tank, is that over kill?

I just figure that cause turtles are filthy disgusting animals, bigger would be cleaner..?


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## Twitch_80 (Aug 11, 2011)

How big are the turtles? Extra filter is good but if they are tiny you dont want to just be pushing them around the tank. Under gravel are pretty much useless, in some of my tanks I have a canister and an internal filter, the canister does most of the work and the internal just creates a bit of a current which helps move stuff around to be filtered and Ill normally have the heater next to the internal or where the canister expels the water so the heat is dispersed. You can have more water than that as long as they cant climb out although they are by no means as clever as other reps and wont make much of an effort. 

They are not disgusting, just messy


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## Serpentess (Aug 11, 2011)

@ Mel: Bigger is always better with turtles. Filters are generally designed for fish who are no where near as messy as a turtle, so always pick the filter designed for a bigger tank than the one your turtle is in and you should have no real issues.


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## SamNabz (Aug 11, 2011)

Get a croc


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## Serpentess (Aug 11, 2011)

Haha, Sam, I'm sure he wishes he could. I know I wish I could. Unfortunately not allowed on a QLD licence.


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## cadwallader (Aug 11, 2011)

Thats a crap rule IMO like we can keep a 2m big dirty lacey and not a fresh water croc there is not much difference they can both cause alot of damage lol


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## Serpentess (Aug 11, 2011)

Haha, I agree. It's a stupid rule and I will rejoice if there's ever a day that it changes, but I don't see that happening, lol.


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## cadwallader (Aug 11, 2011)

yer it defiantly wont change any time soon thats for sure. i and forgot too add first background attempt MEGA FAIL haha dam it starting again FML


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## Serpentess (Aug 11, 2011)

Hahaha. Oh no... The fails begin. Hopefully the second attempt proves to be more successful. Pretty keen to see how it all turns out.


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## cadwallader (Aug 11, 2011)

im in Melbourne this weekend so cant start till im back after that. this was the most EMBARRASSING Fail ever. i have built so many hides backgrounds etc for sanke and monitors but never for a turtle tank so i threw it together the way i always do error 1. because this background is only for a short time i did not want to silicon it to the glass so i just ASSUMED it would sink ahahah it did not sink was so funny soon as i finished i though that it might float but i packed on heaps of concrete so it was soo heavy but nope floated like a boat


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## SteveNT (Aug 11, 2011)

Cadwallader

Why do you want a right hand drive Woma? Lefties are more fun!


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## Serpentess (Aug 11, 2011)

cadwallader said:


> im in Melbourne this weekend so cant start till im back after that. this was the most EMBARRASSING Fail ever. i have built so many hides backgrounds etc for sanke and monitors but never for a turtle tank so i threw it together the way i always do error 1. because this background is only for a short time i did not want to silicon it to the glass so i just ASSUMED it would sink ahahah it did not sink was so funny soon as i finished i though that it might float but i packed on heaps of concrete so it was soo heavy but nope floated like a boat



Bahahaha! That would have been such a heart-sinking moment for you, I'm sure. I can just imagine the excitement of going to place it in the tank and the disappointment when it failed. Aww. Hopefully you can find another enclosure for that background. Or I'm sure you could sell it off for a few (or more) bucks.


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## cadwallader (Aug 11, 2011)

lol yer haha my girl friend was crying in laughter, and i was like wow cant believe this ha


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## melluvssnakes (Aug 11, 2011)

Woops, I did say "filthy disgusting animals" with a gooey lovey smile on my face. Hate how you can't convey tone via text...
Reason I'm going for the undergravel plus the canister is cause the undergravel is supposed to be really good creating the good biological system in the tank. Plus, everything I've read says that it means you only have to do a proper clean once or twice a year... have a read of this
One effective setup for aquatic turtles in small tanks


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