turtle people! i need your help!

what size light do i need for him? i'm only gonna put about four-six inches of water in the tank for now, and will increase it as he gets bigger (for ease of cleaning). the tank came with a hood and light, but based on my impression of the guy i bought it from, i'm sure it's a just a standard, factory fluorescent bulb. should i replace this with a different bulb and rig a clip-on for basking, or should i go with a mesh lid and use clips-on lights over that?

edit: i know he needs a uvb light and a basking light; i'm asking about the specs of what he needs for each. =)
 
Last edited:
Well the basking light can be a standard light bulb as long as it gets the basking area in the high 80's. I use a ReptiSun 10.0 for my turtles UVB lighting.
 
the bulb is labeled "GE aqua rays fresh & salt water 20w".

new light? i'm thinking new light.
 
Yes, I would get a new light. And keep in mind that anything between the light bulb and the turtle (glass/plastic) will filter out the UVB so you'll have to remove it.
 
mesh lid it is, then. :) ty
 
my (conditioned) tap water tests at 7.6 for pH... i can't find a species-specific requirement for ERCs... is this acceptable?
 
Your turtle will be fine. Most turtle species don't require a particular pH for their well being.
 
How big do they grow surely not bigger than my guys
 
well, i've been able to determine that scooter is actually a she, so i'm looking at as much as 16" inches of full-grown turtle. but i don't think i'm going to keep her that long.

also, she's now happily scooting along in my new 30 long, with about six or seven inches of water, the floating log basking thing, most of the river rocks that i'd pulled from the fish tank and put in the rubbermaid tub with her (after washing), and a nice big clump of frogbit from bubbles. i discovered when i cleaned and assembled it all last night that the jerk failed to mention that the tank's hood was in three pieces because it was BROKEN.... the three pieces just looked to me like they were supposed to be that way; guess that's my bad for not scrutinizing every detail of every part. v.v

so, tomorrow, i'm heading to the LFS for a background for the back and sides (she keeps trying to swim through the glass at the ends lmao), a heater, lights, a bag or two of fine gravel, and a lid. the filter that came with the tank looks like it should work fine, and it's for 30-60 gallons. (it even came with extra catridges... woot!)

i have pictures of her in the new tank, but it's midnight and i don't feel like digging through my bags to find my camera... i'll post them tomorrow lol

happy easter, all!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom