Revamped tort tank

[hlester22]

So yesterday I saw pics someone else's tort tank and it inspired me to revamp Tertius tank. I already had everything on hand from other projects ( building new iguana cage) so it was just a matter of doing it. So far Tertius seems to like it and navigates the ramp well.

 

[ascott]

Very cool....loving the loft

 

[dmarcus]

I agree, the loft is cool...

 

[Tom]

Very creative. I love what you've done there. Can't wait to see how he uses it. Please come back and tell us how and where he spends his time over the next few weeks. I'm curious how much he'll be up top and how much he'll be under the upper level. Where will the heat lamp be?

 

[hlester22]

Thanks guys. Tom, right now I have his uv lamp over the top level and the heat lamp over his water dish. I'll have to see how that works and move them around if needed. I only finished it about an hour ago. So far the temps are ranging from 77 to 85 in the upper level. And 95 over his water dish and 74 in the area under the top story. When I first put him in, I sat him in his water dish. He stayed there for about 10 minutes then walked up the ramp and found his food upstairs. He hasn't left since lol.

 

[nicoleandrocky]

i agree, the loft is very cool

 

[Jacqui]

How long did it take you?

 

[hlester22]

It took me a couple hours, mainly because I had never used power tools before and I needed to use them to drill some holes and cut out the opening in the smaller tub.

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Neato!

 

[Tyrtle]

Super! This gives me a great idea as ours are living in a tub much like the one you have pictured. I never thought of making a second story.

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Hey is that second story made from a dish room tub like you'd buy at a restaurant supply? If not, where did you get that?

 

[hlester22]

Went in to check on him and I found him hiding under the ramp, behind the spider plant. It's actually now staying 77 under there. I thought it would be cooler. He's checked every area out several times now. I think he likes it.

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Super! This gives me a great idea as ours are living in a tub much like the one you have pictured. I never thought of making a second story.

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Hey is that second story made from a dish room tub like you'd buy at a restaurant supply? If not, where did you get that?

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That's exactly what it is made from. It was in a two pack at SAMs club. I think it was like 12 bucks for them. They are super heavy duty too. I never thought about a second level either till I saw a post yesterday of someone else doing a tub in a tub. I really like how it turned out. Btw the ramp is from an old tub lid that I cut up. Then I used a lot of zip ties to attach the side rail to the ramp. The dirt covers them up.

 

[Tyrtle]

Went in to check on him and I found him hiding under the ramp, behind the spider plant. It's actually now staying 77 under there. I thought it would be cooler. He's checked every area out several times now. I think he likes it.

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Super! This gives me a great idea as ours are living in a tub much like the one you have pictured. I never thought of making a second story.

---

Hey is that second story made from a dish room tub like you'd buy at a restaurant supply? If not, where did you get that?

---

That's exactly what it is made from. It was in a two pack at SAMs club. I think it was like 12 bucks for them. They are super heavy duty too. I never thought about a second level either till I saw a post yesterday of someone else doing a tub in a tub. I really like how it turned out. Btw the ramp is from an old tub lid that I cut up. Then I used a lot of zip ties to attach the side rail to the ramp. The dirt covers them up.

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Thanks so much for the detail. I may have to try that. Looks simple enough!

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Went in to check on him and I found him hiding under the ramp, behind the spider plant. It's actually now staying 77 under there. I thought it would be cooler. He's checked every area out several times now. I think he likes it.

---

Super! This gives me a great idea as ours are living in a tub much like the one you have pictured. I never thought of making a second story.

---

Hey is that second story made from a dish room tub like you'd buy at a restaurant supply? If not, where did you get that?

---

That's exactly what it is made from. It was in a two pack at SAMs club. I think it was like 12 bucks for them. They are super heavy duty too. I never thought about a second level either till I saw a post yesterday of someone else doing a tub in a tub. I really like how it turned out. Btw the ramp is from an old tub lid that I cut up. Then I used a lot of zip ties to attach the side rail to the ramp. The dirt covers them up.

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Thanks so much for the detail. I may have to try that. Looks simple enough!

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I like how it also makes a built-in hide. What kind of substrate are you using? It looks so moist.

 

[hlester22]

The substrate is a mix of cypress mulch, coco coir and sphagnum moss. It seems to hold moisture pretty well. I had just got done remixing it with more water as well when I took the picture. That tub weighed prob close to 200 lbs. I could barely move it.

 

[lynnedit]

That is very creative, you certainly took the idea and ran with it. Great idea about the ramp and zip tying the side.

 

[hlester22]

Just chillin out. He's been sitting there for about an hour now. The CHE is right over the water dish. The uv lamp is still up top where I feed him, but he actually has been spending most of his time in the area under the top level. It's kind of surprising to me, because he never used his hide before I changed his tub

 

[hlester22]

Ok, so now I have redone Morlas tank. Very similar to Tertius tank. Except more plants, and a piece of plexiglass covering a lot of it to help keep humidity in. You can't see it well but there's an extra hide in the corner at the bottom of the ramp, under the fern.

 

[Tom]

I like it. Is that red bulb for night time?

 

[hlester22]

I like it. Is that red bulb for night time?

Yes, that's a red bulb. My 2 yr old shattered my other one by squirting it with water, so now I want to get a CHE but the bulb is just gonna have to work for now. I don't have a uv bulb for Morla because she gets sun everyday for at least an hour and I didn't want to stress her by making her enclosure to bright.

 

[Tom]

I don't like the colored bulbs during the day... or at night for that matter. During the day I think it makes things look "funny" to them. Sometimes they start eating their substrate under those bulbs. At night I don't like them because I prefer it dark. I don't think its all that big of a deal, just sharing my thoughts and talkin' torts with ya'. I think the CHE is a good way to go, and I really like to make their enclosure bright during the day. I've actually found it to be beneficial. After all it is supposed to be DAY time. You could just use a regular incandescent bulb for day time, if you wanted. That's what I do in my indoor enclosures since my torts get real sun all year long.

 

[hlester22]

I agree about the CHE but that is something I have to order. Maybe I'll just swap my iguanas CHE with Morlas red bulb until I can get another. If you don't think having it bright would stress out a 2 inch red foot then I will try it out. I do my homework but admit that I am a newbie to torts and will listen to the experts. After all, when it comes down to it, it's not about what I want but what is best for my shell babys. So please continue to offer advise.