Thank you so much for sharing! I've never seen a basking loft big enough for my 7 y/o RES in her 75g tank, I bought i right away! Turtle is much happier to have more swim space AND more basking space. Laid some rubber tile on the bottom to keep claws safe and secured some more textured material on the ramp, she started using it right away :) So happy you're sharing tips for keeping adult turtles, usually all i find is info for hatchlings :p
Can you share what you bought, because our turtles haven't taken to it yet but I think one of the issues is that the ramp is pretty steep. It has been less than 24 hours sine we installed it.
@@LA009Labdid your turtle ever take to it? We just bought this for ours and he will not go up the ramp. He will if I set him on the bottom of the ramp and give him a nudge but he will not go up on his own. We have added some material to the wrap as well
@@dustinthornton6353 She absolutely loves it now, it’s nice and hot up there. We did add some traction tape but we need to replenish the tape it’s been about a year now. Sorry to hear your turtle needs a nudge. Give him a little time I think he will love it eventually.
The ramp platform is too slippery for my turtle to climb up. There isn't any grip, as it's jut metal and she can't climb up. Anyone else run into this issue? Any suggestions on how to solve the problem?
To help with claws getting stuck I cut a piece of wood same dimensions as the topper and it sits on top of my tank and the topper on top of that. Another thing my turtle has gotten trapped inside the ramp, he went down from the side of the ramp and got stuck upside down in the opening so be cautious
Something else to consider - my turtles didn’t like the steep ramp at all… so I just put my floating turtle dock right up at the top of the tank and am only using the top of the thrive to keep them in and place lighting on. Works great and eliminates the issue of only being able to fill tank like 3/4 with a floating dock.
Thank you! This is just what we have been looking for. As you mentioned, we have been unable to find a good, commercially available tank topper. Our daughter's turtle is about 6" now, but we expect her to grow to 12". We are purchasing this today, but are looking forward to your update on customization. Hopefully to include widening the opening and ramp. It looks like that may be an issue for our turtle in the future. Thanks for making your videos!
Glad I could help. I unfortunately don't have a great mod for making the ramp/opening larger. But you could easily start with this and figure it out. Maybe when she grows too large think about cutting out the portion of the screen that is big enough and copying the types of ramps I've shown in my basking dock DIYs in my channel, good luck!
@@LongLiveYourTurtle Thanks! Our turtle doesn't seem to want to go up the ramp or inside the new dock. Looking forward to seeing your mod video on this topper.
I bought this for a 40 gal tank and while it's fairly new and will take some time for the turtle to the new basking area, a few criticisms I have for it are: 1. The ladder is too steep and doesn't have a lot for the turtle(yellow eared slider) to grip with their claws. Every time she tries to climb it, she slides down it. My temp. fix for it was to clamp on skewer sticks(with sharp ends cut off) on each level and now she can climb it no prob. 2. It needs a specific water filter and isn't compatible with most filters you'd get from pet stores. 3. Her nails tend to get stuck in the holes so might need to put something down for her to crawl on. (Got any fake grass in mind that she won't try to eat?) Other than those, it's a good new addition to the tank. Plus there's a lot of decorating opportunities. Also I found that covering the sides with something like a small towel makes the turtle more willing to crawl up the basking area cause she is shy around people.
Hi- Thank you for your review and mod videos!! You mentioned not many filters will fit the opening and that the Pann Plax 1200 is a little bit of overkill for a 40 gallon tank with 1 turtle. Can you recommend another model filter of the same or smaller tube size, and which you wouldn’t consider overkill? Thank you (and happy to buy via your affiliate link)!!
Yay! Thank you for this awesome video!! I just bought this accessory because my turtle has finally outgrown her medium floating basking dock and the large size basking dock is too big for a 40 gallon tank. Not to mention, she loves to pull off the suction cups, detach it, and flip her basking dock upside down. She’s a fun one. I already have the exact same dome setup as the video and I have the exact same UVB bulb in which I intend to keep both. My only question before I make the switch to this setup is regarding the heat bulb, I am in FL. Without the heat bulb, the water is already around 80 F. I have to temporarily house my turtle in the garage. I see options for a 40 watt heat bulb on Chewy that will fit in this dome. My main concerns are as follows: 1. With the 40 watt bulb being so close to her in this setup, it still might be too hot. If that is the case, what are my other bulb options? 2. I like having a bulb for her regardless because it does give light to the tank. Thank you in advance for your suggestions. I would love to get this setup up and running as soon as possible. Also, I am seeing comments about claws getting stuck, is that common? If so, what is the fix for that? TIA!!
Great vid. I'm glad you showed it on the 75g. What do you recommend doing when your turtle gets to big to climb through the opening? Is it easily customizable?
The ramp is hard to customize unfortunately since it is built into a screen. You'd have to cutout the screen and add a new ramp (I'd suggest acrylic bent in the middle, one side acting as the ramp and the other side glue to the remaining screen. Good luck!
I almost lost my turtle to a in tank heater I recommend taking that out asap and do an external pump heater that attaches to the hosing of your canister ! Trust me I went through a lot with that heater
Ty for reviewing this. I have had this for a while myself for my 1 yo RES. He/she is skiddish with it, but the grass/glue idea is brilliant. I had repti-turf but he kept trying to eat it. Going to try the fake grass and glue-down idea from your other video. Also I realized I had to use lower 50w bulb to keep heat 80s and sub-90 because of the relatively short distance from platform to light (assuming no extension). Great videos!
P.S. People should also note that if you 'modify' this product (e.g., cut an opening through the mesh), the exposed endings are quite sharp. I modified mine to suit an intake valve and had to put turf around the opening to keep the jagged edges away from turtle.
Reason why I had to return this was because they didn’t think of how us canister filters users would be able to attach our outflow and inflow tank since it’s metal and doesn’t allow space for it since it’s covering the whole tank. Thing honestly sucks where do they expect to put the filters part in the aquarium?
Yeah, watch until later in my video, I show it can be done. But I’d just throw out the lid and make a cover for the open side. This is still one of the only above tank basking platforms you can buy on the pet store shelves. Not optimal but can be worked around. Good luck!
Hello.. question.. how you gonna put a filter on the aquarium ? But this is nice though because it covers the whole area and safe from flying dust because my aquarium is outside the lanai. Where did you buy this by the way? I look at this at amazon but it's not available. thank you
Hi, thanks so much for the video! I have been looking for something for my 20 year old red eared slider. We've been through so many in- tank and hob filters, floating platforms, etc. Sheesh. I know his water level hasn't been high enough to swim but he seems an escape artist (or trying to). This I think will be the perfect solution as we have a 40 gal. tank.
General rule of thumb is a turtle should have at least 10 gallons of water per inch of their shell length-so if your turtle’s shell length is 4 inches, they need at least 40 gallons of water to swim in. Being that your turtle is a male red eared slider, they generally get between 5 and 7 inches full grown, which means he needs at least a 50 to 70 gallon tank. Commercially a 55 and 75 gallon tank is what’s available, so your turtle needs one of those two (depending on his shell length) to thrive. My 17 year old red eared slider stopped trying to escape so much once he had adequate room in his tank, so please look into upgrading your turtle’s tank to a larger size as 40 gallons is too small for an adult RES 🙏
****HELP**** LOVE your videos! My friend and I had a 9 yr old yellow bellied slider. The turtle lived most of it's life in conditions that were not ideal for a turtle. Cold temperatures, little water and no correct lighting. He survived for years this way! We stepped in and following your videos and were able rehabed it. We had all the proper filtration, lighting (UVA/UVB, basking bulb) including a basking box, we checked Temps daily. We checked water conditions weekly. The turtle, Squirt, seemed so happy! After about 2 months in the new environment Squirt developed tiny little red spots around the neck. They came on all of a sudden. We treated him with NatureZone Fungal treatment. The next day Squirt died. We are completely puzzled!!! I can't find anything online about tiny red spot on just the neck of a turtle. Our local vet won't help because, well the turtle is now passed. Before we could even get it into the vet it would have passed. The spots came on and within 3 days Squirt passed. Before we think about getting another turtle we want to make sure we didn't make a mistake. Any advice would help!
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear this :( unfortunately I have never heard of this issue. It might be worth it to reach out to forums or a different vet that could give some potential ailments. Again, so sorry for your loss :/
Thank you for having a kind soul and trying to give the turtle a better life. I've taken in two turtles that were clearly not in good condition and now I have three healthy turtles swimming around. Always worth saving a pet
Hey BYerkey, it sounds like your turtle had septicemia, which is blood poisoning. This usually happens from an injury or shell rot that got infected and ended up spreading to the blood. Being that your turtle previously came from poor conditions, it’s likely he developed this from then and it took a while to show up once he was with you and your friend. Septicemia is an emergency situation and has to be treated by a vet with strong antibiotics either orally or intravenously, so over-the-counter topical treatments won’t help. Usually when symptoms like red spots show up, the condition is progressed, so they have to be taken to the vet immediately (ER probably). I’m sorry your turtle didn’t make it as you did your very best at providing him a good home. Make sure next time you acquire a turtle to take them to a vet first to do a checkup to make sure everything is good, especially if it’s a rescued turtle like in Squirt’s case. Any sudden coloration of red or pink to the turtle’s skin is not a good sign, so for the future make sure to take them to an ER vet if it ever happens again. At least Squirt had a wonderful end of his life with people that cared for him-not many pet turtles get that 🙏
This was amazing! I just bought it and also purchased reptile carpet for the floor and even to add grip on the ramp. I’m just not sure what lights to use. I have the dual one like you showed but not the long one. What 2 bulbs would you put in there and then would you add the long one on the side to hit the water? Please someone comment and explain.
dont know if i got a dud, but i bought this loft for my aqueon 75 gallon tank , as its supposed to fit being the same dimensions as the 40. Well i tried to install it today and the floor of the loft wasnt wide enough to fit over the black frame of my 75 gallon tank. I measured the product and the floor of the loft barely measured 18.5 inches. Sad cause now I have to return it and build something myself... again ☹️
Okay… love the video but please a question I have not been able to figure out… How do you feed your aquatic turtle? The cover completely covers the area and aquatic turtles only eat in the water!
That’s a great question! You can sprinkle food in the small openings where filter tubing could go or open the basking area lid and feed through the ramp opening. It’s not the easiest setup to deal with.
I Love this turtle topper and the DIY ideas. This was planning on being my first addition to my new tank but now im having second thoughts. Does every breed of aquatic turtle have to come Completely out of the water in order to bask? Asking because I have a pink belly sideneck that seems to only remove half of their body out of the water when basking. Never fully. The turtle is also very young so maybe is still cautious / shy.
I watched the video over and over over I liked it I bought one for my 75 gallon tank gallant tank I had to shave a little bit off the top of a plastic in order to make it fit get fit but my turtle loves it less than 5 minutes he was up there on the basking the problem miss he has a hard time on that ramp case a small turtle I'm gonna have to come up with something Thank you again I like your videos
Will those metal mesh gets hot from heating and burn the turtle’s feet? I am building a system to have both fish and turtle, and this could be a good option for that. But I just have the one concern as a beginner. Thanks!
The opening is about 7" across, your turtle would have a hard time squeezing through. Here is a great option! - longliveyourturtle.etsy.com/listing/1671157298/turtle-basker-5500-above-tank-basking
I purchased this and love the idea of it.. however my full size red eared sliders haven't figured out that they need to go up the ramp in 4 days.. how do I get them to find where they need to go? Thanks!!
Hmmm, does your slider fit in the ramp area? Have they tried to get up? You could start them inside of it so they have to make their way down? It can take several days (I've heard up to two weeks) for a turtle to figure it out, so give them some time and space and hopefully they will start the climb!
@@LongLiveYourTurtle THANKS! I’ll give it a little longer before returning it. As you’ve said.. the ramp is also very difficult so maybe I’ll try your hack!
I was so excited to get this but unfortunately I can't use it cause my tank isn't wide enough :( wish different sizes was made I've been looking for something like this forever
🆘 I bought this and I’m just confused on what bulbs to use because I have the dual set up like you but not the long one should I go out and get it to hit the water and if so what do I put in my dual set up? Just one 40 wat like you said I’m not sure
New turtle keeper here. How do you run your heater and filters with this setup. We have a whale canister filter and I cant see how this would be compatible with this. Also, we have a full length tank light.
Light won’t work with this setup unfortunately. If you want to use filters I’d suggest modifying the screen to fit the tubes/ wires. Unfortunately the screen is not great for anything but thin filter tubing, and then it’s hard to take off. Really I’d suggest coming up with a diy method for the remaking open area, maybe black egg crate (light diffuser). Hope that helps!
Not sure If I missed this info in the vid or other comments, but what are the dimensions of the ramp entrance? I have a stunted 9 year old female yellow belly (due to previous conditions) and she's a tad over 5 inches wide. Trying to give her the mansion of a habitat she deserves!
Did you have trouble getting the bottom ramp platform to sit easily on the tank?? Mine seems to be an 1/8" too short and doesn’t easily sit on the tank. Product defect maybe??
Yes tough one to mod! I’d cutout the screen around the ramp area and make a new bigger one using plastic pieces to make the whole rigid and bent acrylic for the ramp!
i have this for my yellow belly, shes abt 2 years old and this is her first one so idk if she isnt used to going up the ramp but she refuses to get up, even if i try to push her up she will fight it, when i put her there myself she will not get down, i just got a 40 gal for her and it seems like she dosent like the tank lol
It can take some time getting used to, especially since the entrance to this dock is rather small. They ramp is also difficult to climb. I suggest modding the topper to make it better for your turt. Check out my DIY mod in my channel!
I have this same one and for some reason my baby hatchling turtles won’t go up to bask they used to bask on an in tank one i see them sitting on the ramp might not be able to climb up
@@LongLiveYourTurtle Yes I saw it already I read that turtles will eat the fake grass but we did something to add grip for them but most of them did just not like it i think because they are still hatchlings and are afraid of going too far from the water
Does any 40 watt halogen bulb work? Even ones that look like regular house light bulbs? Currently looking at "SYLVANIA Halogen Lamp Double Life Light Bulb, A19, 40W Equivalent, Efficient 28W, Dimmable, 340 Lumens, 2700K, Soft White - 4 Pack (50047)" on amazon
Looks like that one is "40 watts equivalent" so may not reach the desired heat. But regular house bulbs are fine, just make sure you get the right heat. It may be trial and error. Good luck!
There is a lot of advice out there that differ for what bulb to use. Best thing to do if you don't have a meter to measure what your light is producing is to get a trusted brand and following the instructions. It should tell you at what height the bulb produces a certain Ferguson zone. Match your turtle's zone with the height that it says. Thanks for the comment!
Checkout this part in my video. Its limited for sure if you want to use the small opening in the cover. You can easily cutout more screen if you need larger tubing to fit. Good luck!
It is. But it is also the only spot to put filter tubes because you need a filter. you could use an internal filter but I don't recommend them, especially since the water needs to be filled to near the top. Thanks for the comment!
@@LongLiveYourTurtle yeah I feel like this product wasn’t thought through very well because it’s obviously for a turtle and you must have a large filter for turtle waste. Thank you for reviewing. I had been looking at this product for a while.
@byronakahazard I had to stop using it before the rust pieces started falling in the water. I use the Penn-Plax above tank basking platform with the extended clips( sold separately) on my 40G Breeder tank and its perfect
I have one I bought that won't fit. If still interested instead of returning it I'll let you buy if you're willing to pay shipping also. Let me know 🤷🏼♀️
So much talking. What is the focus here? I thought this was about the basking area. Maybe you should do a separate video about the light. This is overwhelming. Seems like good info, but I couldn’t absorb it all bc you go from basking to light bulb and temps.
Omg dude! Someone give this guy the "International Peace Honors" award. Seriously thank you. So much time/trial and error have been saved. So many thoughts/theories are satisfied. Reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeespect. 🫵🏼🏆 Let's take a look inside this guy 🩻... yup just what I thought, 💛 heart of gold.
Any recommendations to make the ramp have more grip? The ramp is too slippery for my turtle to climb up. I was think waterproof grip tape, but I’m not sure
Thank you so much for sharing! I've never seen a basking loft big enough for my 7 y/o RES in her 75g tank, I bought i right away! Turtle is much happier to have more swim space AND more basking space. Laid some rubber tile on the bottom to keep claws safe and secured some more textured material on the ramp, she started using it right away :) So happy you're sharing tips for keeping adult turtles, usually all i find is info for hatchlings :p
Love the mods! Yeah that’s a big problem with what the stores sell. So we just have to DIY! Thanks for the comment!
Hey I am just asking you think it would fit for a 75 gallon tank but like wide is 18 inches
Can you share what you bought, because our turtles haven't taken to it yet but I think one of the issues is that the ramp is pretty steep. It has been less than 24 hours sine we installed it.
@@LA009Labdid your turtle ever take to it? We just bought this for ours and he will not go up the ramp. He will if I set him on the bottom of the ramp and give him a nudge but he will not go up on his own. We have added some material to the wrap as well
@@dustinthornton6353 She absolutely loves it now, it’s nice and hot up there. We did add some traction tape but we need to replenish the tape it’s been about a year now. Sorry to hear your turtle needs a nudge. Give him a little time I think he will love it eventually.
thanks for including the 75 gallon tank example. So helpful to see the fit!
Glad it was helpful!
The ramp platform is too slippery for my turtle to climb up. There isn't any grip, as it's jut metal and she can't climb up. Anyone else run into this issue? Any suggestions on how to solve the problem?
Im trying to put some turf on mine rn but if that doesnt work then im gonna try putting some aquarium caulk on the ramp for some extra grip
To help with claws getting stuck I cut a piece of wood same dimensions as the topper and it sits on top of my tank and the topper on top of that. Another thing my turtle has gotten trapped inside the ramp, he went down from the side of the ramp and got stuck upside down in the opening so be cautious
I like the mod! Watch that your wood doesn’t rod/mold though. Thanks for the comment!
Something else to consider - my turtles didn’t like the steep ramp at all… so I just put my floating turtle dock right up at the top of the tank and am only using the top of the thrive to keep them in and place lighting on. Works great and eliminates the issue of only being able to fill tank like 3/4 with a floating dock.
This video is so amazing and comprehensive. Thank you so much!
Thanks for watching!
The dog is so unbothered 😂 LOVE IT ❤
Thank you! This is just what we have been looking for. As you mentioned, we have been unable to find a good, commercially available tank topper. Our daughter's turtle is about 6" now, but we expect her to grow to 12". We are purchasing this today, but are looking forward to your update on customization. Hopefully to include widening the opening and ramp. It looks like that may be an issue for our turtle in the future. Thanks for making your videos!
Glad I could help. I unfortunately don't have a great mod for making the ramp/opening larger. But you could easily start with this and figure it out. Maybe when she grows too large think about cutting out the portion of the screen that is big enough and copying the types of ramps I've shown in my basking dock DIYs in my channel, good luck!
@@LongLiveYourTurtle Thanks! Our turtle doesn't seem to want to go up the ramp or inside the new dock. Looking forward to seeing your mod video on this topper.
I bought this for a 40 gal tank and while it's fairly new and will take some time for the turtle to the new basking area, a few criticisms I have for it are:
1. The ladder is too steep and doesn't have a lot for the turtle(yellow eared slider) to grip with their claws. Every time she tries to climb it, she slides down it. My temp. fix for it was to clamp on skewer sticks(with sharp ends cut off) on each level and now she can climb it no prob.
2. It needs a specific water filter and isn't compatible with most filters you'd get from pet stores.
3. Her nails tend to get stuck in the holes so might need to put something down for her to crawl on. (Got any fake grass in mind that she won't try to eat?)
Other than those, it's a good new addition to the tank. Plus there's a lot of decorating opportunities. Also I found that covering the sides with something like a small towel makes the turtle more willing to crawl up the basking area cause she is shy around people.
Can you provide a photo of how you clamped down skewer sticks? I'm having the same issue.
@@dreamsava1 use big paper clamps on the sides to hold down the skewers
Hi- Thank you for your review and mod videos!! You mentioned not many filters will fit the opening and that the Pann Plax 1200 is a little bit of overkill for a 40 gallon tank with 1 turtle. Can you recommend another model filter of the same or smaller tube size, and which you wouldn’t consider overkill? Thank you (and happy to buy via your affiliate link)!!
Yay! Thank you for this awesome video!!
I just bought this accessory because my turtle has finally outgrown her medium floating basking dock and the large size basking dock is too big for a 40 gallon tank. Not to mention, she loves to pull off the suction cups, detach it, and flip her basking dock upside down. She’s a fun one.
I already have the exact same dome setup as the video and I have the exact same UVB bulb in which I intend to keep both.
My only question before I make the switch to this setup is regarding the heat bulb, I am in FL. Without the heat bulb, the water is already around 80 F. I have to temporarily house my turtle in the garage. I see options for a 40 watt heat bulb on Chewy that will fit in this dome. My main concerns are as follows:
1. With the 40 watt bulb being so close to her in this setup, it still might be too hot. If that is the case, what are my other bulb options?
2. I like having a bulb for her regardless because it does give light to the tank.
Thank you in advance for your suggestions. I would love to get this setup up and running as soon as possible.
Also, I am seeing comments about claws getting stuck, is that common? If so, what is the fix for that?
TIA!!
Thank you!! You are the best help everytime!! LLYT!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow thanks! Happy to help!
Great vid. I'm glad you showed it on the 75g. What do you recommend doing when your turtle gets to big to climb through the opening? Is it easily customizable?
The ramp is hard to customize unfortunately since it is built into a screen. You'd have to cutout the screen and add a new ramp (I'd suggest acrylic bent in the middle, one side acting as the ramp and the other side glue to the remaining screen. Good luck!
I almost lost my turtle to a in tank heater I recommend taking that out asap and do an external pump heater that attaches to the hosing of your canister ! Trust me I went through a lot with that heater
How did the heater almost take their turtle? What happened?
Great video. Those look pretty well made. I hope they make a longer set up that will fit/ cover the area of a 55gal.
Need to rinse the sand. Did you get the exact same kind? Or add new driftwood too? That can also cause the water to change color.
about how wide is the ramp? i have a couple of 23 year old turtles and the biggest is 6 and 1/2 inches.
It is about 7 inches, so I think your turtle would have a very tight fit!
Great video , u did explain everything about this basking platform thank u
Ran across this video after I brought the basket trying too figure out what filter you have
Ty for reviewing this. I have had this for a while myself for my 1 yo RES. He/she is skiddish with it, but the grass/glue idea is brilliant. I had repti-turf but he kept trying to eat it. Going to try the fake grass and glue-down idea from your other video. Also I realized I had to use lower 50w bulb to keep heat 80s and sub-90 because of the relatively short distance from platform to light (assuming no extension). Great videos!
P.S. People should also note that if you 'modify' this product (e.g., cut an opening through the mesh), the exposed endings are quite sharp. I modified mine to suit an intake valve and had to put turf around the opening to keep the jagged edges away from turtle.
Love the grass, easy solution and looks great! Thanks for the comment :)
Also great advice!
Was waiting for this
Reason why I had to return this was because they didn’t think of how us canister filters users would be able to attach our outflow and inflow tank since it’s metal and doesn’t allow space for it since it’s covering the whole tank. Thing honestly sucks where do they expect to put the filters part in the aquarium?
Yeah, watch until later in my video, I show it can be done. But I’d just throw out the lid and make a cover for the open side. This is still one of the only above tank basking platforms you can buy on the pet store shelves. Not optimal but can be worked around. Good luck!
Hello.. question.. how you gonna put a filter on the aquarium ? But this is nice though because it covers the whole area and safe from flying dust because my aquarium is outside the lanai. Where did you buy this by the way? I look at this at amazon but it's not available. thank you
Thank you so much!!! I just bought this and my lilo loves it ❤
Fantastic!
Great video!! Thank you!!!
Hi, thanks so much for the video! I have been looking for something for my 20 year old red eared slider. We've been through so many in- tank and hob filters, floating platforms, etc. Sheesh. I know his water level hasn't been high enough to swim but he seems an escape artist (or trying to). This I think will be the perfect solution as we have a 40 gal. tank.
Awesome! Good luck! :)
General rule of thumb is a turtle should have at least 10 gallons of water per inch of their shell length-so if your turtle’s shell length is 4 inches, they need at least 40 gallons of water to swim in. Being that your turtle is a male red eared slider, they generally get between 5 and 7 inches full grown, which means he needs at least a 50 to 70 gallon tank. Commercially a 55 and 75 gallon tank is what’s available, so your turtle needs one of those two (depending on his shell length) to thrive. My 17 year old red eared slider stopped trying to escape so much once he had adequate room in his tank, so please look into upgrading your turtle’s tank to a larger size as 40 gallons is too small for an adult RES 🙏
****HELP****
LOVE your videos! My friend and I had a 9 yr old yellow bellied slider. The turtle lived most of it's life in conditions that were not ideal for a turtle. Cold temperatures, little water and no correct lighting. He survived for years this way! We stepped in and following your videos and were able rehabed it. We had all the proper filtration, lighting (UVA/UVB, basking bulb) including a basking box, we checked Temps daily. We checked water conditions weekly. The turtle, Squirt, seemed so happy! After about 2 months in the new environment Squirt developed tiny little red spots around the neck. They came on all of a sudden. We treated him with NatureZone Fungal treatment. The next day Squirt died. We are completely puzzled!!! I can't find anything online about tiny red spot on just the neck of a turtle. Our local vet won't help because, well the turtle is now passed. Before we could even get it into the vet it would have passed. The spots came on and within 3 days Squirt passed.
Before we think about getting another turtle we want to make sure we didn't make a mistake. Any advice would help!
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear this :( unfortunately I have never heard of this issue. It might be worth it to reach out to forums or a different vet that could give some potential ailments. Again, so sorry for your loss :/
@@LongLiveYourTurtle thank you for responding it's much appreciated ❤️
Thank you for having a kind soul and trying to give the turtle a better life. I've taken in two turtles that were clearly not in good condition and now I have three healthy turtles swimming around. Always worth saving a pet
@@thekickassmexican102 That is awesome! Thanks for sharing and Long Live You and Your Turts!
Hey BYerkey, it sounds like your turtle had septicemia, which is blood poisoning. This usually happens from an injury or shell rot that got infected and ended up spreading to the blood. Being that your turtle previously came from poor conditions, it’s likely he developed this from then and it took a while to show up once he was with you and your friend. Septicemia is an emergency situation and has to be treated by a vet with strong antibiotics either orally or intravenously, so over-the-counter topical treatments won’t help. Usually when symptoms like red spots show up, the condition is progressed, so they have to be taken to the vet immediately (ER probably). I’m sorry your turtle didn’t make it as you did your very best at providing him a good home. Make sure next time you acquire a turtle to take them to a vet first to do a checkup to make sure everything is good, especially if it’s a rescued turtle like in Squirt’s case. Any sudden coloration of red or pink to the turtle’s skin is not a good sign, so for the future make sure to take them to an ER vet if it ever happens again.
At least Squirt had a wonderful end of his life with people that cared for him-not many pet turtles get that 🙏
This was amazing! I just bought it and also purchased reptile carpet for the floor and even to add grip on the ramp. I’m just not sure what lights to use. I have the dual one like you showed but not the long one. What 2 bulbs would you put in there and then would you add the long one on the side to hit the water? Please someone comment and explain.
dont know if i got a dud, but i bought this loft for my aqueon 75 gallon tank , as its supposed to fit being the same dimensions as the 40. Well i tried to install it today and the floor of the loft wasnt wide enough to fit over the black frame of my 75 gallon tank. I measured the product and the floor of the loft barely measured 18.5 inches. Sad cause now I have to return it and build something myself... again ☹️
Same here
Okay… love the video but please a question I have not been able to figure out… How do you feed your aquatic turtle? The cover completely covers the area and aquatic turtles only eat in the water!
That’s a great question! You can sprinkle food in the small openings where filter tubing could go or open the basking area lid and feed through the ramp opening. It’s not the easiest setup to deal with.
this is great for my turtles! However their nails will get stuck in the mesh metal material and break off so I suggest a covering over it!
Ty
I Love this turtle topper and the DIY ideas. This was planning on being my first addition to my new tank but now im having second thoughts. Does every breed of aquatic turtle have to come Completely out of the water in order to bask? Asking because I have a pink belly sideneck that seems to only remove half of their body out of the water when basking. Never fully. The turtle is also very young so maybe is still cautious / shy.
I watched the video over and over over I liked it I bought one for my 75 gallon tank gallant tank I had to shave a little bit off the top of a plastic in order to make it fit get fit but my turtle loves it less than 5 minutes he was up there on the basking the problem miss he has a hard time on that ramp case a small turtle I'm gonna have to come up with something Thank you again I like your videos
Awesome! Glad you still made it work. Check out my video on how to improve it! Easy and elegant :)
You mention the 13w was too low So what’s the correct bulb for the double dome?
Will those metal mesh gets hot from heating and burn the turtle’s feet? I am building a system to have both fish and turtle, and this could be a good option for that. But I just have the one concern as a beginner. Thanks!
Great video. Do you think this topper would fit a 55 gallon tank?
No, unfortunately it is too wide.
Can I ask what kind of filter should I get for a 40 gallon tank? I’m not sure which filter is better for my turtle
How wide is the ramp oppening. My turtle is about 6.5" wide, hes a big fella. Would he fit without modding it?
The opening is about 7" across, your turtle would have a hard time squeezing through. Here is a great option! - longliveyourturtle.etsy.com/listing/1671157298/turtle-basker-5500-above-tank-basking
I purchased this and love the idea of it.. however my full size red eared sliders haven't figured out that they need to go up the ramp in 4 days.. how do I get them to find where they need to go? Thanks!!
Hmmm, does your slider fit in the ramp area? Have they tried to get up? You could start them inside of it so they have to make their way down? It can take several days (I've heard up to two weeks) for a turtle to figure it out, so give them some time and space and hopefully they will start the climb!
@@LongLiveYourTurtle THANKS! I’ll give it a little longer before returning it. As you’ve said.. the ramp is also very difficult so maybe I’ll try your hack!
How large is the ramp opening wondering if it's wide enough for my RES.
Wanting to get this for my tank what filter do you have? I have a 40 gal thrive tank
I was so excited to get this but unfortunately I can't use it cause my tank isn't wide enough :( wish different sizes was made I've been looking for something like this forever
Had this tank for 3yrs
Can you tell me the dimensions of it? i only have a 29 gallon tank. I would like to see if this would still fit. our tank is 12 1/2 x 30 1/4.
🆘 I bought this and I’m just confused on what bulbs to use because I have the dual set up like you but not the long one should I go out and get it to hit the water and if so what do I put in my dual set up? Just one 40 wat like you said I’m not sure
New turtle keeper here. How do you run your heater and filters with this setup. We have a whale canister filter and I cant see how this would be compatible with this.
Also, we have a full length tank light.
Light won’t work with this setup unfortunately. If you want to use filters I’d suggest modifying the screen to fit the tubes/ wires. Unfortunately the screen is not great for anything but thin filter tubing, and then it’s hard to take off. Really I’d suggest coming up with a diy method for the remaking open area, maybe black egg crate (light diffuser). Hope that helps!
@@LongLiveYourTurtle thank you!
My 75 Gallon doesnt have a brace in the middle. Would it still be able to be secured?
The brace isn’t required for the topper but you will need to cover the remaining open end somehow!
Not sure If I missed this info in the vid or other comments, but what are the dimensions of the ramp entrance? I have a stunted 9 year old female yellow belly (due to previous conditions) and she's a tad over 5 inches wide. Trying to give her the mansion of a habitat she deserves!
Ramp it’s just over 7 inches wide I have the same problem but we are all good! Just had to add grip to the ramp
Did you have trouble getting the bottom ramp platform to sit easily on the tank?? Mine seems to be an 1/8" too short and doesn’t easily sit on the tank. Product defect maybe??
I have the same problem
How do I get my turtle because my RES won’t use it after like 3 days
Anyone know when these will be back in stock, they have been sold out for like 6 months
How wide is the ramp itself ? And is there any design that will fit a 50 gallon tank ?
Will this fit on a 125 gallon?
I really did think that dog was a blanket before it moved. 😳
Haha, so did I when i rewatched ;)
What heat lamp do you use if you’re gonna be using the reptisun T5 light tube?
If my tank is a bit small in width can it still safely go on
Looks OK with a little mods , but are you making a T 4000 for sale soon ? I hope🙏🏻
Next video will shows some mods! And yes indeed I’m working on it now!
do you know where else I might be able to find something like this? It’s out of stock at every PetSmart location near me
My own design! - www.etsy.com/listing/1318779865/turtle-basker-4500-above-tank-basking?ref=listings_manager_grid
Wil the lights burn the screen 😭? I’m scared of leaving it on all night
Use a timer outlet and set it to turn off at night 😊
I bought this same exact one but my painted turtle hates it unfortunately he loves his regular floating basking area
Alas!
This works great for my male, but my female can't fit. I am working to modify it, but I can't get the ramp trim to pop off.
Yes tough one to mod! I’d cutout the screen around the ramp area and make a new bigger one using plastic pieces to make the whole rigid and bent acrylic for the ramp!
i have this for my yellow belly, shes abt 2 years old and this is her first one so idk if she isnt used to going up the ramp but she refuses to get up, even if i try to push her up she will fight it, when i put her there myself she will not get down, i just got a 40 gal for her and it seems like she dosent like the tank lol
It can take some time getting used to, especially since the entrance to this dock is rather small. They ramp is also difficult to climb. I suggest modding the topper to make it better for your turt. Check out my DIY mod in my channel!
@@LongLiveYourTurtle okay tysm
Love the video! Does anyone know the width of the ramp?
I have this same one and for some reason my baby hatchling turtles won’t go up to bask they used to bask on an in tank one i see them sitting on the ramp might not be able to climb up
The ramp can be quite hard to climb, check out my mod video to fix this! - th-cam.com/video/3PA68Y0tz6Y/w-d-xo.html
@@LongLiveYourTurtle Yes I saw it already I read that turtles will eat the fake grass but we did something to add grip for them but most of them did just not like it i think because they are still hatchlings and are afraid of going too far from the water
Btw what’s your Etsy store ?? Link it
Does any 40 watt halogen bulb work? Even ones that look like regular house light bulbs?
Currently looking at "SYLVANIA Halogen Lamp Double Life Light Bulb, A19, 40W Equivalent, Efficient 28W, Dimmable, 340 Lumens, 2700K, Soft White - 4 Pack (50047)" on amazon
Looks like that one is "40 watts equivalent" so may not reach the desired heat. But regular house bulbs are fine, just make sure you get the right heat. It may be trial and error. Good luck!
Loooing to purchase this & upgrade my 40 breeder to a 75 but the aqueon tank says it’s 19.5 not 18.5 so just curious if this would work
Check the real measurements, I’ve seen this before but it’s really 18.375 inches!
So does it fit on a 40 gallon breeder?
Yes, this is what it was specifically designed for.
@@LongLiveYourTurtle sorry asked before getting to that part I had only heard you say 40 gallon in the beginning, thank you!
Can it fit on a 55 gallon tank
Where can I buy this from Ireland??
For the UVB, what about a 10.0 13W or a 5.0 26W? Or even a 10.0 26W?
There is a lot of advice out there that differ for what bulb to use. Best thing to do if you don't have a meter to measure what your light is producing is to get a trusted brand and following the instructions. It should tell you at what height the bulb produces a certain Ferguson zone. Match your turtle's zone with the height that it says. Thanks for the comment!
Only issue I have with this is where is the space for the hob filter to put it at
Agreed! I'd suggest not using the extra screen and doing something DIY instead.
So its only for 40 to 75 gallons I have a 55 I will be setting up and that's the nicest loft 😅
Do you know if this will fit a 13 Inches wide 55 Gallon tank?
It will not, it would need extra supports to hold it correctly on top since it is about 18.5 inches wide.
What about if u using canister filter where ya piping going?
Checkout this part in my video. Its limited for sure if you want to use the small opening in the cover. You can easily cutout more screen if you need larger tubing to fit. Good luck!
Only issues I have with this one is that the ramp is slippery my turtles have a difficult time getting up
buy rubber shelving liner, it helps my turtles get grip
I siliconed an egg crate piece to it and it has worked great!
I glued terrarium mat to it works great
also glued it down inside of cage he can walk around fine my problem is heat findng a low watt heat bulb
All great options from everyone! Hot glue, epoxy, or silicone (100% silicone) are great adhesive options for those methods below!
Will this fit a bow front 40in gallon tank ???
It will not without modification which I am sure could be done to make it fit!
Does this work on a 50 gallon
Assuming your 50 is about 13 inches wide, no. It fits tanks around 18.25 inches wide
I thought that small hole was for the cord to the submersible heater to run through.
It is. But it is also the only spot to put filter tubes because you need a filter. you could use an internal filter but I don't recommend them, especially since the water needs to be filled to near the top. Thanks for the comment!
@@LongLiveYourTurtle yeah I feel like this product wasn’t thought through very well because it’s obviously for a turtle and you must have a large filter for turtle waste. Thank you for reviewing. I had been looking at this product for a while.
I was really looking into getting this basking platform but for the price($79 in my area) is too much with all the down sides.
It’s a great option if you have nothing else, but a little DIY can go a long way!
How much do you have to clean it
Not much! It is metal and plastic so easy to wipe anything off.
does it fit on a 20galon tank
No, it is too wide!
@@LongLiveYourTurtle thank you one more thing do they make them for a 20 gallon long tanks
It won’t fit a 55 gallon?
It would not. 55 gallon tanks are too narrow, this fits 18.5 inch tanks!
I got this but it only last 8 month before it rusted and my turtle was picking at it
That stinks! You’d think they would design it not to rust.
What did you do about it? Did u stop using it? Mine started rusting 2 days ago and not sure if its toxic for my turtle
Her arm looked stuck in the cord on the thermometer actually though!
Doesn't last too long due to water causing the bottom to flake off and rust to accumulate
What did you do about it? Did u stop using it? Mine started rusting 2 days ago and not sure if its toxic for my turtle
@byronakahazard I had to stop using it before the rust pieces started falling in the water. I use the Penn-Plax above tank basking platform with the extended clips( sold separately) on my 40G Breeder tank and its perfect
Can you please please sell me a turtle basker 3000
Hello, I am not currently making the TB3000 anymore. I am working on the TB4000 now. Keep an eye on my channel for its release!
@@LongLiveYourTurtle will the release be soon? Maybe before Mid April?
Cant get these in New Zealand. Who wants to price me one up to send? 😂
I have one I bought that won't fit. If still interested instead of returning it I'll let you buy if you're willing to pay shipping also. Let me know 🤷🏼♀️
Over time this basking platform will rust.
What did you do about it? Did u stop using it? Mine started rusting 2 days ago and not sure if its toxic for my turtle
So much talking. What is the focus here? I thought this was about the basking area. Maybe you should do a separate video about the light. This is overwhelming. Seems like good info, but I couldn’t absorb it all bc you go from basking to light bulb and temps.
Omg dude! Someone give this guy the "International Peace Honors" award. Seriously thank you. So much time/trial and error have been saved. So many thoughts/theories are satisfied. Reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeespect. 🫵🏼🏆
Let's take a look inside this guy 🩻... yup just what I thought, 💛 heart of gold.
Wow what praise, thanks!!!
Any recommendations to make the ramp have more grip? The ramp is too slippery for my turtle to climb up. I was think waterproof grip tape, but I’m not sure
Would it fit 75 gallon
Yes! It will fit 18.5 inch wide tanks.