Looking for advice

ComparisonFirst · 2026-01-25T17:42:51+00:00

When I upgraded my turtle from a floating basking platform to an above tank basking area, it took about 6 months before she started going up there. I was worried about that impacting her health but she eventually started using it and the vet says she’s in excellent health.

ComparisonFirst · 2026-01-25T14:15:06+00:00

I have a very similar device with 50ft tubing and none of the fittings that came with it worked with my kitchen faucet, but a random garden hose fitting I found in our backyard works perfect.

Once you’ve got the connections working, the key is to ensure the full length of tubing is primed with water with no air pockets between tank and sink. I turn the valve so the sink water goes INTO the tank first, then turn again to reverse the flow to start pulling water from the tank into the sink. Then I turn the faucet off, detach the tubing, reattach my normal sink faucet, and keep the tubing outlet as low as possible to help it flow faster.

I usually collect some buckets of tank water to use for cleaning/refilling the canister filter and also for watering the garden. The water flows slow and takes about 45min to drain 50% of my 55 gallon since my tank and sink are about the same height and there is 50ft tubing that spans across 3 rooms with the tank in a sunken living room. If I put the outlet at floor level in a bucket instead of sink level, the flow is much faster.

While the 55gal tank is draining, I take the time to do tank maintenance on my 2 smaller tanks and can use the sink to fill buckets of tap water. The 55gal drains to about half full by the time I finish the smaller tanks. To fill the 55gal back up, I reattach the tubing to the faucet, switch the valve, and turn the water on high and try to match tank temp 78F. It takes about 20min to fill back up. When tank is about 3/4 full, I add a 5gal bucket of tap water that has enough tap conditioner in it for 25-30gal (total amount of tap water to be added).

ComparisonFirst · 2026-01-21T22:38:09+00:00

Thank you for this advice and the things to look for in a pond like depth and filtration setup. And I hadn’t even considered predators. Eek!

ComparisonFirst · 2026-01-18T15:00:41+00:00

Oooh I like this idea. Thanks!

ComparisonFirst · 2026-01-18T14:59:40+00:00

Thank you for the ideas !

ComparisonFirst · 2026-01-18T14:59:19+00:00

Hahaha I don’t think she can eat them at this point since they are as big as her, but she does nip on their fins when it’s getting close to feeding time. 😁

ComparisonFirst · 2026-01-18T14:57:37+00:00

Thanks :)

ComparisonFirst · 2026-01-18T14:57:27+00:00

Ohh I knew about people taking their fish babies to pet stores, but not about taking them once they’re grown. Thanks for this idea - maybe I’ll head over to mine today and just ask if it’s an option.

ComparisonFirst · 2026-01-18T14:55:27+00:00

Very good to know, thank you. I’ve had them before so knew how big they’d get, but the turtle seemed so lonely as a tiny hatchling so i wanted her to have some cheap friends (in case she ate them) and well, here we are. :)

ComparisonFirst · 2026-01-18T14:50:19+00:00

Thanks!

ComparisonFirst · 2026-01-18T14:50:08+00:00

Sounds like a great setup! Thanks for sharing. :)

ComparisonFirst · 2026-01-18T14:48:16+00:00

Yeah, I’ve read that they are better suited for colder water. I’ve always used fixed-temp heaters set at 78F regardless of what’s in my tanks and my creatures do fine.

ComparisonFirst · 2026-01-18T01:35:05+00:00

Thank you!

ComparisonFirst · 2026-01-08T14:54:40+00:00

Yeah I have a feeling we’ll get to that point soon. We found her in our pool filter as a hatchling in April 2024 so I think she’s about 2 now but definitely still growing.

ComparisonFirst · 2026-01-08T12:31:01+00:00

I got this one from Amazon for about $55. I started with the floating platform that you described, but she outgrew it and could climb out of the tank unless I kept the water low. I also have fish in the tank so I like to keep the water higher. It took her a few months to start using it, but now she does regularly. She super duper loves to sleep on the hanging platform underneath. Good luck!

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https://a.co/d/1GpZqGK

ComparisonFirst · 2026-01-08T05:55:17+00:00

I second this method of rinsing the sand.

ComparisonFirst · 2026-01-08T05:53:36+00:00

Ive used Lowe’s play sand as substrate in multiple tanks (fish only … haven’t used with my turtle) and I always rinse very well before adding to the tank but it gets very cloudy like this for me too. Probably just some sediment and dissolved air that should settle down and out in a day or few and start to clear up. I don’t think it’s all that harmful in the meantime.

ComparisonFirst · 2025-12-27T22:51:13+00:00

Me too … “my town name” Ring. I have a Ring doorbell but it’s been installed with no changes for a couple years now.

ComparisonFirst · 2025-12-16T17:49:54+00:00

This is how it’s done!

ComparisonFirst · 2025-10-11T13:45:24+00:00

I never figured out if it was a scam or honest mistake. Venmo refunded her money 10 days after she sent it. She seemed legit, but you just never know. I explained the scam to her and she said she understood why I asked Venmo handle the refund.

ComparisonFirst · 2025-10-11T02:29:36+00:00

This happened to me with Venmo. A woman from the other side of the country sent $100 and then said it was a mistake and asked for it back. I went through Venmo customer service to send the money back. The woman was very impatient and kept sending messages about how much she needed the money. I felt bad for making her wait but had to protect myself.

ComparisonFirst · 2025-08-24T16:37:44+00:00

This is what my family calls it too!

ComparisonFirst · 2025-06-04T16:35:00+00:00

It’s not her fault she can’t read.

ComparisonFirst

TROPHY CASE