Experimenting with new Basking Construction
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I am experimenting with my own design of basking construction. I wasn’t convinced that I wanted a floating cork because I always want the heat lamp just above the basking area and I have been not particularly happy with my two piles of bricks with a flat rock spanning the piles because of the space it takes up in the tank and with the reduced visibility it causes. Also, I want the basking area to be an island because I want to keep a high water level in the tank without being worried about the escape of the turtles from the tank. So, with my fresh water turtles (northern redbelly and RES) that I have in a 40 gal breeder tank I created this unusual basking construction. I span two strong aluminum tubes spaced apart about a foot across the top or the tank in the legthwise direction. I suspend from these two tubes an inverted kitchen rack. The 7 inches long U-shaped legs of the rack hang from the two aluminum tubes. This rack is made of wire with a plastic coating. The rack surface is a wire mesh. I then strap down a kitchen tile to this wire mesh. I use the rough undersurface rather than the shiny surface of this tile for the turtles to bask on. Therefore, I have suspended a kitchen tile from above the tank down to exactly the water level and it provides a stationary basking area in the middle of the tank with no loss of swimming area with no worry of animal escape. An unexpected advantage is that the top of the pair of suspended aluminum tubes provide an additional support for the heat lamp frame. So far the experiment is working and the redbelly is basking on the suspended tile. The only disadvantage is that I have to keep an eye on the water level and replace the evaporated water so that the tile is always positioned right at the water level. I probably will make this same arrangemnt for my 90 gal tank that I keep my 3 northern dbts in. If I every get around to getting a digital camera I will post a pic of this basking area. Bob
Bob, I would love to see a photo of your basking setup. Vickie
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