125g Cagle's Map Turtle Tank Build

[Simple Man]

Hey all,
Another project that has been keeping me super busy. My girlfriend wanted a nice display piece to show off some reptiles. Everything else I own lives in my reptile room so it is hardly a conversation starter. This is the build of our new Cagle's Map Turtle setup. The breeder is waiting on our thumbs up to ship 2.2 Cagle's once we're completed and running.

125g and stand (cleaned and stand touched up now) - Free Bearded Dragon!



60" x 24" 3d design "Rocky Sheet" - Designs by Nature - no paint, all rock! It's amazing and flexible.







Omega One feed and treats



300 watt inline heaters, combo dome lamp, lamp stand, and fresh water master test kit



Dual 300 watt inline heaters to keep the tank clear of cords



160 watt ceramic heater for night time temp stability



160 watt Mega-Ray Mercury Vapor UVB/UVA for daylight basking





30" Quad T5 HO 6500k light with night time moon LED clusters - I'm going to grow some low light plants for the tank











Seachem Safe water conditioner



Dual Eheim Professional 3 2075 - turtle tanks can NEVER have too much filration



Filter extensions and suction cups for modified filter inlets/outlets



5 pieces of XL Malaysian Hardwood - no rot and sinks right away



Huge Natural Corkbark pieces for basking spots - cut to size and it swells to fit the tank and looks realistic





10lbs of polished Black river rock



60lbs of polished White river rock




Filtering and cleaning hundreds of pounds of river rock



Hopefully we will get water in the setup this weekend. I'll post an unboxing video and tank setup video after they arrive. Thanks for checking out my thread!

Regards,

B

[Rob]

Sweet bearded dragon, and good god that's a lot of rocks!

[Simple Man]

Sweet bearded dragon, and good god that's a lot of rocks!

I had to give him back. I couldn't afford the feed bill. Oh god, you don't even know. I soaked, bleached, and used a colander for hours and hours. I never want to do that again.

Regards,

B

[Mike41793]

I've been following this on fb, cant wait to see the final product!

[Simple Man]

I've been following this on fb, cant wait to see the final product!

Hopefully we can put water in and test this weekend. I'm patient but I'm dying to have this project finished. It's been a month and a half of gathering just the right equipment to do it properly. I want baby turtles swimming around at my house!

Regards,

B

[Simple Man]

Major update! We have water! Well, we have water in to rinse off the tank from all the scrubbing and cleaning. Crazy mineral deposits from the previous owner. Once we moved the tank into the house we were able to see the stuff that garage lighting hid. I spent another 3-4 hours cleaning today. I need some acid to finish the outside. After the cleaning we rinsed the sides off several times and filled the tank to 1/4 capacity. After that we siphoned the particulate clouded water out. The second time we siphoned the water came out clear. I got all the hoses cut and the dual inline heaters rigged. The filter inlets/outlets are configured and ready to go. I also was able to setup the multiple timers for the lights and heating. Since its a long weekend technically I still have tomorrow to get semi-completed pics up There WILL be another update tomorrow.

Dual Eheim Pro 3 2075 in the stand



2 x Hydor 300 watt inline heaters





Photobomb by one of my Patterdale Terriers while I was disassembling the filter media!



Rinsed media going back into the filters



Tanks is inside! (precleaning)



Testing the Quad T5 HO light



Hoses rigged and filters ready to rock



After hours of cleaning... there are still some deposits that elbow grease, vinegar, and/or razor blade would not remove.



Water! Rinsing the tank out really good





Siphoning out all the cloudy water



Big day tomorrow! She will be running Oh yes, she will.

Regards,

B

[Simple Man]

Started aquascaping!



Need to cut and trim the hose lengths



Small river rock in



Larger river rock and hardwood



Filling for the first time







Corkbark basking spot installed





Local pet store gave me some bio active media to help cycle the tank!



Reconfigured one of the spray bars for more surface agitation to enrich oxygen levels



Female 1 - 13g







Female 2 - 12g









Male 1 - 16g







Male 2 - 13g





Temporary Tub setup so they can acclimate







Hope you enjoy! I'll update again once they are ready to move into their permanent home.

Regards,

B

[Simple Man]

Plants are in! I started a thread and talked to some people on The Barr Report and think I can swing a non-CO2 tank setup. They have provided some good info for me. I think we're going to put the little ones in the tank tomorrow I'll be sure to get more pics up.

The aftermath!



Some shots. The plants will look better as they settle in and take room. I'll be sure to take time progression pics.











I should have another update this weekend.

Regards,

B

[Capray]

Totally sweet! And those are some happy turtles!

- - - Updated - - -

Totally sweet! And those are some happy turtles!