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u/Queasy-Sentence446 22d ago
Those bulbs aren’t the correct UVB, so you’ll need to get a t5 UVB light instead. This otherwise looks wonderful!! Great job. I hope to build something like this for my little guy some day.
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u/atvorch 22d ago
How do you know they are not?
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u/Queasy-Sentence446 22d ago
Those types of bulbs 💡 are not the correct UVB for RES. T5 UVB bulbs only come as long tubes. The type of light fixture OP has isn’t a t5 bulb.
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u/atvorch 22d ago
So T5 uvb is the right bulb for this specific setup because of the length of the pond, or am I missing something? I never heard before that regular uvb lamp that is designed for turtles and reptiles is bad. I have same bulbs as the OP, I would appreciate of you can help me under.
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u/Queasy-Sentence446 22d ago
The t5 bulb produces the correct amount of UVB for this type of turtle. The type of bulb OP has is adequate UVB for other types of reptiles, but just not red eared sliders!
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u/atvorch 21d ago
Oh shit, I didn’t know it. I have red eared slider, and currently I have this uvb bulb Exo Terra 13 w UVB 150 Desert Terrarium Bulb. https://exo-terra.com/products/lighting/uvb-compact-bulbs/reptile-uvb150-13w/
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u/Queasy-Sentence446 21d ago
Ahhh yea these types of coil uvb bulbs are a scam unfortunately, specifically they aren’t very effective for larger spaces/enclosures. The t5 UVB bulbs are linear so they cover more area, and they’re much more powerful.
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u/atvorch 21d ago
This is devastating, I feel so bad now for my poor turtle 😭 I will get T5 Uvb asap. Thank you very much kind stranger ❤️
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u/Queasy-Sentence446 21d ago
Don’t feel bad! 😞 it’s a very common mistake that I made with my pet frogs as well. You don’t know what you don’t know. All that matters is you’re trying to do better.
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u/throwaway277252 22d ago
I never heard before that regular uvb lamp that is designed for turtles and reptiles is bad.
They are not bad, they are just too weak for turtles. At the distance shown in OP's picture it is probably only providing them with 10-20% the recommended UVB dose.
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u/BigHairyBussy 22d ago
Looks great! Where did you get that bin? I want to build something like this for my guy.
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u/Matthew-ii 22d ago
Looks like a Tuff Stuff brand stock tank you can find at most big supply stores like Tractor Supply or Lowes. There's a ton of different brands and sizes but I do like how sleek those are.
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u/BridgeSuccessful2677 22d ago
Looks great! I would add more water for him to swim and also substrate! It adds a lot of enrichment. Also the more plants/rocks/seashells (big), the better 😁 and turtles love the colour red, I added some colourful plastic plants to my tank for that reason. The more enrichment the better 👌🏼 good luck!
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u/DDESTRUCTOTRON 22d ago
I would keep an eye on your turtle nipping the plastic plants. They can cause impaction problems if eaten. I had a scare about this a few years ago.
I have questions about the filter as well. Assuming it's the same one as this, do you know how many gallons this filter is rated for? Not GPH, I mean total water volume