I am setting up basking areas with heat in both tanks. In fact I'm trying to ascertain what type of bulb, what wattage, what housing, and how far should the actual bulb be above the basking area to not cause any possible harm to the turtle from eye strain from the bright light...???

So I'm actually doing exactly as you directed... at least I think I am. Except that I'm dry docking her all day until her wound heals a bit because the vet and the admin from the other site seemed to both think that was the thing to do - and I'm already sensing that it's helping her. And I'm going to compromise and give them fish once a MONTH now that I pressed the vet on how much and how often - she still thinks that there are many valuable nutrients from live fish given sparingly.

Right now I just finished setting up the male in his new tank - alone - I got a tank and stand for $100 in CT, along with a bunch of useless filtration and other stuff that I don't even understand - it was for a saltwater reef aquarium and he gave me all kinds of things I don't understand or need - specific gravity meter, protein skimmer, two kinds of fish-oriented filters that won't work with turtles - but $100 for the tank and stand was a bargain in and of itself - I think it's a 60 gallon tank.

I think I'm going to get a screen top instead of what my original setup has - half glass, half plexiglass (which I had to cut holes in for the Fluval and the heater). He did give me two smaller hoods that are probably adequate for full spectrum tubes - and I can put the basking light over the dock. Once I find out what to use as a basking light.

I have some of those aluminum clip-on reflectors in the garage - which I think I did use for basking at some point - which might be fine but I still need to know what wattage to use - I think someone said 100 to start with to see (as you pointed out) how it affects the 'water around the basking area' if I'm not mistaken?

So now I need to find a used canister filter.

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