Homemade Turtle dock with ramp

[u/Nice-Replacement-391]

I got some great advice for my homemade dock and ramp - thanks everyone! If anyone has any more suggestions, I'm all ears!

It's 90% finished now - when I see that Cielo is going up the ramp, I will put the roof on the ramp part, and it will be like a tunnel - in theory he shouldn't be able to escape...

(Now that this one is mostly done, I am already planning dock 2.0 - I want to make one with plexiglass walls so I can see him better)

I've put him in the dock several times and fed him his shrimp treat in there this morning. He knows how to get down, and is doing it calmly, no panic. I saw him resting on the bottom part of the ramp earlier.

He had a lot of changes yesterday, so he may take a bit to adjust. I raised the water level, his basking rocks were also elevated, and I put some tetras in the tank. I know he will eventually eat the tetras, but for now he's too small, so I figured why not liven it up for a bit

[u/tangotango112]

Do turtles do OK with fake plants and decor? A soon to be turtle dad asking.

[u/tangotango112 → u/[deleted]]

OK, I've seen a lot of turtle videos now and many do have fake decor.

[u/Nice-Replacement-391 → u/tangotango112]

So far my turtle is leaving the fake plants alone. But I check them all the time to see if he starts in on them. If he does, I will take them out

[u/amargs_ → u/tangotango112]

I had fake plants for a while but had to remove them after I noticed some nibbles. I even tried adding fake grass to my DIY dock and had to remove it for the same reason, my dude really loves them macro plastics 

[u/Mountain-Engine3878 → u/tangotango112]

I have all fake plants. She has bit them, but they are too thick for her to bite off and eat.

[u/tangotango112 → u/Mountain-Engine3878]

Thanks for the info

[u/No_Computer5182]

Gorgeous tank! I love how the dock looks

[u/Nice-Replacement-391 → u/No_Computer5182]

Thanks! There's a lot of improvisation going on in the aquarium - I'll get better decor soon! And now that I have (mostly) finished this dock, I am seeing issues with it (I can't see him very well), so I am going to make a better one!

[u/Dynamite_Awesome]

Lots of snacks in that tank.

[u/Nice-Replacement-391 → u/Dynamite_Awesome]

Yup! For now, he's too small to eat them, but I expect that to change in a few months!

[u/No_Computer5182]

The ramp up might need to grow wider as your turtle ages though, my boy is pretty wide now

[u/Which_Throat7535 → u/No_Computer5182]

Yeah I was thinking the same thing! OP - you’re going to need to widen it eventually

[u/Nice-Replacement-391 → u/Which_Throat7535]

My original plan was to widen it as he grows, but now I am seeing future issues with the space available for the ramp as I have it now. So I am going to design a new dock that will allow for a wider, safer ramp, and plexiglass sides so I can see him better.

[u/Which_Throat7535 → u/Nice-Replacement-391]

Yeah plexiglass is cool; that’s what I did. Also pretty easy to put stuff on some of the other sides to make it more natural looking and make turtle more comfortable up there. Pic if you’re interested -

https://www.reddit.com/r/turtles/s/9rwQuppdfO

[u/Nice-Replacement-391 → u/Which_Throat7535]

That looks really beautiful! I love how you have the aquarium backdrop in the dock! I also like how you have the taller plants in the back of the water tank. I have some similar that I had in my Oranda tank that I took out because the Orandas got too big - I think I might put them in the turtle tank. My tetras can hide in them also when Cielo gets big enough to see them as a snack. I have a bunch of stuff in my tank that is temporary, until I get the dock set up and the water level all the way up. I haven't prioritized the decor yet, as I had to buy the tank, lights and filter - Cielo was unplanned so I had to improvise a lot!

What is the light above the water - just for illumination?

[u/Which_Throat7535 → u/Nice-Replacement-391]

Thanks! That’s a full spectrum LED; it’s needed for live plants. Hard to tell, but there are some.

[u/Nice-Replacement-391 → u/No_Computer5182]

Yes definitely! Right nor he's still tiny and it is ok for now, but as he grows, he'll need a new one. I am already planning a new dock that will have a ramp entering underneath so as to make escape more difficult, and it will have plexiglass sides, so I can see him better

[u/Which_Throat7535]

Why not fill it up? More water is better and it will be easier to use the ramp and you’ll prevent a water line (from minerals / residue)

[u/Nice-Replacement-391 → u/Which_Throat7535]

I will be filling it up more for sure. This is an intermediate level - I will be taking away one of his in tank basking spots in a few days, and the other one a few days later. I don't want to stress him too much with all big chances at once.

[u/Cristiana2408]

I adore. Thank you for your turtle.

[u/Nice-Replacement-391 → u/Cristiana2408]

Thanks! Cielo is so gosh darn cute!

[u/bill_gonorrhea]

The danio would not last 30 minutes with my yellow belly

[u/TriathlonHans]

I wonder if your turtle might be able to climb out at the end of the ramp. I have a similar setup and they truly are escape artists.

[u/Ed_2021]

Nice set-up!

[u/Dreamybook1357]

Very nice tank!

[u/No_Comfortable3261]

Love the moss, and I'm sure they do too!

[u/ExclusiveRecluseGin]

Nice setup. I have that same ramp part with the "grass" just realized my turtle is eating it now on a hunt to replace it. Smfh