Helmet
New Member
Hi. I live in So Calif and I am setting up outdoor enclosures for 2 RES using 55 gallon storage tubs from Home Depot. The area in my yard where I'm planning to put them faces East and gets full sunlight from approx. 5:30am-12:30pm everyday. Is this too much sunlight? I'm worried about overheating. The tubs will be filled up about 2/3 with water, so water depth of approx. 12"-14". I'm not planning on using any bulbs for the basking area because of the natural lighting. I have canister filters and I'm not planning on using any substrate, although I did buy some aquarium plants at the .99 Store. I'm also wondering about water conditioners and bacteria starters that I should be adding beforehand. I read elsewhere about starting the nitrification cycle but only have about 24 hours lead time before I'll be putting the turtles into the tubs. What's the safest way to start that cycle in the tubs with such a short lead time? I'm worried about spikes in ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite levels and want to eliminate any potential harm. I also have Fluval E300 heaters for the water but have been reading about in-line external heaters and wondered if that is the way to go instead? My concern is that I can't seem to confirm if they are not meant for use outdoors or not. Thanks in advance for any help.
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