I have had my turtle New York for close to 9 years now. Over his 9 years I have replaced numerous tanks to accommodate his size.
About 8 years ago we purchased a tank that has been sitting untouched for years. We purchased a ginormous 300 gallon tank that was built into our wall. It used to house a nice salt water colony of fish and live corals, over time though the fish died, and the coral followed. The tank was drained and we had put dried flowers in it for decoration.
Although he definitely does not have a need for a new tank, he has required many different upgrades as far as basking docks go.
His old dock was designed for a medium sized turtle. Years have gone by though and he has grown quite large over time. This weekend while looking at how crammed he looked on his small dock, I figured it was time for an upgrade.
I looked around online for a few ideas on which basking dock to purchase. I came across the Zoo Med Turtle Dock Large 40gal+ for a price I could not turn down.
The dock came to $23.00 after shipping. I knew that this same dock also sold at Petco for nearly $10 or $11 more, so it was quite a deal.
Why I Went With Zoo Med Turtle Dock Large 40gal+:
I was also looking into some new magnetic basking dock, but after reading some not so praising reviews about the weak magnetic hold, I went with the Zoo Med Turtle Dock Large 40gal+.
The dock is designed with larger turtles in mind, and it is built as to where the dock will adjust itself to the waters level.
Suction cups hold the dock in place, while the dock itself floats. It adjusts itself thanks to the black rods that slide through each side of the floating dock.
The appearance is nothing to go ga ga over, it attempts to look like a rock, but the unnatural tannish colors clearly indicate that this thing is made of some sort of plastic. The quality is very nice. The plastic is thick, but you can feel that it is made of some sort of very hard plastic like foam.
I have read other reviews where owners said their turtle chewed through it. It is pretty hard, however if the turtle wanted it likely could take a few nips at it. It is so large though that I honestly don’t think a few nips will do much harm to the dock.
Setting the dock up was pretty easy. All I had to do was squeeze 4 suction cups on to the plastic dock rods. Once on, I was able to stick it to the side of this tank. The dock rises and falls depending on the water level, so you don’t have to adjust it every time the water rises or falls.
The suction cups stick to the tank with ease, and don’t slip off even when the turtle is on it. It seems to be a nice, sturdy, larger floating dock.
Overall:
For me, watching my turtle basking on it is nice to see.
The dock is large, supports his weight, and re-adjusts itself to accommodate evaporated water. My turtle loves it, so I love it. It was well worth the $23.00 I got it for on Amazon.
The dock gets 2 thumbs up, and 5 stars. An A+ product!
