I'd like to see some example set-ups for red-ear sliders. I'll try to post a pic of mine tomorrow. I have one in a 29gal. tank. I use to have another RES but it decided to jump off a rock and miss the water, falling onto its back not able to turn over. I would LOVE to upgrade to a 55 ...someday someday. I went into Petsmart last week and they now have a great selection of turtle accessories...I'm excited haha.
Red-ear slider setups
- Thread starter NewLuv4Fish
- Start date
Mine 3 RES's (not full sized) live in a very large Rubbermaid tub right now. My 75 gallon at my old house will be their new home when I move it from MI to NC (a 15 hour drive that I don't make very often, but will before June). My typical set-up is bare bottom (no gravel), because I find it to be very easy to clean. The turtles keep the waste stirred up in the water column so the filter can easy pick it up. I use a Zoo Med 501 filter, which I have to clean about once every other week by removing the first layer of filter floss. I took out the active carbon pack and just use ceramic beads and the floss. Water changes weekly to twice a week, depending on their feeding schedule. More food=more waste. I don't heat any of my turtle tanks because they are in the warmest room of the house, water temp stays about 78 degrees because of the basking lights. Lights are on a 12on/12off cycle.
I have a paving brick "tower" for them in one corner to climb up on and bask. The intake for the filter is behind this tower, because as the turtles swim around the tub, waste naturally falls on the lee side of the tower, creating a perfect place for a filter to work most efficiently. The lights are a standard incandescent 100w bulb in a ceramic fixtured clamp light (8" above the platform) and a flurescent tube light. The tub is easy to clean when needed by hauling it to the bathroom or washing it outside. The tubs are also cheap to replace if they get too scratched. Great temporary housing
Any upgrades (new light fixtures, another filter, etc.) will be added when they get into the 75 gallon. I've also contemplated getting a large, hard plastic pond form, drilling and adding drainage spicket/hose to it and placing it in my basement fish room when we move next year, but that still is quite a few months from now. (Then I can use the 75 for something else...like oscars )
My painted turtle hatchling is in a bare bottom 10 gallon aquarium, half full of water, slate baking area, with a Duetto submersible filter set on high. Same lighting set-up as the larger turtles have in the tub.
I have a paving brick "tower" for them in one corner to climb up on and bask. The intake for the filter is behind this tower, because as the turtles swim around the tub, waste naturally falls on the lee side of the tower, creating a perfect place for a filter to work most efficiently. The lights are a standard incandescent 100w bulb in a ceramic fixtured clamp light (8" above the platform) and a flurescent tube light. The tub is easy to clean when needed by hauling it to the bathroom or washing it outside. The tubs are also cheap to replace if they get too scratched. Great temporary housing
Any upgrades (new light fixtures, another filter, etc.) will be added when they get into the 75 gallon. I've also contemplated getting a large, hard plastic pond form, drilling and adding drainage spicket/hose to it and placing it in my basement fish room when we move next year, but that still is quite a few months from now. (Then I can use the 75 for something else...like oscars
) My painted turtle hatchling is in a bare bottom 10 gallon aquarium, half full of water, slate baking area, with a Duetto submersible filter set on high. Same lighting set-up as the larger turtles have in the tub.
Nice turtle setup.. what size tank is that??
NewLuv4Fish,
This is my speech for Turtles, its going to sound rough but here it is. Turtles are not cheap or easy to care for.
Typically and I really do mean it. The minium tank size for an adult RES is going to be a 75 gallon tank. (they grow fast and will reach adult hood in about a year and half. A cute 4 inch turtle will reach the size of a dinner plate) So your hopes for a 55 will be going to a 75 a lot faster. I have seen some adults that would not fit in a 55 gallon due to their size and the width of the tank.
This tank will need to have a weekly water change of 50%. I would also buy a heavy duty canister filter. I have a huge one on my tank.
This is equivalent to keeping an adult Oscar in a 20 gallon tank with no water changes for a month.
The lights will also be costly as well, almost like having a reef tank cost. Yes, turtle require lights with uva/uvb and that does add up.
Now if you have the room and time, you could setup a kiddy pool to have a turtle in with an area setup for land with over head pendant lights. I have seen this work very well with a large pond filter on the side. And I have seen this with multiple turtles. But again, its heavy filtered and its large, so they have plenty of room.
My goal is to build my self a nice big pond indoors to keep my turtles in happy, give them atleast 4 feet of water to dive down into and atleast a 6x6 size to swim in.
NewLuv4Fish,
This is my speech for Turtles, its going to sound rough but here it is. Turtles are not cheap or easy to care for.
Typically and I really do mean it. The minium tank size for an adult RES is going to be a 75 gallon tank. (they grow fast and will reach adult hood in about a year and half. A cute 4 inch turtle will reach the size of a dinner plate) So your hopes for a 55 will be going to a 75 a lot faster. I have seen some adults that would not fit in a 55 gallon due to their size and the width of the tank.
This tank will need to have a weekly water change of 50%. I would also buy a heavy duty canister filter. I have a huge one on my tank.
This is equivalent to keeping an adult Oscar in a 20 gallon tank with no water changes for a month.
The lights will also be costly as well, almost like having a reef tank cost. Yes, turtle require lights with uva/uvb and that does add up.
Now if you have the room and time, you could setup a kiddy pool to have a turtle in with an area setup for land with over head pendant lights. I have seen this work very well with a large pond filter on the side. And I have seen this with multiple turtles. But again, its heavy filtered and its large, so they have plenty of room.
My goal is to build my self a nice big pond indoors to keep my turtles in happy, give them atleast 4 feet of water to dive down into and atleast a 6x6 size to swim in.
Wow..I had a long message almost done and poof it was gone....Don't know what happened....:huh: So I'll try again.
Its a 125 gal.
I do have to agreee with tricksterpup on its not cheap or easy to care for a turtle. I got Vern as a gift from someone that had no idea what it took to make a good turtle mommy. All I had was the tank, so I had to buy a heat lamp, sun lamp(not cheap), another filter(also not cheap), and figure out what to use for a basking spot. Right now I am running 3 filters on his tank, 2 filters hanging on the tank and a heavy duty canister that sits on the floor and I still have to do water changes all the time. Also, I have to clean the bottom of the tank everytime he poops as they tend to like to eat it...yuk!!! Thats the main reason I have a bare bottom tank, another one is they sometimes eat the small rocks and then can't go potty.
Another thing to think about is the vet bills. Vern came to me with an ear infection, shell rot, and worms. The vet had to lance his ear and then I had to take him to the vet for 7 days in a row for a shot (yes, even on a Sun.) You don't even want to see that bill. For the shell rot, he had to be dry docked every day for a week with meds on his shell for 2 hours at a time. His shell will never be pretty anymore but its healing fine. Now we are working on his worms. Every 2 weeks he has to go into the vet to get meds. Have to do this 4 times which means 8 weeks total. Haven't got that bill yet...
Right now I am saving up for an above the tank basking area made out of plexi. I do have a baby pool so during the summer he can go outside and get some real sun time.
Its a 125 gal.
I do have to agreee with tricksterpup on its not cheap or easy to care for a turtle. I got Vern as a gift from someone that had no idea what it took to make a good turtle mommy. All I had was the tank, so I had to buy a heat lamp, sun lamp(not cheap), another filter(also not cheap), and figure out what to use for a basking spot. Right now I am running 3 filters on his tank, 2 filters hanging on the tank and a heavy duty canister that sits on the floor and I still have to do water changes all the time. Also, I have to clean the bottom of the tank everytime he poops as they tend to like to eat it...yuk!!! Thats the main reason I have a bare bottom tank, another one is they sometimes eat the small rocks and then can't go potty.
Another thing to think about is the vet bills. Vern came to me with an ear infection, shell rot, and worms. The vet had to lance his ear and then I had to take him to the vet for 7 days in a row for a shot (yes, even on a Sun.) You don't even want to see that bill. For the shell rot, he had to be dry docked every day for a week with meds on his shell for 2 hours at a time. His shell will never be pretty anymore but its healing fine. Now we are working on his worms. Every 2 weeks he has to go into the vet to get meds. Have to do this 4 times which means 8 weeks total. Haven't got that bill yet...
Right now I am saving up for an above the tank basking area made out of plexi. I do have a baby pool so during the summer he can go outside and get some real sun time.
Wow..I had a long message almost done and poof it was gone....Don't know what happened....:huh: So I'll try again.
Its a 125 gal.
I do have to agreee with tricksterpup on its not cheap or easy to care for a turtle. I got Vern as a gift from someone that had no idea what it took to make a good turtle mommy. All I had was the tank, so I had to buy a heat lamp, sun lamp(not cheap), another filter(also not cheap), and figure out what to use for a basking spot. Right now I am running 3 filters on his tank, 2 filters hanging on the tank and a heavy duty canister that sits on the floor and I still have to do water changes all the time. Also, I have to clean the bottom of the tank everytime he poops as they tend to like to eat it...yuk!!! Thats the main reason I have a bare bottom tank, another one is they sometimes eat the small rocks and then can't go potty.
Another thing to think about is the vet bills. Vern came to me with an ear infection, shell rot, and worms. The vet had to lance his ear and then I had to take him to the vet for 7 days in a row for a shot (yes, even on a Sun.) You don't even want to see that bill. For the shell rot, he had to be dry docked every day for a week with meds on his shell for 2 hours at a time. His shell will never be pretty anymore but its healing fine. Now we are working on his worms. Every 2 weeks he has to go into the vet to get meds. Have to do this 4 times which means 8 weeks total. Haven't got that bill yet...
Right now I am saving up for an above the tank basking area made out of plexi. I do have a baby pool so during the summer he can go outside and get some real sun time.
I am impressed that you would go through so much effort and expense for a turtle.
Vettegirl, does your RES have a dry spot where he can bask? Those guys need to be able to dry out. I had 2 for years and they would spend hours every day under their spotlight stretching out their little legs, taking in the heat. Also, he doesn't need more than 8 inches or so of water.
My brother had a turtle and the water was too deep and the turtle couldn't get out to rest and bask and he ended up drowning.
My brother had a turtle and the water was too deep and the turtle couldn't get out to rest and bask and he ended up drowning.
I always figured if you take in any kind of animal then you are responsible for its well being.
Yes, he has a basking spot. This isn't a very good picture but you can see his ramp and his place to sun.
My thoughts exactly. I always give my pets the best life I can. I needed to pick up some meds for a sinus infection and when I was picking them up they said Jacobs(guinea pig) refill had come in. I only had enough for one or the other. I got Jakes. People think I am crazy for it.I always figured if you take in any kind of animal then you are responsible for its well being.
