Need suggestion on my res's

mikeljh2000

AC Members
Apr 26, 2009
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0
6
mesa az
I have 2 res turtles that are 1 and 1/2 inch in shell length. They are in a 10 gal at the moment since I don't have much funds right now. I have a whisper 10 -30 gal filter, a floating platform, I have a clamp lamp with a bulb that says it is for turtles. someone at petco told me it would work. I have a fake aquarium plant. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know.
 
Congrats on your new turtle purchase. Your setup isn't bad....for now. I would ditch the gravel as it will be a real pain to keep clean and also can become a hazard if your turtles accidently ingest it.

These little guys grow fast. If you don't have the funds to buy a larger aquarium I would definitely recommend picking up a cheap rubbermaid tub from Walmart, Lowe's, Home Depot, etc... They work great at housing small to medium sized turtles.

Here's a great care sheet on RES that I recommend you to check out if you haven't already. Good luck with your turtles. :)

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/caresheet-red_ear_slider.htm
 
Viscious about covered it.

My only question is about your light... When you say it is for turtles, do you mean that it is a basking light for turtles? Is it a UV light for turtles? Because they need both.

The basking light is for heat, and the UV allows them to produce vitamin D, which in turn allows them to assimilate calcium. Calcium is very important for an animal that basically lives wrapped in it!

Get yourself a piece of cuttlebone (like for birds) and cut the hard backing off. Allow it to float in your tank for them to munch on at leisure.

It is very important for babies to get plenty of UV and calcium. They can go downhill very fast, and once they get soft shell/metabolic bone disease, it is very hard to bring them back. It can happen in a matter of days.

Make sure that you are feeding a good diet, and do NOT overfeed. RES are great little beggars and will try to make you feel guilty! Feed no more than a portion the same size as would fit inside their heads if they were hollow, once a day. Over feeding causes pyramiding and other growth issues.

I recommend that you join the ATP forum, which you can find in the links at the top of the page that Viscious gave you.

I agree on removing the gravel, it is generally a big no-no for turtles, and RES are known for putting things in their mouths that do not belong. I would also remove the plastic plant and replace it with some frog bit and anacharis. You can put some ceramic tiles on the bottom of the tank if you want it to look better than just bare tank.

Here is a pic of my hatchling set up, just to give you some ideas.

57823_view.jpg


Hope this helps!

Kristina
 
Thanks for your input I will remove the gravel and the plant. As far as the light goes I am not sure except that the guy at petco told me that it would give everything that the turtles needed.

What about the filter and keeping the water the way it needs to be?
 
I went back to where I got the light and it is
Zoo Med Turtle Tuff Splashproof Halogen Lamp

Shop All Products By Zoo Med


  • Heavy duty splashproof halogen lamp
  • Safe for use with all types of aquatic turtles or other water based terrarium animals
  • Long lasting bulb averages 2500 hours
  • Makes animals colors appear richer

They said at the store that it is a uv-b light

Will that be ok or do I need another light. if so which one.
 
I just got a 75 gal tank and put my turtles in it they love it. They have recently been doing some weird stuff. I looked up on mating for them and they seem to be doing exactally as it says that they do. on puts its face in front of the other extends its legs and flutters them in front of the other. so I think that one is a male and the other is a female. I am not sure though. If that is the case and the female gets gravid I am going to need to set up a nesting area. I still have my 10 gallon tank. anyone have any ideas. I will put up pictures later.
 
I keep my tank bare bottom except for a piece of smoothe slate and large/medium decorative river rock that I bought at walmart for two bucks. I have very small hatchlings, so my water level is only about half full.

2502djq.jpg
 
on puts its face in front of the other extends its legs and flutters them in front of the other. so I think that one is a male and the other is a female.

This isn't really any indication. I've seen males do it to females, other males, even rocks and driftwood. I've also seen females do it. It's not a reliable indication of sex. For RES, the front claws are a pretty good early indicator.

If you do get a gravid turtle, then yes you'll have to set up some sort of laying area. You also might need to separate the turtles, as the females aren't always so tolerant of being constantly harassed by a male, and its possible for them to hurt each other.
 
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