Turtle for a 29 gal?

[Gerdass]

Hello:

My son has been wanting to get a turtle for some time, and the wife and I agreed that it would be something good for him to teach responsibility. Plus, I love pets, and wouldn't mind "helping" him take care of it (we know how that works) .

Anyway, we would like an aquatic or semi-aquatic turtle. I have a 29 gallon and a 10 gallon aquarium sitting at home doing nothing right now, so I thought if there would be something that would work in these (more likely the 29) I would check those species out first when trying to make a decision.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Vicious_Fish]

Well there are not many choices out there of species that can live in a 29 gallon for life. Pretty much your only option would be Mud and Musk Turtles which are great beginner species if this is your first turtle. If you buy a juvenile turtle it could live in a 29 for a few years but a 40 gallon breeder is the minimum size I'd recommend for an adult turtle. A 29 gallon is tall and doesn't have a very big footprint. A 30 gallon long would work out better.

There are a list of care sheets in this link so you can see what you're getting yourself into.

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/caresheets.htm

 

[kyryah]

I agree with Vicious (we seem to be a couple of the biggest turtle lovers here, lol.) There really are no turtles that are suitable for a 29 gallon. I would recommend a 40 gallon breeder tank also with a Stinkpot, or perhaps a Reeves turtle.

Make sure to read up on proper lighting, filtration, and feeding, and if you have any questions come on back and ask!

Kristina

 

[Gerdass]

Thanks guys.

I'm more of a fish person myself, so don't know a whole lot about turtles.

Now, I'll ask a question that I normally will berate people for on the fish side.

If I were to buy a juvenile turtle, could I put him in a 29 temporarily without causing damage or stressing him/her? And if so, for how long? And be 100% honest, I don't want to be "that guy" that stresses the crap out of his pets by not caring what size of a tank I put him in, like that guy on Craigslist with the Arrowana in a 55 Gallon tank. Honestly, it would be convenient for now. I'm hoping to set up my 55 tank for my fish, and it would be a real cash hit all at once if I had to buy all new stuff for everything right now. Even if it was just 6 months or so, a new tank would be no problem at all.

And I'll definitely do the research. I was just hoping to narrow down the species to do the research on if I could get one in the tank I've got.

 

[kyryah]

If it is a baby, then yes, you should be fine. Even a single juvenile Red Eared Slider (Do NOT get one of those!!!!) would be fine in a 29 gallon for probably a year. You want to make sure that you have adequate filtration (2-3 times the volume of the tank) and are failthful with water changes, but juvenile Mud or Musk turtles, such as Stinkpots (which really don't stink, lol, they can "musk" though) are not the best swimmers as babies, and a smaller tank with a lot of different depth levels can be beneficial.

If I can find pics of my hatchling tank, I will post them. It is a 55, but it should give you some set up ideas.

Another idea would be to build an above tank basking platform, which I have done for as little as $7. This allows you to maximize the volume of the tank.

Kristina

 

[Vicious_Fish]

A cheap alternative to a glass aquarium would be a rubbermaid tub. They are light weight, cheap and easy to clean. I keep all my water turtles in tubs. I guess their downside is that they're not as transparent as glass tanks and they can bow some if filled too much.

Here's an older photo of my 40 gallon rubbermaid setup I had for a juvenile Stinkpot Musk Turtle.

 

[kyryah]

Great shots Vicious! Stinkpots are such great little turtles, and make really good beginner turtles, not to mention being absolutely adorable Love that little face.

A 50 gallon "christmas tree" storage tub or other Rubbermaid or Sterilite tub can be purchased from Walmart, etc. for under $20 usually. You can build a wooden frame out of 2" X 4"s for very little money that helps with bowing.

Kristina

 

[Vicious_Fish]

Great shots Vicious! Stinkpots are such great little turtles, and make really good beginner turtles, not to mention being absolutely adorable Love that little face.

More cute shots.

 

[kyryah]

Put him in a box, punch some holes in it, and mail it to....

LOL

Kristina

 

[Vicious_Fish]

More cute antics! This turtle loves to beg for food. It's hard not to give into that face.

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