Some questions about a habitat for an RES?

Question

I have a red eared slider and his tank gets really nasty really quickly. I change the water every 2 days, probably. is that normal? Also, I don't have gravel at the bottom because he was eating it. What kind of filter should I be using? I have an internal one that sticks to the side of the tank but doesn't seem to be doing its job that well. Also, my turtle never basks! He is always in the water. Is that ok? I just want to make sure he has a good habitat! Thanks!

Answer 1

Nope, its not normal. Yes you do have to do partial water changes but with a good filter you do not need to do it that often and like others said it's not healthy to do it that often, also if you have a small tank, it will get dirty faster too. What size do you have? RES get huge so you should get the biggest you can afford upfront. RES can grow 12in+ given the proper care. Turtles need 10 gallons per in of shell. SLiders also like deep water so fill the tank as deep as you can without risk of escaping from basking log. Turtles are messy though and your filter may just not be able to cope, you should invest in a good canister filter that is made for at least twice the size of your tank. So if you have a 40 gallon tank, you'll want a filter that can handle an 80 gallon or better. I've heard good things about the Magnums and Fluvals and Eheims.

For more info read this http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/article...

Good job on taking the gravel out! If you do not enjoy the look of a bare bottom tank, you can use river rock.

As for the not basking, there are several reasons your turtle may not be basking. examples

*New enviroment
*Improper enviroment (temps, lighting)
*Improper Diet
*Illness
*Is this a new turtle? If so it is common for them not to bask at first. Sometimes it can take a couple of weeks for them to fell safe in their new home, once they do they should start to bask. You can try taping paper around the basking area of the tank to give them more privacy. Just be sure it isn't to close to the basking lights so it can't start a fire. Or you could try putting them in a low-traffic area.

*Make sure the temperatures are right. The water temps should be 74 to 79 degrees Farenheit and the basking spot 10 degrees Farenheit warmer than the water. If thew water is too warm or the basking spot too hot, they may not bask as much or at all.

*Make sure you have a good UVA/UVB light along with your heat basking lamp. The bulb should say it emits at least 5% UVB rays. Most people have notice when they supplied the proper lighting,and much needed UVB, their turtles tended to bask more.

*Diet-RES need a varied diet and need to be fed in the water. For the proper diet please follow this link (sorry the computer I am on isn't letting me copy the list here.) http://turtlesale.com/forum/index.php?topic=13163.0

It is very important that you get your RES to bask. They need a spot to get completly out of the water and bask, or else they are prone to all sorts of nasty infections like shell rot and fungus.

If you need any more help, please visit me at http://turtleexchange.com/forum/index.php (screen name Julia) where I am a moderator, or http://turtlesale.com/forum/index.php (screen name Grumps1stBorn) where I am staff.

Answer 2

The tank for RES or terrapin should be at least 48" x 15" x 12" deep with a filter capable of filtering all the water every 15 mins and a 200 watt heater. A 5% UVB lighting system is essential. A basking area and a ramp for the turtle to climb on to this is needed. The water should be about 6" deep.Don't change the water too often as it will go cloudy naturaly after two or three days. This is ammonia from their waste. Bacteria then start to consume this and the watyer clears after 10 to 14 days. then a 25% change each week will keep the water clean. The main thing is not to overfeed as this leads to smelly tanks.
Youy do not have to provide any gravel it just looks better and most RES like to dig about in it lookiung for food.
I own a pet store and sell them. The store you got then from should provide proper care sheets.

Answer 3

First of all, what size tank do you have? The frequency of water changes kinda depends on that. The smaller the area with the same amount of dirt and whatnot being produced, the more often you should clean it.
It's fine that you don't use substrates... A lot of people don't for the same reason you stopped, but also because it's a pain to clean. I use medium-sized smooth river stones. I never really do partial water changes... when I do change the water, everything comes out of the tank, is washed off, and rearranged. I enjoy the process though, so don't feel obligated to replicate it. ^^
Again, the type of filter depends on the size of your tank. Turtles are notoriously dirty, so keep that in mind. Your best bet is to find a comparable tank in a pet supply store, show it to an employee and ask what would be best.
Do you have a basking dock for the turtle? How old is it and do you have a heat lamp?


PS: These people are amazing... http://www.turtleforum.com/forum/upload/index.php?showforum=4

I linked you directly to the threads regarding semi-aquatic turtles. Good luck and keep us posted!

Answer 4

Your setup sounds quite super, besides the undeniable fact that 20 gallons is slightly advantageous for a quite youthful RES. the suitable component you're able to desire to do on your turtle is to take a place in a much extra suitable set up. you different than for might desire to might desire to desire to confirm the water is a minimum of as deep because of actuality the turtles shell is long, deeper maintains to be extra suitable.