Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am getting my setup ready to get a baby red eared slider turtle. I just purchased a 10 gal aquarium and a tank lid for it. I know I will have to get bigger in the future, but it is all I can afford right now. I need to know what else to get to be compatible with my new 10 gal aquarium. I know I need to get gravel, an under gravel filter, submersible filter, water heater, thermometer, ramp, basking lamp. There are just so many brands and filters, etc, I don't know which ones are good and inexpensive to buy. Please help me!! Also do I have my list right, or am I missing something?

I would skip the gravel and undergravel filter and go with a really good normal filter. RES have a habit of eating gravel and it just traps the dirt. Turtles are not the cheapest hobby to get into, if you can't afford more than a ten gallon tank, you may want to reconsider getting one. What if you new turtle gets sick? Can you afford vet bills and medicine? I am not saying that a ten gallon tank isn't big enough for a hatchling, its just that a lot of people buy turtles and don't take care of them. It does sound like you want to do everything right, this is just a note of caution.
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I can afford having the turtle, I just can't afford right now to fork out $200-$300 for a big aquarium. I will in the future though. So no gravel and no under gravel filter, good. But what kind of filter should I buy for a 10 gallon tank? And should I get some big rocks to put at the bottom? I read that red eared sliders like to dig in the rocks, so I thought I'd put something down there. I need someone to school me on what products to trust and what I should buy, maybe a checklist, so I'll be sure to have everything ready before I buy a turtle.

If you want a setup that will last for a little longer, go with a 20 gallon long tank. It is longer than a ten gallon tank so your little guy will have a lot more swimming room. It isn't that much more money than a ten gallon tank. I use river rocks on the bottom of my tank, and a few large pieces of slate. The slate I found, (fell off my parents roof) and the river rocks I bought in the craft section of walmart. I use a fluval canister filter, but the aquaclear one works well too. You can attached a splash guard to the front of the filter to quiet it down. Cork bark works well for a basking area, and so do the plastic turtle islands, although they sometimes burn under the lights, and the turtles are always knocking them off of the wall.

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well canister filters are the best, but they are kinda expensive and not really necessary for a 10 gallon. an aquaclear 500 is good but it is a waterfall filter so it makes loud splashing tanks. you can always get a fluval 4 internal filter but they aint that good.

for a basking ramp, i recommend a turtle ramp because they are easy to get on to, and most hatchlings have a hard time getting on floating islands and stuff like that. you can get one at drsfostersmith.com

in addition to a basking light, you also need UV lightning. most people seem to recommend repti sun.

oops i meant splashing noises, not splashing tanks

If you are BUYING this turtle, you might want to considser a different variety of turtle, or consider adoption. Sliders get up to 12 for females, and you cannot guarantee sex as a hatchling. Painteds, muds, and musks stay smaller. I've seen 8" sliders as young as four years old. Reptile rescues and herpetological societies sometimes get babies in for adoption, or juveniles, and some of them adopt out for free.

Katrina

I started out with a ten gallon tank and then upgraded to a 55 gal when my turtles got bigger. I bought a Fluvial 4 Plus ($36 from DrsFosterSmith.com) which was a little large for the 10 gal but it still worked ok (I had to lay it on its back) and now I have it in the bigger tank and it works great. Just be sure to use the carbon filters with it. (Or, to save money, I put carbon pellets in a mesh bag and stuff it where the carbon filter is supposed to go. Actually works better.)

I put a styrofoam floating "rock" on top of the filter to minimize the splashing noise and it worked well as a basking site when the turtles were little.

And I use river rocks in the bottom. The turtles like to play in them, and even though they do trap debris, I consider this a plus because then I don't have to look at the stuff! I just vacuum it out when I do a partial water change.

When you're ready to upgrade tanks, look for a used one. I got my 55 gal with a wood stand and a bunch of supplies for $50.

Good luck with your new pets! They are a lot of fun, but a lot of work and expense too.