Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just bought two baby RES and I keep them in a 10 gallon tank right now, but I want to know what size I should buy for them to be comfortable when they get bigger. I'll be building a backyard pond for them when they get TOO big, but for now, can anyone offer any recommendations? would a 20 or 30 gallon suffice?

Also, I need to buy a filter soon and I was wondering if anyone can recommend a cheap and effective one? It doesn't need to be anything fancy, just as long as it does the trick. If anyone knows someone who is willing to sell me one, I'd be happy to take it off their hands. (my email is chehballa@hotmail.com). same goes for a heater..

Also, what kind of set-up is good for RES when they are this small? I've seen a lot of set-ups which have the tank mostly filled with a small basking area, my turtles like to stick with their heads above water when they sleep. Should I keep the water level low or will they be ok i deep water??

i've used multiple setups for RES hatchlings, I think the best one is to just put a bunch of sand (not gravel....once they grow, they may see the gravel as food and kill themselves trying to eat it), on the bottom, and have it sloping upwards to where they can get up and bask above the water. They do need an area with a UVA/UVB basking light, totally out of the water, or they will come down with softshell. And a 5.0 UVB Striplight. My girlfriend has about an 8" water setup with rocks on one end, but they never seem to get up on the rocks, so tomorrow when I go i'm going to put the sand setup in her tank. If they stay in the water and are able to get up on the basking area, then they are just getting too cold in the tank, thats why they get back in the water.

As for tank size, depends how long you're gonna keep them. If it's about a year or more, i'd go with a 55gal. (they have a good deal at pet supermarket on 55 gal, if you have one of those stores in your area), and then when you put them outside get yourself an oscar, those are awesome fish.

Filters...Fluval has always been a good filter. I want to say the fluval 505, but i'm not really sure on that. Just look for one that's designed for turtles, but since they won't be staying inside too long, you can just go with a cannister filter that supports the tank size you buy, since it would be kinda stupid to buy that tank then leave it sitting empty without any fish in it, ya kno? Magnum filters are a lot more expensive, have more parts, but I personally like fluval better. If they aren't kept ovet 6 mths inside, i'd probably go with just a 29 gallon, or maybe a 30 long. hope this helps. -chris

the best "cheap" filter is probably the aquaclear 500. i don't own one, but i've heard it's very good. keep in mind that it is a waterfall type filter and does make splashing noises. you can get it for $29 at bigalsonline.com