Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a RES and a 55 gallon aquarium...I need ideas of how to set up her tank so that shes happiest. Can you guys please post any pics your aquariums you got so I can get an idea of how to best fix it up. Also can a RES live with a different kind of turtle? If so what kind?

In a 55 gallon you should limit yourself to only 1 RES. Dont get another turtle until you can double your tank size.

Here is my 120 gal which contains 1 RES, 1 River cooter, and some fish.

Here is the basking spot.

And here are ideas for how to make a canopy hood so you can fill the tank all the way up. So many people think they have a big enough tank with their little 10 gallons per inch formula, so they think their 4" turtle is happy in a 40 gallon tank when really they only have 15 gallons of water in it.

Basking turtles only need land to bask and lay eggs. If you are intent on breeding turtles you will need a large land area. Otherwise, a turtle only needs enough land to pull itself completely out of the water to bask. Dont waste half your tank on a basking area. The canopy hood is the best way to be able to fill your tank full of water. If your basking area is made by stacking rocks, thats gonna take up a lot of space in a full 55.

If you need help designing a canopy hood or basking spot or filter, I can give you basic ideas.
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>>And here are ideas for how to make a canopy hood so you can fill the tank all the way up. So many people think they have a big enough tank with their little 10 gallons per inch formula, so they think their 4" turtle is happy in a 40 gallon tank when really they only have 15 gallons of water in it.
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>>Basking turtles only need land to bask and lay eggs. If you are intent on breeding turtles you will need a large land area. Otherwise, a turtle only needs enough land to pull itself completely out of the water to bask. Dont waste half your tank on a basking area. The canopy hood is the best way to be able to fill your tank full of water. If your basking area is made by stacking rocks, thats gonna take up a lot of space in a full 55.
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>>If you need help designing a canopy hood or basking spot or filter, I can give you basic ideas.
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Okay. My RES is pretty old...and wild (My cousins-in-law brought her home agaisnt her will). So now im just trying to give her the best home possible. She is eating well and looking healthy. One question I have is...how exactly do you tell a RES's age? which boxes on her bottom do you count? I heard you dont count all of them...Thanx I appreciate the help.
~TriPs~

thats an old wives tale. You cant tell a turtles age by counting the growth rings. How long is the turtles shell- straight line from head to tail (no curve)?
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Her shell is about 8 1/2 to 9 "

There is no way to guess a wild sliders age. Their size depends on many environmental factors, as well as their genetics. They are born with the number of boxes that they get, so that is not a way to tell either.
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this is my new 55g tank. I just set it up the last two days. I have two res in it, Gator and NoNo. They are just a year old though so they have plenty of space. I went to the pet store to find a basking platform and all the sales people told me I shouldn't fill the tank up and that adult RES' only need like 2-3 inches of water. Um...pretty sure in the wild RES's aren't hanging out in puddles. I get so mad at the naivety because they are telling everyone who buys an adult res that that little of water is fine. grrrr...my guys love swimming and diving. They especially love the air stone. I just bought live plants and they have already nawed through quite a few of them, lol.

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1 Dog- Mollianna Mae
1 Cat- Macey Montana
2 Red Eared Sliders- Gator and No-No
2 Beta- Swamp and Swims
4 Fish- One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

Thats a cool tank set up you got. They told me the same thing at petland...that RES dont need too much water and 4 or 5 inches will do fine. Thats how much water I got for now because my filter sux and probably wouldnt clean very well in too much water. Im thinking of getting a baby slider. Do you think my wild adult will fight or be territorial>?