Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Just wondering how long a 29/30 gallon tank will sufficiently house 1 RES and 1 Eastern Painted given that I am purchasing them as 1.5 inch hatchlings?
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~Heather~
3 German Shepherd Dogs (Tasha, Kaiya, & Austin)
1 Iguana (Irwin)
4 Firebelly Toads (Kirby, Gus, Pico, & Tiki)
1 African Cichlid (Arnie)
1 Red-Eared Slider Hatchling (coming soon!!)
1 Eastern Painted Hatchling (coming soon!!)
Check out my website with most of my pets!

If you havent bought the tank yet, go for a larger tank right from the start. That size tank wont even last those two guys a year. I would say start off with at least a 55gal. You will eventually need a 100gal or bigger. Maybe you should just get one turtle for now?
Chris
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Hey whats up, I'm Chris and I currently have 0.1 Midland Painted, 1.0 Western Painted, 0.0.1 RES, 1.0 Bearded Dragon

If you are getting hatchlings, I would'nt even bother with a large tank.
Get a 5 or 10 gal tank. A ten will last you a couple of years.
Only put an inch or two of water in it, or they'll drown.
And make sure they can "haul out" of the water when they tire of swimming.
I keep 5 yearlings in a 10 gal tank with no problems at all.
The only drawback to this, is hatchlings really cant handle a strong filter. The current is usually too strong for them, and the way they eat...a filter would be a waste anyway.
Soooo...change the water everyday. Your nose will thank you.
I keep 2 Diamondbacks in a 30 ( about 5" ), and a RES and spotted together in a 20 ( same size )
And another tank has an Eastern Painted and a white lipped mud together. Also 20 gal.
I hate to tell anyone this, but they all are thriving!
Save your money, use a 10 gal for now, and use the money saved for a big tank in a couple of years.

I dont want to start a big drama but... Pretty much everything you just said is garbage. All your tanks are overstocked. Your keeping 2 5in turtles in a 20gal tank? Thats insane! When you say "thriving" I laughed. No animal can be thriving when there shoved into over crowded enclosures... You said save your money for a big tank... Well by buying a 10gal your going to get a filter suited for a 10gal, a heater suited for a 10gal, lights for a 10gal...ect, ect. So how are you saving money? If you go for the big tank right from the start you only have to buy things once.
Chris
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Hey whats up, I'm Chris and I currently have 0.1 Midland Painted, 1.0 Western Painted, 0.0.1 RES, 1.0 Bearded Dragon

Lets see...you have a total of 3 turtles.
I have an entire room filled...plus incubating eggs..hatchlings
and a pond.
I've been doing the herp thing for hmmm...let's see,about 29 years now.The only turtle breed I cannot seem to master is the twistneck...cool turtles, but being WC,I guess they have some inherent problems...bit I digress.
Three turtles does not an expert make.I also breed various snakes, and Brittany...and am an akc judge.(935)performance events.I also see you keep a beardie...got one of them too ( my sons), and I also have a frilled.
Animals...dogs, and herps are, and have been my life.
So please laugh all you want...your words are opinions...mine are based on experience and fact.I appreciate your concern for the animals...but an entire house filled with dead critters does me no good.
I'll stick by my words.

Hmmm... So your saying I am not knowledgable because I dont have a room filled with herps? Interesting...

Just go back and look at what you wrote. How can you say keeping two 5in turtles in a tiny 20gal tank is just fine? I would think someone with your "experience" would know better. Hatchlings will drown in deep water? Know maybe certain species like a mud or a spot, but say a hatchling painted. A hatchling painted can handle deeper water with no problems at all.
Chris
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Hey whats up, I'm Chris and I currently have 0.1 Midland Painted, 1.0 Western Painted, 0.0.1 RES, 1.0 Bearded Dragon

Here's how it should work...you send what works for you to this forum, I send what works for me to the forum, and whoever asked the original question will have to try and decide what to do.
Perhaps gleaning a bit of info from both our posts.
All we do here is offer hints...as I said...whatever works.
They asked based on experiences, I gave what I have learned and know, as you did the same.
It is now up to them to decide which to try. Perhaps even trying both. In time, their experience learned, will help others.

Bob

Well what "works" for some people may be completely incorrect. So the way I see it is, why give false advice? Why have someone completely new to somethong start off on the wrong foot? It will only discourage them to reach further into this hobby that seems to be slowly dissapearing in the first place.
Chris
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Hey whats up, I'm Chris and I currently have 0.1 Midland Painted, 1.0 Western Painted, 0.0.1 RES, 1.0 Bearded Dragon

a 29/30 is not enough space for two 1.5 inch turtles for more than a few days as a temporary container.
If you needed to, you could keep them in it for as much as a year but they do get bored and choosey with food and fat easily in small cages.
I'd recommend at least 6 square feet of surface area as a minimum for two turtles of that size.
Aim for a 55 - 180 gallon if you plan to keep them indoors for long.
Keep in mind that stock tanks and feed troughs make for good turtle housing and may be cheaper than glass aquariums.