Reptile & Amphibian Forums

wat size gal tank do you need for 1 adult red ear slider and wat else do u need
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I am a leo lover i currently own only 1 leo but who cares. ialso have a fire-bellied toad and a shiba inu which is a japanese dog.

It depends if it is a female or male RES. A full grown female is bigger and thus needs a larger tank. For one I'm not sure, I'm guessing around 100 gallons should do it for either.

A general rule of thumb is 10 gallons of tank per inch of turtle (a 9-inch turtle needs at least a 90 gallon tank/container, etc.); larger is better to allow for space the basking area may take up.

The issue is mostly one of surface area as any depth more than about 16 inches is fine for swimming. every standard glass aquarium over 15 gallons is more than 16 inches deep. What you want to consider is NOT the volume of the tank but the "footprint", that is the length and width.

For example: A 90 gallon really offers little advantage over a 55 gallon as they are both 4 feet long and the 90 is only about 5 inches wider (it holds more water mainly because its taller). A standard 125 measures 72" by 18" and this provides about 9 square feet of surface area. They are only slightly more expensive than a 90 or 100 but have much more space. (indeed a low model 125 is sometimes less than a high model 100) Likewise a 150 gallon tank has the same footprint (surface area) as a 125 but is slightly taller and thus offers no real advantage to the turtle keeper over a 125.

You can save space in any tank by using a basking platform that doubles as the top of the hiding spot and by adding fully submersed shelves to the tank (either siliconed-in pieces of glass or just plastic or cork bark attached with suction cups)
if these are places strategically they make make area which are "shallows" but which can be swum under and above.

a floating basking log may be good as well though these must be sturdy enough to allow the turtle to get on top of them without too much effort and tipping.

Also don't forget stock tanks and plastic garden ponds (even indoors) are often much larger and cheaper than glass tanks and these will houe a slider just as well, if not better.

Thanks for the info and examples. I`m currently using a Rubbermaid-type container but will better know what to look for if I do get a tank.