Hi! Introduce yourselves here. :: Red-ear sliders and a new member cometh!

[Draconic]

Hey everyone, I've been reading the forum for a while now, looking into getting some turtles, and last nigt I made the decision to get two red ear sliders.

I have a pretty large tank with a turtle-dock and a pump, a UV flourescent light, and a red light that's supposed to work for night-time viewing, although I'm second-guessing that...

I'm going to be putting in some foliage to help them be more comfortable, and perhaps even getting some guppies in there...

The tank is actually a "turtle tank," as it has an opening half-way up so the water filter can work at lower levels.

When I get everything all fixed up, I'll post some pictures for suggestions to better help make my turtle's habitat enjoyable.

Talk to you all soon,
-Draconic

[marisa]

Welcome to the forum. How big is the tank? If you've been doing reading on the site, you know that "turtle tanks" ultimately are not the best choice to house turtles. While OK for hatchlings, the opening half-way up the side will limit the ability to raise the water level to any meaningful depth as they grow (a higher, not lower, water level is better).

There's no need for a night light, but your turtles do need a heat light in addition to the UVB light (can be a regular light bulb).

Some pics when you get everything set up would be nice.

[Draconic]

I did not know that... I suppose I haven't been reading as thoroughly as I had thought. However, the water level can be up to 9 inches deep before it hits the lip (of course, I won't fill it that high...

For some reason, I can't find the size of the tank listed... The dimensions though, are 17x18x36 (inches.) I think that is about 48 gallons. and since the wall only goes half way up, it's more like a 24 gallon tank. The turtles I have seem to be really enjoying the space that they have right now, I think they're about 2.5 inches...

given that information, how long do you think my tank will be apropriate for them, or rather, how long the turtles will be comfortable?

At any rate, the new tank will have to wait for at least 2 more weeks, I hope that they will be good for that long.

[marisa]

Multiply the dimensions you gave above and divide by 231 to get the number of gallons the tank would be if it were a regular one.

If you're turtles' shell lengths, not including the curve, are 2.5 inches each, then ideally, they would be comfortable in a 50-gallon tank now. Since they're growing, get the biggest tank you can (a longer and wider tank is better than a tall one) so it will last longer. More space, and they'll be more comfortable. They should be able to wait the two weeks for a bigger tank.

[CountryGirl68]

Welcome and congratulations on your new babies. Marisa is right - go as large with the tank as you can when you go shopping in a few weeks. That will save you money in the long run. And be sure the filter you have is for at least 3x the size of your tank so that it can work properly.

Read through the stickies and post to get more info. Everyone is here to help and answer any questions you have.

[missibsu]

Welcome to the forum!