General Care Discussion :: tank size ?

Taking care of your turtle's overall health.

Post Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2005 8:40 pm   tank size ?

when you say 10g per inch do you mean tank size or actual gallons? If you have a 3" res then should you have a 30g tank or a 55g tank with about 30g of water?
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Post Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2005 9:28 pm   

I believe what they are talking about with the 10g per inch is space.. not just water. It's the surface area or footprint of the tank. The more water and the larger the tank, the easier it is to keep clean believe it or not. The waste is dispersed over a larger area. The more water you put in your tank.. etc.. etc.. You can fill the tank up as high as you can that will not allow them to escape. I'm sure others will add info..

btw, I see you are new to the forum.. Welcome :)
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cam722
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Post Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2005 9:46 pm   

It's tank size, but if you can get a 55 then go for it. Bigger is always better. The 10 gal per inch is a bare minimum.

and Welcome :-)
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jenaero
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Post Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2005 11:55 am   

It's X gallons of tank per inch of shell length, and you measure the shell length from the scute behind the head down to the end of the one above the tail but don't include the curve of the shell = Straight Carapace Length (SCL).
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Post Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2005 3:45 pm   

ok I get it. so what is more important tank size or water quality? I have the chance to get a baby res it is only about 1 1/2" now so I guess I could put it in the empty 29g that I have then move it to my 75g when it gets bigger. the only problem is that I dont want to go bigger then a 75g. can I over filter the 75g and be ok or will it not have enough room for a adult res?
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Post Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2005 3:49 pm   

a 75 gal would be fine for an adult male, but a female will need a 120 gal. Swimming space and water quality are both very important so you can't really overdo one to compensate for the other.

I should add that you won't know the sex til it gets about 5 inches long.
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jenaero
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Post Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2005 4:25 pm   

Whether or not you need more than a 75 gallon depends on the sex of your RES and how big s/he grows. :)

Since you said you have both tanks already, you could put your turtle in the 29 gallon tank and move it to the 75-gallon tank later, but you'd definately have to upgrade your filter. Your turtle will grow fairly quickly if you give it good living conditions, though, so you may just want to use the 75-gallon (up to you).

Don't know what you mean by "over filtering the 75-gallon," but for adequate filtration you should get a filter rated for 3X the size of the tank (the specs on filter boxes are largely for fish, which aren't as messy as turtles are). More filtration never hurts. If you choose to use the 75-gallon and have the water somewhat deep, make sure your turtle has places (like floating plants or ledges) to rest on in addition to the basking area--little turtles can get tired when swimming and need places to rest.
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Post Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2005 4:55 pm   

bigger is always better,cleaner is too lol even babies love to swim but they do get tired,mine would even rest on plants under the water provide it all u can : )
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