Habitat - Indoor :: 55 Gallon Tank!

[BabyNemo]

Hi, I currently have a baby turtle named Nemo, and I'm planning on upgrading him to a 55 gallon tank ASAP. It's four foot long, 16 inches wide, and about two feet tall. I'm really looking for ways to give him a natural looking environment. I do all my animal shopping at Petsmart and Petco, so if anyone knows any items that you can get from there that would work It would be great. Even some links to other forums. I'm new here and this is my first time raising a baby (His shell is 1.5 inches wide) and I want the best for him. Thank you.
I hope this is posted in the right place.

[steve]

Do you know where you will get the tank? Petco has a $1 per gallon sale a few times a year, and the max you can get is a 55 gallon tank. Some other competing stores match the promotion. I'd also get his food there... Omega-One is a very good brand. The rest I would probably get on-line (Drs Foster Smith, Big Als)... heater, filtration, lamps, etc.

[BabyNemo]

Do you know where you will get the tank? Petco has a $1 per gallon sale a few times a year, and the max you can get is a 55 gallon tank. Some other competing stores match the promotion. I'd also get his food there... Omega-One is a very good brand. The rest I would probably get on-line (Drs Foster Smith, Big Als)... heater, filtration, lamps, etc.

I have the tank already. I'm using it for my Syrian hamster and the people I got it from said it had no leaks and showed it on craiglist with water in it.
Ordering online is something I would do but I've had very bad experiences with it. Most stuff shipped to us gets cracked/broken/wrong item. I have a "Rock" structure filter that is missing the pump so I have to find one that will fit it.
We've been feeding him the stuff the family was feeding him. It's a small green bottle and it says "Repti-Mini" on the front.

[steve]

Make sure it's an actual aquarium. Terrariums can hold water, but they're not meant too. The glass and silicone application is pretty thin. Drs Foster Smith has great service. Could the food be called Reptomin?

[BabyNemo]

Make sure it's an actual aquarium. Terrariums can hold water, but they're not meant too. The glass and silicone application is pretty thin. Drs Foster Smith has great service. Could the food be called Reptomin?

The guy before had three RES in it. I used it for my Syrian because a Hamster needs a minimum of 360sq inches of floor space.

And yeah, I'm pretty sure that's what it's called. He hasn't been eating much though as far as I can tell.

[steve]

Make sure he;s actually eating. Pellets break up easily in the water after a few minutes. Have you seen any poop yet?

[BabyNemo]

Make sure he;s actually eating. Pellets break up easily in the water after a few minutes. Have you seen any poop yet?

When I use the gravel siphon thing quite a lot of junk comes up, it's like clowdy tan-yellow colored. It's like clumps of it. I'm not sure what turtle poop is supposed to look like.

I was wondering if it would be okay to do a 75-100% water change tomorrow? I've only been doing 25% and the ammonia is building up too much. How would I go about doing that if I have a Pleco in his tank too? And I also have 3ghost shrimp in there.

[steve]

It could be... poop color varies based on what they're eating. 100% water changes are OK, just make sure the water is the right temperature before the turtle goes in. If you have bio media, make sure you put it to the side while you dechlorinate the water (preferably by using carbon.)

[BabyNemo]

It could be... poop color varies based on what they're eating. 100% water changes are OK, just make sure the water is the right temperature before the turtle goes in. If you have bio media, make sure you put it to the side while you dechlorinate the water (preferably by using carbon.)

Would I use tank water to put Nemo and the pleco and ghost shrimp in a separate container together or would I need different containers for the three?
I'm leaving for the weekend so I wanted to do a complete water change to make It easier on my mom.

[steve]

Well, if you can't keep an eye on things, maybe just do a 25-50% change. I'd just keep the turtle separate from the other critters. In a confined space, they don't have much of a chance.

[ljapa]

Well, if you can't keep an eye on things, maybe just do a 25-50% change. I'd just keep the turtle separate from the other critters. In a confined space, they don't have much of a chance.

Plus, your pleco and ghost shrimp will be more sensitive to water changes than your turtle. I agree with Steve, I wouldn't do a full water change.

[BabyNemo]

Okay thank you both. I will do a 50% change and hope that that helps with the ammonia build up.
Thank you!