Ok, this topic has probably been discussed already. But I thought I'd share my experience. I have a 2 1/2" red eared slider who recently got extremely sick due to the temperature not being what it was supposed to be. Originally he was housed in a ten gallon tank while I worked on getting him something bigger. I had a 80 degree preset heater which was working fine until a couple of cold nights, the water temperature dropped to about 75-78. After this time I started noticing Tophat was acting funny. During feeding, I put him into a feeding tank, he would do these out of the water opened mouth gasps. I started getting even more concerned when his appetite started diminishing. I took him to the vet and he came to the conclusion that Tophat has a respiratory infection, which was most likely due to the temperature. We were given antibiotics to give him for four weeks. As well, were told and given information on the water temperature. The temperature advised was to be between 82-85 degrees.
So since then, he has been moved to a 55 gallon tank, as well I have added a larger heater, which so far water temp stays roughly between 82-86 (water temp is checked nightly as well!) Antibiotics are being given every day, luckily when he gaps they are easy to squirt in to his mouth, but I hope the gasping goes away within the week *fingers crossed*! Hope this helps anyone else!
The following are picture from his new tank, where he has been enjoying the space, swimming and exploring
