Habitat - Indoor :: New 90g tank for baby turts

[BabbyTurts]

Hi all, Ive been lurking this forum ever since I got two hatchling cuties in July. I just got a 90 gallon tank and have some questions before I move my turtles in. I know that I will likely need to upgrade to a 150g or larger when they become full sized, but 90g is more than enough for now.

Is the tank too big for them? Will they get lost? Will I have trouble finding them?

What filter is recommended? I know that the fx5 would be pretty ideal for a 150g, but my turtles are only a couple months old and less than 2 inches. Im thinking of the fluval 405? It would be a lot cheaper and fit under my stand.

What other preparation do I need? The water will be sitting in the tank for around 24 hours before I plan to put my turts in. Do I need to worry about ammonia levels, hardness, ph, etc etc? If so, how can I take care of this?

How powerful of a heater is recommended? I live in a condo where heat/AC is free, so I plan to have my room ~24C year round. I would only need to heat the tank about 2-3C more than room temperature, would some basking lights be able to do this?

Thanks in advance guys!

Pic of tank:


Pic of the cuties:

[Kansasslider]

Tank size is fine. You won't loose your turtles. Give them places to rest and get air. Like some plastic plants with suction cups you can mount at the waters surface. You will pay $200 for an fluval 406. I just bid and won an fx5 for $250 on e-bay. I would try to find a deal on an fx5 or fx6. As for a heater I would say a 300 watt jager.I like to let my tanks cycle but you don't have too. The important thing is to make sure you carbon filter your water. You can do this by adding carbon to your filter and let it run for a couple of days before you add your turtles. I also pre filter all the water for my tanks with a whole house water filter with a barbon filter.I'm sure others will chime in. These are just my personal preferences. Cute!

[BabbyTurts]

Thanks for the reply.

I originally decided to go with the fx5, but the only thing stopping me is the fact it wont fit in my stand's cabinet.

I found someone selling a Rena XP4 and a 200w filter for $80, planning on picking it up today. I read that play sand from wal mart is a pretty popular/good substrate. How do I go about rinsing this in a condo/apt unit? Would letting the bath tub water run through it be strong enough since I wont have access to a hose?

[Kansasslider]

Yea just put it in a bucket and stir It all the way to the bottom of the bucket with your hand while the water is running through it. Play sand will work.Pool filter sand is best. If the Rena is made in china I would avoid it at all costs. The older ones are good but the new ones are not. I would look into the fluval 406. Made in Italy good quality and customer service.