Habitat - Indoor :: 4 filters later!

[Mobat555]

I know this is the common question, and I read through the forum. I just can parse the calcuation together for what I need. my apologies.

Allright, I got a 20 gallon tank with a over the side filter that was dieing and two RES (one female one male). Couldnt keep the tank clean.

My g/f bought me a "ZooMed Turtle Clean Filter 318" which is clogged in about two days.

Since we decided it wasnt enough we went and bout a "Zoomed Turtle Canister Filter 501" which didnt seem to work at all.

So we thought maybe a bigger tank and got a 55 gal glass aqarium put in 25 lbs of river rock on the bottom and have a medium zoo med turtle dock. Since the 501 wasnt doing much I spent the money and bought a "Fluval Internal Filter 4 Plus". Most of the floaties are gone. But the water is still very murkey. Do I need something more pwoerful? $250+ on a free turle is starting to be a little disconcerning.

Not to mention the guilt I am feeling becuase the turtles do not look healthy. Both shells lack any real color and the female has a smooth spot on her shell. Mind you this is how I got them, but I am trying to help them and give them good living space.

What filter exactly do I need to function for two 6" turtles in a 55 gallon tank?

[fishandcandy]

For two big turtles in 55 gallons you'll need a much bigger filter.
Actually for 12 inches of turtle, you probably need a bigger tank.
The Fluval 4 is only rated for about 60 gallons. I have a filter about that size running in a 10 gallon tank right now.
You could try running multiple filters since it sounds like you already have a few.
Or you could buy a big canister filter. Something rated for 3 or so times the size of your tank. Like the Filstar XP3 or the Fluval 404.

P.S. I know how you feel. My turtle was "free," too.

[Mobat555]

Petsmart said they would take my Fluval 4 back , since i have the recipet and box. Plus I bought it two days ago. Which gives me $60 towards I guess and XP3. I cannot fit or afford a bigger tank. Guess I can go give a turtle to the reptile store.

[fishandcandy]

If you can, buy online. Or at least find out if your Petsmart will price match with Petsmart.com. The online price is probably much better than the store price.

Put as much water in the tank as you can. That'll help keep the tank clean and give the turtles space to swim. I'm not sure how much space 25 lbs of rocks takes up, but if it's a lot you could take out some of the rocks.

So far for my turtle I bought an Aquaclear 50 filter ($20), a shower organizer basking dock ($5), a plastic plant ($4), tank rocks ($8), two stick-on thermometers ($5), and a rubbermaid container for being outside in ($6), and a piece of cuttlebone ($.88). I got a 10 gallon tank for free, I set it up on an old microwave cart, I had another plastic plant and a rock looking thing from my old fish tank. For his light I'm using a mic stand and my husband's reading lamp. He goes outside in his rubbermaid for UVB and for basking he has a cork log thing that was in the tank my friend gave me. And now I have to go to the store and buy a glass thermometer and something to set the log thing on because he won't get on it if it's just floating around.

Are your turtles using the dock? What do you have for lights? Just curious.

[ellman605]

i use an above tank dock i made, pics are in the photo gallery, it was A LOT cheaper than a $10 zoo-med dock, and is a lot more stable, and easier to clean.

[sonyj]

The minimum tank size is ten gallons per inch of turtle. You have two 6" turtles that definitely need a much bigger habitat. This is one reason the water is getting dirty. A larger tank (with more water) with a filter rated at least 3x's the size of the tank will help tremendously.

Turtles need a lot of swimming room (= a lot of water in their tank), so why is there 25lbs of river rock taking up valuable swimming space in a tank that is already much too small for your two turtles? Many keepers only keep a few river rocks in the bottom of the tank to give the turtles something to push around. Other than that there really doesn't have to be anything covering the bottom of your tank. It takes up the turtles swimming room and helps to keep the water quality poor by trapping the debris from waste and food.

Seriously look into upgrading all your set-up if you want to keep happy, healthy turtles. There are many habitat choices out there other than glass aquariums that can cost a lot. Something like a large stock tank sold at tractor supply stores are great for turtles and much cheaper comparatively than glass tanks of the same size.

[kneecole]

25lbs of rocks in a 55 gallon tank isn't really as much as it sounds like. That's what I hvae in mine and it barely covers the bottom. Doesn't take up much space at all.

[Mobat555]

The current plan is to take the free turtles to the reptile store so someone more suited can take care of them. Get one small turtle. I returned the Flavul 4 pump and am going to get the X3. As Kneecole said 25 lbs of river rock dosnt cover the bottom of my tank, river rock being no larger then 1" diameter. Also going to try and get some ghost shrimp and snails.

I cant beleive the person on craigs list I got these from had both of them in a 20 gallon tank with 10 gallons of water for 3 years.

[sonyj]

...I cant beleive the person on craigs list I got these from had both of them in a 20 gallon tank with 10 gallons of water for 3 years.

That's sad. But at least you realize that it does take a lot more than that to keep RES. I hope they will be okay.

Sorry, about assuming 25 lbs of river rock was a lot. When I think of river rock I think of palm size stones (that's what I've got in mine). So you can just imagine what I was thinking, lol. I could just picture half of the tank taken up by stone.

[fishandcandy]

Keep in mind that a small turtle is still going to grow into the same size.
Why not just keep one of the ones you have instead of giving them both away?

[marisa]

That Fluval 4+ is crappy and is rated for only 57 gallons, so it's good you're considering something better. The XP3 is a good option.

If at all possible, I'd keep the turtles as well (haven't you gotten just a little bit attached to them?), just go big with the container and equipment (a small turtle will grow big as well). Stock tanks are good if a regular tank is out of the question.

[jeggy]

hey, hey! northglenn, colorado! my brother used to be a cop there up to a few months ago. he and my sisters live not too far from you. green valley ranch. i have a better idea then you givving the turtles to the pet store (not very happy living for the turtles anyway), give them to me. my sisters can pick them up from you and bring them to me when they visit chicago in about a month.
i too got my turtles free. i got them from my friend who got them by way of the previous owner left them when they moved away.

[Mobat555]

Got an XP3 last night and have it running, the water is a little cloudy after 14 hours of running but much cleaner.

The idea at this point is to keep them both and consider geting another 55 gallon tank.

These two are still suffering from there previous living enviroment and I hope will get better now that they have more of an ideal home.

Also it may sound strange but I am worried about seperating them. If in a week or two they dont show signs of healing I would be happy to send them to you Jeggy.

Your welcome to contact me via yahoo to discuss.

[Spookster]

Just keep in mind that your turtles are not done growing yet. Males grow to be 7-9 inches while the females grow to be 10-12 inches.

If you have two full grown 12 inch females you will need at least 120 gallons for each of them so either two 120 gallon tanks or one big 240 gallon tank.

Your turtles are old enough to determine their sex so I would do that first and then determine your habitat requirements. And instead of wasting money on two small tanks now it would be better money-wise to just set up your habitat as if they are full grown so you don't have to spend more money to go through all of this again shortly down the road from now.

[Spookster]

You can also find alot of useful information in the basic RES care section

http://www.redearslider.com/index_habitat.html