Habitat - Indoor :: 8 Yr old RES, need tank advice

[HellaciousA]

I was recently given an 8 year old male RES for free from my girlfriend's coworker. Unfortunately, he has been kept in an ultra small 20 gallon reptile tank. Hes about 8-9" long as well, and currently shedding. No equipment came with him, just the tank and the turtle himself.

The previous owner did not run a filter and used loose gravel in the tank (which i found out that he ate some of it).

My problem is that I have no room for a 90-100 gallon tank which would be the appropriate size. However, I was wondering if I could use a plastic pond that could fit in my bath tub. The length is plenty for swimming, and the water level would be enough for him to swim in, but not so that he could crawl out. Has anyone here done that before?

I keep my bathroom very clean, and I would be able to have the proper electrical outlets for the filters and the UVB and UVA bulbs. What kind of filtering setup would work best for this? The tub is about 4' long and 2' wide, maybe 1' -2' tall off the ground.

If this wouldn't work, I have no other idea what I can do. I dropped 200 dollars in equipment just in a filter, basking area, lighting, food, and chemicals. I don't want to have to give him away and lose 200 bucks. Any advice would be appreciated.

edit...
here's a pic of my setup for right now (hopefully temporary)

[missibsu]

Poor guy, he looks so cramped in there! First off, I know you said the issue is space, but how would a plastic storage bin work for you? The rubbermaid containers are often shaped differently than aquariums and they cost a lot less too! They do make huge ones that would meet the needs of your turt, but you might need some support around it to keep it from bowing. Second, I don't know about the bathroom bit. Where are you going to shower if he is in there? Sure taking him out and using it makes sense, but not when you would have to move a filter and lighting, etc. I know that even my bathtub isn't big enough for an 8 inch turt. I know that a 55 gallon isn't really big enough for the poor guy, but it is smaller than 100 gallons, and if that's what it takes temporarily, then I say go with it.

I would also recommend a trip to the vet, just to have him checked out.

What kind of chemicals did you buy? You mentioned that when listing all of the things you had spent money on.

Welcome to the forum, I'm sure others will be along shortly to add their two cents worth!

[BROOKLYN]

Well first off, you might have mistaken the the gender of your turtle. By the looks from your picture, your turtle is a female. As for the tank situation, I wouldn't recommend putting your turtle in a tub because of salmonella issues. It's difficult to keep your bathroom entirely clean and it'll just cost you more money and time at the end. If money is an issue right now, I say you should just keep the turtle in there temporarily until you have saved enough for a more permanent enclosure. It might not be the best in the long run but I'm sure your turtle is a lot more happier than she was before when she was in a 20G. As for the issue dealing with space capacity, I'll have to agree with missibsu that buying a rubbermaid (stock tank) might save some space. A big aquarium tank that is suitable for your turtle will probably be 6 feet in length so it does take up space but some stock tanks are that size as well. As for the filter, it is recomended to buy a filter that's rate 2-3x the size of your enclosure (ex: 20G should have a filter intended for 40G-60G) and I honestly don't know any good submersible filters (if you did plan to put your turtle in the tub). I'm not exactly sure if your basking area (that rock) is placed on the side of the tank (due to the picture) but if it's in placed in the middle of the tank, I think you can take off the screen since it filters out a lot of the UVB rays (depends on the mesh on the screen). Lastly, I think you should get a new basking area so you can raise the level of the water. RES love to swim and aren't bottom feeders like alligator snappers where that amount of water is suitable for yearlings and hatchlings. I think it also affects your heater as there is usually a requirement that says a certain amount of water (usually a line on the heater that says minimum water) should be added in the tank. And of course if you do, then that screen top is needed and you might want to place some kind of weight on it so if you're turtle does decide to explore her surroundings, she wouldn't be able to get out by loosen the lid and climb out. I hope that helps.

[steve]

I wouldn't use a bathtub either, even if you can find a pond to fit in there. Did you plan on removing the setup when you needed to use it? You will have a hard time finding a plastic container larger than 60 gallons.

I would consider getting a stock tank, which is much more durable than a pond or plastic container. If it is well supported and planned out, you should be able to utilize the space above and below it.

[marisa]

Stock tanks are great! You can get creative and hide the sides if you don't like how they look. They're easy to move, sturdy, not expensive and easy to clean.

If you get a big one (100+ gallons), it most likely will be on the floor, though. I don't know of anyone with a big stock tank that has it on something.

[Mobat555]

I know its a rare deal. but I got a 150 gallon acrylic tank of craigslist.org for $100. Its 4-1/2' long 29" high and 24" deep. I was able to keep it in the same Area as my 55 it just was taller and thicker.

Kudos to you for taking the time to learn about your RES and know what it needs.

[HellaciousA]

I don't use the shower in the bathtub I would put him in, so it could be a permanent setup. I physcially do not have space for a 100 gallon tank at my house. I still live at home with my parents, and theres no other room in the house. We have a great dane, 2 shih tzus, an african grey parrot, and a leopard gecko. So it just won't work with a stock tank or otherwise.

I looked into rubber storage containers and found a rubbermaid pond form that was 90 gallons. Looked pretty nice, but after hearing the comments above, I guess thats not the best route to take.

[missibsu]

A rubbermaid container or pond would be better than using a bathtub in my opinion...even if you aren't using that tub. I don't know how much water your tub holds, but I doubt that it holds as much as what your turtle needs.