General Care Discussion :: Questions about my turtle's tank set up

Taking care of your turtle's overall health.

Post Posted: Fri May 03, 2019 10:02 pm   Questions about my turtle's tank set up

Hey everybody, I have a younger red eared slider I have a couple of questions I was hoping you guys could help answer for me.

1. She is currently living in a 50 gallon stock tank, the two filters (essentially these models https://www.walmart.com/ip/Tetra-Whispe ... s/10291763) I have honestly just aren't cutting it anymore. I have seen that canister filters are highly recommended for turtle owners. I guess my question here, is; Does the canister filter have to be below water level of the tank for it to work? I was hoping to keep it on the floor right next to the tank. Getting it below the tank might be difficult to do, due to the fact that I am on the second floor of an apartment and can't really be putting excess weight underneath to support the tank at this time, not to mention the floor is a little uneven. So any help here would be really appreciated.

2. She hasn't been basking much lately. The dock in the middle of the tank I have for her has been there for about three weeks and for the first week, she was on it constantly it seemed. The last two weeks I have not seen her on it at all (granted I have worked a lot and haven't been home) but she's never been shy about basking with me in the room before. I checked the temperature of the water today (roughly 76-77 degrees Fahrenheit and the basking area was at 81-82, so I think that's correct. So what could be wrong? Anyways thank you for bearing with me through this long post, your help would be greatly appreciated, thank you and have a great day.
johnkier58
 
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Post Posted: Sat May 04, 2019 9:21 am   Re: Questions about my turtle's tank set up

I have my filter and tank on the floor , can be done. 150 gallon stock tank. Trick is to have water level in tank a little above the water level in filter. If not and power goes out it will not prime and restart. If you only need an inch or two to achieve that use a 2” board , cut it the size of the footprint of the tank for proper support. If need a little more height use cinder block to raise the tank more.

Yes those whispers even two are not adequate for a growing baby as you found out. Especially if you used the fish media that came with it. Read media thread on forum and set them up for a turtle will improve your results and buy you maybe some time before an upgrade needed. Also rotate cleaning them so not to kill off any good bacteria you may have. Having a well cycled tank will allow filter work much better. Canisters are great and some allow you to use any media making it good use for turtles. Get one with the largest media area you can will help even more. Don’t buy one that only uses those pre-made media pack’s , thats were they make money off you. Or make your own , it’s easy.

Use a camcorder if you have one while at work may be using basking area more than you think when apartment is quiet. Temp for babies need to be : water 78-80* and basking 10* above that so 88-90* ! They are growing so fast need that . Older turtle’s (adults) can have it cooler: water 75 and basking 85* or more.
litefoot
 
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Post Posted: Sat May 04, 2019 3:37 pm   Re: Questions about my turtle's tank set up

I would use some cinderblocks too. A little extra height goes a long way for your back when you have to work on the tank.
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