General Care Discussion :: help

[msanchez]

Ok I recently bought a RES, I thought it would be a good pet for my 3 yr old, as soon as I got home I started doing research and realized this would be MY baby. I've read the site and some of the help questions, now I may just be over whelmed, but I still have tons of questions. My RES is just over an inch and 1/2 and has been with us for one day. I am a pet lover with 2 dogs and a cat so I plan on taking very good care of my RES but I guess what I really need help with is the filter system I went to Wal-Mart but couldn't figure out how to put this filter in with so littel water, and a heater??

[reptilegrrl]

There is a section lower in the forum on equipment. People here seem to love the Aqua-clear brand filter, so you can try that one out. I like the Hydor Ekip Thermofilter. In my experience, internal filters have been best but many folks here swear by the Aquaclear, which I've never tried.

If you look at the equipment forum, you can get an idea of what kind of filters people like best for their turtles.

[sonyj]

I have a question... you asked how to put the filter in with "so little water", well, why is there so little water? An RES is an aquatic turtle and needs water, as much as you can give him inside his tank without him having room to escape over the top.

What is your current set-up like? General rule is 10 gallons per inch of shell. So the smallest tank/set-up that you should have now is a ten gallon tank, and there should be plenty of room for a filter with the water that is filled up inside that.

But remember your RES will grow and his home must grow with him (at full size he may be between 9-12 inches depending on gender) so the larger the tank you can get now the more you'll save in the long run. A ten gallon tank should not be used except for the smallest hatchling and then not for too long. Just ask if you have any more questions.

[reptilegrrl]

I have a question... you asked how to put the filter in with "so little water", well, why is there so little water? An RES is an aquatic turtle and needs water, as much as you can give him inside his tank without him having room to escape over the top.

I think what she means is that with a turtle, the tank can't usually be filled to the top, whereas with fish it can. When you don't fill the tank to the top, some filters have trouble drwing water.

[marisa]

I can see some of the smaller internal filters (I'm thinking of something like a Fluval 2+) with really small hatchlings, and they are really quiet and don't need that much water. But they can take up valuable swimming space, and with babies, you have to be careful they don't get trapped under them...

msanchez, the filter you got a Walmart is a power filter (hangs on the side of the tank?)? If so, they don't run really well if you don't have at least half a tank of water, and more is better (this is true for the Aquclear as well).

What size tank (in gallons) are you putting the filter in?

[msanchez]

I was just troubled about how the filter would pick up the water at a lower level, I used to have fish and I was just picturing the filter for a tank filled for fish. I found what I needed. I do have a 10 gallon tank for my
RES he is just 1 1/2 inches, I have a really nice basking rock with light and I filled the tank with about 2 gallons of water. Is that enough? Thanks for the reply I did get just a little overwhelmed.

[Az^FolkSinger]

I have my ten gallon tank filled with 8 gals of water(about 3/4's of the way up ) and I have a aquaclear 20 and I have a mesh type cover over the top, ( we have caught tortuga already trying to escape, I believe if he could climb the glass walls he would LOL)
I also have some live water plants I keep in there for him to rest on....some rosie reds and male guppys, and some ghost shrimp and a couple of pleco for algy control. btw Tortuga is about the same size as your turt
I am picking up a 200 gal tank this summer then I don't have to worry about upgrading except that one time

[buffyfan9005]

Yeah, 2 gallons really isn't enough. When I had my hatchling in a 10 gallon I had her tank filled up about four or five gallons and I still didn't feel like it was enough. If you can get a basking area towards the top of the tank and fill the tank up with as much as water as possible then that'll be best.

I think it's great that you're taking the best care you can of your RES. Especially since you originally had just bought it for your son.

Good luck!