General Care Discussion :: Creating A Habitat for my Turtle

[AnnaTurtle]

Hello there!

I need help in creating a habitat for my turtle.
I would like to know what I should get for him.

He is about 7-8 inches in length. He's a male adult RES slider, and an active swimmer/eater. He's so enthusiastic!

To start off,

[TANK]
* Is a glass tank better or a plastic storage container?
What size should I get him? Do I also get a stationary stand or with wheels?

[FILTER]
* My turtle Poops A LOT! What type of filter(s) should I get him?
Please tell me which brand is the best to suck in debris and poop.

[HEATING]
* Heating... What brand of heating device do I get? Do I get two bulbs for him?

[DOCKING]
* Docking item. My turtle needs to bask... I've neglected this part for him.
For a 7-8 inch turtle, what kind of dock should I get him?

[LIGHTING]
* Lighting. I really don't understand what I should get for him at all for lighting. Please help me!

[DECOR]
* Decorations: What type of gravel and fake plastic plants and nature background for my turtle?

(Exceptions: I live in a small apartment, so getting a super big-sized tank isn't an option for me. I also do not like the sound of water from filters making sound. The quieter, the better. I don't have much money to spare, but I would like to get the best items for my turtle that will last for a long time.)

Another note... I tried putting my turtle in a glass tank before. He was so scared. I don't know why he was hiding himself in his shell. But when I put him in a plastic container, he is fine. He likes the tub too... I would finally want to create something more stable for him this time. Thanks for all your input, guys & girls!

[marisa]

Welcome. The answers to just about everything you asked are on the main site if you take the time read it...

I will say, though, that at his size, you're ideally looking at an 80-gallon tank or stock tank.

[TartarugaVerde]

wow
1. you will need a huge tank, 60+gallons
1. powerful filter, pumping 300gallons per hour- canister for sure
1. a programmable water heater, marineland preferble
1. UVB/UVA light, 100watts
1. Basking light, 75watts
2. light fixtures, reflective dome and ceramic base
1. water thermometer, ticker or better
1. habitat thermometer, digital

do a search on all these items, and you will find tons of topics on this forum.
it will depend on your budget, filter, light, thermometer will depend on how much $$$ you'r put down ...

do it so-so, do it again
do it well, do it once

=)

[TartarugaVerde]

oh, and a basking area big enough to fit 2 turtles= to your turtle, so it can spin around it...
search: basking dock or basking log

[AnnaTurtle]

Thanks, tartaruga. I will be searching.

-AnnaTurtle

[TartarugaVerde]

YOU'R WELCOME!
add some pictures later of what you come up with

[theartbook35]

[TANK]
* Is a glass tank better or a plastic storage container? Plastic storage containers can't hold the amount of water you need for a turtle of that size. It's better to go with glass, or acrylic or plexiglass.
What size should I get him? Do I also get a stationary stand or with wheels? We here usually go by the rule: Ten gallons for every inch of the turtle's shell length. So, ideally, he should have 70 or 80 gallons. I have my 8 inch female in a 55 gallon right now, and it's not the best setup in the world, but it's okay. I have plans to build a canopy so that she will have a higher water level soon.

[FILTER]
* My turtle Poops A LOT! What type of filter(s) should I get him? A Fluval is very strong and will be able to keep up well, especially the newest models. Cascade filters are good too.
Please tell me which brand is the best to suck in debris and poop. There is no such thing as a filter that sucks up large debris. Just get a cheap fish net and scoop it out from time to time.

[HEATING]
* Heating... What brand of heating device do I get? Do I get two bulbs for him? He will need a heat source preferably a ceramic heat emitter (or an infrared heat emitter), at about 75 watts. You will need a source of ultraviolet rays, what we refer to here as "UVB". A popular choice is the Repti-glo Tropical, which is sold in most pet store chains and local pet stores. 5.0 is a nice output, but don't go as high as 10.0, it's been known to cause eye conductions in other brands. Edit: I forgot to mention a water heater. I use a Rena Smart Heater, and, it's very smart, lol. It has easy temperature settings and you buy one based on the size of your tank.

[DOCKING]
* Docking item. My turtle needs to bask... I've neglected this part for him.
For a 7-8 inch turtle, what kind of dock should I get him? I have to build a custom basking dock for Sadie. My two little ones have outgrown their dock already. We have a huge thread in the "Habitat Indoor" section with photos of different custom basking docks. Canopies are probably the easiest to conceptualize, but are expensive if store bought. Less expensive if you build one yourself. (I'm not a an expert at building stuff but even I could do it).

[LIGHTING]
* Lighting. I really don't understand what I should get for him at all for lighting. Please help me! What I mentioned above for the UVB source.

[DECOR]
* Decorations: What type of gravel and fake plastic plants and nature background for my turtle? Decorations are at the discretion of you and the turtle. Driftwood, river rocks, large sea shells, glass ornaments, and plastic plants are popular. All my turtles are pretty destructive characters, and they usually destroy plastic plants so I stopped buying them. They've been reduced to driftwood and rocks, lol.

[meltedspork]

One very important thing no one has mentioned... NO GRAVEL!!! Turtles ingest it and it can kill them... go with sand or large river rocks for the bottom of the tank.

Also if money is an issue, try Ebay or Craigslist. You can often find great deals on Craigslist especially.

And if you let us know what size tank you are getting we can recommend a good filter for that size of tank.