General Care Discussion :: Proud new RES owner! I have a few questions.

[Moodswizzle]

I recently bought two 2 inch red ear sliders from a friend, I have a temporary tank for them right now 40 gallons +. I have the necessary lamps and a basking area for them and a pleco to help clean the tank. I was wondering how often i should change the water and maybe some tips on diet and feeding times. So far I've feed them some wet turtle food (cubes), bananas, and lettuce. I love them already and want them to be really comfortable in their new homes. I also have a 300 gallon tank for when they get bigger. Andrew from Illinois

[untsmurf]

I recommend reading over the main site. It has all the information you'll need!

[SpotsMama]

Greetings and welcome to the forum! If your turtles can look forward to a 300 gallon home some day, then I'd say they are pretty lucky turtles.

On changing the water, the frequency depends on a lot of things - the size of the tank relative to the size of the turtle, the size and quality of the filter, whether you feed them in the tank or not. If the water smells bad or looks bad, then it's been too long between water changes. The best way to tell if the water needs changing is by testing it for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. You can get a kit for testing (I recommend the Master Freshwater Test Kit by Aquarium Pharmeceuticals, available at most pet stores and contains lots of testing solution for many months of tests). Some of the bad stuff that accumulates in a tank is invisible, and the tests are the best way to detect it.

Untsmurf gives good advice. Read everything on the site - it's a goldmine. Then, you'll no doubt have specific questions. Come back here and ask and you'll get the help you're looking for.

by the way, we'd love to see some photos!

[spaceapple]

Welcome! It sounds like you're going to take great care of your new turtles.

[ChompersMom]

So I have adopted my fathers turtle after it being abandoned by my dad's girlfriend after his passing she had nothing to do with the household, so after rescuing Chomper (turtles name) from an iced sheathed tank and bringing him in and getting the proper equipments to properly care for the poor guy he seems extremely joyous. 3 years has passed and i can definitely tell he is happy due to his growing and interactivity with me every time i pass by. I have been thinking about getting a pleco BUT I don't want Chomper to think the guy is food when i want him to clean the tank and enjoy all the yummy algae mmmmmmm. So, good or bad idea to get him a new friend after so many years of not having one since his other friends has passed on? He used to live with a Garr and an Oscar and a very large pleco.