General Care Discussion :: Am I doing ok?

[wbedoya]

Hey guys I'm new to the world of turtles and I would like to know if I'm doing somewhat of a decent job in maintaining my turtle...First I must say that I found him 2 weeks ago and my wife and I decided that instead of getting each other presents for christmas we should just treat ourselves to an aquarium. anyways, My res is about 1 1/2 to 2 inches max and I have a 10 gallon aquarium which i purchased the day after I found him. The aquarium is filled with a bit over 2/3 of water leaving enough room for the basking area which is attached to the wall. Above that basking area I have a lamp 8 inches away from where the turtle would rest.

Unfortunately I bought a filter rated for a 10 gallon tank only to later find out that I needed a filter rated for 3 times as much. I'm a bit low on money so as of right now I cant really afford to buy another....In order to maintain the water as clean as possible, I replace 30% of the water weekly and fully empty and clean the tank every 2 weeks. Is this ok?

I ordered my water heater about a weak or so and should be getting it soon so meanwhile what I have been doing is keeping the room warm enough for now so that the water can stay as warm as possible. I've been feeding it commercial pellets, cilantro (I heard its good for vitamin A), cooked chicken bits, ocasionally tomato. Oh and I have a few small fish swimming in there with it by the way (small feeders) and 2 of them died. first, is it ok to have little fish in there? and second, 2 of them died, can I feed him these little feeder fish after they die obviously chopped up?

Because of my lack of knowledge for turtles, when I bought my basking lamp its only heat plus UVA. I'm planning on getting the POWER SUN bulb which gives heat and both UVA/UVB....meanwhile I have been bringing him outside for like an hour a day on a separate aluminum pan with water so that he can get direct sun light until I get the bulb I need.

I think I covered everything I've been doing so far and I would like to know what you guys think....Am I at least doing a decent job or am I killing the poor thing? lol

[jay2487]

Sounds like you have it. One question though which will probably explain the fish dying. Did you cycle the tank? You have to grow beneficial bacteria to eat the ammonia waste left by turtles and fish or the water will become toxic.

Second I'm sure you know but that tank is already to small and you need to upgrade. I would go as big as you can now to save money in the long run

[wbedoya]

Wow I wasnt even aware of this process....Like I said I'm new to this aquarium stuff and gradually learning....Ok I have to grow beneficial bacteria but what happens when its time to fully empty the tank for cleaning, do i have to cycle it again? I just read it takes up to a month or even more to cycle it and I plan on fully cleaning the tank every 2 weeks....thats gonna get rid of the beneficial bacteria isnt it?

[jay2487]

No only if you refill with plain tap water do you have to worry about it killing the bacteria. You can empty all the water out just don't change the filter and don't clean the substrate or decor. You can do one just not all three at once. Most BB lives in the filter insert. They really over exxagerate the time it takes. Here's a few ways to speed it up.
Get the temp up to about 75 to 78, leave your basking light on longer. There are $3 bacteria boosters at walmart that supposedly help but I've never had much luck with them. The main thing you need is a master test kit. It's like $25 but lasts forever and will tell you everything you need to know about what's happening inside your tank. It is suggested to do a fishless cycle meaning with an empty tank and you adding your own doses of ammonia to feed the BB. While it is more humane on the fish I find this method to take to long. Look your already half way there. You have your ammonia source(fish and turtle) you have light and you have heater on the way. You have a filter(hopefully the right size)All you need to do is change the water once a day or so, not all but about %70 of it. Test it every couple of days. You'll see it get cloudy one day, which is the bacteria pluming or growing quicker than it can attach to something, it will get caught in the filter and live there forever.

Remember this as it is the most important. If you don't do this then every water change you do will start you right over. If you are on city water,i.e you pay a water bill then your water is treated with chlorine. The chlorine will kill this bacteria. You have to have a tap water conditioner/dechlorifier or you need to fill something up with 10gal of water then let it sit out for 6-8 hours to let the chlorine evaporate. If you are filling your tank using a hose or python then add 10gal worth of conditioner after you have removed old water but BEFORE you add new. It will instantly treat the water. Do you have city water or a well?

[wbedoya]

I have city water.....on the first water change I removed 2/3 of the water and replaced it with tap water and added the water treatment liquid which is for chloramine, chlorine, and amonia...I guess i went wrong in adding the treatment inside the aquarium while the fish and turtle were in there...

What I've gathered so far is that bacteria are building up inside my tank as of right now....the filter, decor, and substrate all collect these bacteria...i clean one at a time every water change correct? so the night before every water change I add conditioner (10 gal worth) to a bucket and then fill it up with water right? And you said I have to change the water once a day (I'm guessing this is only while cycling process completes right?)....and when will I know the cycle has been completed?

Last question I promise lol....I have gravel inside the tank...is it safe as long as the turtle doesnt try to swallow it or should I just get rid of it?

[jay2487]

Fisrt off don't ever clean the filter unless it is so clogged it's restricting the flow really bad. And then just tap it off and rinse it with old tank water. You can get a siphon vacuum and clean the substrate every water change but you don't have to. You don't need to clean anything at this point only change the water. You can do it a couple different ways. You can drain %70 of the water then add a ten gallon dose according to the directions of that conditioner to whats left in the tank and then fill it right up with tap water. It won't hurt the fish or turtle. Or you can fill another container up with water then condition it but if you fill a seperate container up and just let it sit a few hours it's as good as conditioned so it's all up to you, whatevers easier.

Yes as soon as your parameters are right in your tests you can go to doing a 30% to 50% water change every week or two.

As for the gravel, the turtles probably to small to eat it and my RES will bite it when it has food on it and wallow it around in his mouth then spit it out. I never completely understood how gravel could be so dangerous when there are tons of bite size rocks in the wild and turtles make it fine but some peole have lost turtles to that so apparently it is a risk. You will probably be fine until it's time to upgrade tank size anyways which won't be long at all, your already over minimums. Then you can get some sand or big rocks. I got mine from the driveway and they look awesome. Don't go buy walmart aquarium rocks when you can go to the concrete supply and buy them way prettier for way cheaper, like Dunco Materials.

Here's the good part. Once you've cycled this tank and it's established, when you get a new tank you just put your old filter on it along with your new one, drop a turtle and some fish in and it will cycle itself;)

[wbedoya]

Ok thank you very much! You've been very helpful....I'll get right to it when i come home from work!

[jay2487]

No problem, if you have any more questions I'll be here, and keep me updated I'm curious to see how it works out

[wbedoya]

will do!

[vear]

Hey, congratulations on your new baby! hehe. Sounds like you've been reading up which is great. So far sounds like you're doing a good job and you care about your turtle.

A few comments - I don't know a lot about the PowerSun (I use separate lights) but I feel like it may be too strong for such a small tank? (somebody please help/correct me on this) I'm not sure.

You definitely need a bigger tank, I know your turtle may seem tiny right now but it will be huuuge in no time. I started with a small tank for my turtle, now I have a 75 gallon. I wish I would have gone bigger the first time.

I think the best advice I can give you is to save up money and get as big a tank as you can afford with a filter to go with it. Don't waste your money buying a slightly better filter for your 10 gallon, you'll have to updgrade your tank anyway and the filter will not be suitable anymore. Trust me, buying a bigger tank as soon as you can will save you a ton of money. As you save, check out craigslist - that's where I get almost everything. (if you're in USA).

[wbedoya]

Yeah I'm going to start saving up for a new tank and filter....What do you suggest, maybe a 50 gallon as a next purchase? about the Power Sun, I'll definitely look into it before getting it... If anything I'll get a second lamp that'll generate the UVB that it needs cause the one I have now only has heat + UVA but of course I've been bringing my turtle outside for direct sunlight for at least a little while daily until I get a uvb source whether its a second bulb or an all in one...

[vear]

Pretty much go as big as you can. But yes, I think a 55 gallon will last you for a while, hopefully you have a male RES and he won't grow as large. If it's a female RES you'll need a bigger tank faster. (By the way, the tank by itself is a lot cheaper than the tank with a hood. You really don't need a hood).

If you're considering getting the larger tank soon, the UVA/UVB light together is not a bad idea (less lamps/cables to worry about). If not, you can get the uvb separate.

It's cool that you're taking your turtle outside for rays. Where do you live? I'm in NY, so I couldn't do that right now since it's about 18F right now!

Also... don't forget to post some pictures!! We love to see everybody's RES

[jay2487]

I would suggest finding a 100 or bigger used on craigslist or something. A 50 is just going to make you upgrade again in a few years. If yours turns out to be male and is average or less in size it could minimally be comfortable in a 75gal full grown. But if it's a female a 100gal will be pushing it. Adding above tank basking areas helps a lot when it comes to limited space. This is why I don't use the stacked rocks basking spot technique because it steals so much swimming room.

[wbedoya]

I'm gonna look it up and I'll try to get the largest I can at least for now...If anything I'll get a third one later on when its full grown....I'm from New York originally but I live in miami so temperature outside has been around 75 during the day although it does get cool at night during this time of winter like around the lower 50s....nothing compared to NY though hehe...but for these floridians its antartica...I'll try to post a few pictures if I can tonight

[jay2487]

sweet, I'm in Tampa and my turtle tank is in a screened in enclosure, I battle temps every night. It hit 40 here last night but my tank outside was 72;) I won that battle
can't wait to see some pics