Habitat - Indoor :: My set-up

[Stalfos]

I'm pretty new to turtles, but when my girlfriend surprised me with a RES for my birthday in April, that kinda changed. Two days and the lion's share of my federal rebate check later, I think I have a pretty good set-up.

Tank:
20gL w/ 'wide' wire mesh hood

Lights:
ESU Reptile Combo Light setup
Kritterz heat bulb (I know it's not the best, but it does the job)
ReptiGlo 2.0 UVA/UVB bulb

Filter:
Zoo Med 501 (also not the best, but I'll be upgrading soon)

Substrate:
Medium-sized river rocks

Basking Area:
Medium 'Turtle dock'
A very large, protruding rock with a cave area under the water for hiding.

Heater:
Tetrafauna Aquatic Reptile Heater

Food:
Reptomin Baby Turtle food
Amazon Swords
the occasional Rosy Red (when 'he' manages to catch one, also for entertainment)

In addition, I have two digital probes that moniter water temp and air temp. I raise the Amazon swords and the rosy reds in a seperate tank. I feed 'him' two pellets a day as well as an Amazon sword leaf every other day.

Air temperature is, on average, 82F and 86F where the basking area is during the day and about 74F during the night. Water temp is, on average, 75F.

This is a pretty good set-up, no?

[rachel16]

do u have a pic?

[Stalfos]

I do not! I suppose I'll post when I get out of work.

[rachel16]

ok that would help us visualize i bet its nice looking but a pic would b gre@t!

[powerofvoodoo]

How big is he? Unless he's super tiny, which he shouldn't really be after 5 months, that doesn't sound like enough food.

[Stalfos]

His shell is a little more than an inch and a half.

[powerofvoodoo]

You should be giving him enough to fill his head if it were hollow (excluding the neck). It's probably more than 2 pellets, but it does depend on the size of the pellets. You can also give him more greens (with more variety)

[Bumby's Mom]

I think the water is supposed to be around 78 for babies. How old is it?

[Safdar]

Your setup will be sufficeient now, but keep in mind that turtles grow big and you are going to have to upgrade in the future

I would say 4-5 pellets, since my little guy is about that same size, But do check and compare the pellets to his head

Raise the water temp to 78-82 degrees

Is your turtle basking?

[steve]

Sounds good so far! There a few upgrades coming soon

I would be extra careful with the turtle dock, a few have had hatchlings drown after getting wedged into the bars.

[SpotsMama]

On the turtle dock, here are some tips to make it safer for little turtles. First, turn the plastic frame upside down so the horizontal bar is at the top instead of at the bottom. Second, remove the suckers from the part of the frame that's below the water. You don't need them - the suckers at the top will hold well enough. If you do these two things a turtle will find it easier to get loose if he gets stuck.

[untsmurf]

Also, you said you had a mesh top, if it's the mesh wiring I'm thinking of, then it filters out a lot of the UV rays. Either gut a hole in it or see if you can find a new top that allows the UV through (not glass).

[DavidY]

Sounds nice. The Reptiglo 2.0 bulb doesn't provide enough UVB though which is essential for proper shell and bone growth. I'd recommend the 5.0 bulb.

Welcome to the forum!

[Stalfos]

It is a 5.0 bulb. I couldn't remember if it was 2.0 or 5.0 so I guessed. As to the mesh, I did cut a rather large hole out of it when I got it, so he should be getting everything he needs. I changed the temperature in the water so that it should be warming up to around 78F. I adjusted the dock so that it shouldn't trap him.

He basks regularly for - from what I could guess - about 4-5 hours every day, or until he sees someone and swims towards them.

I've been looking for decent tank deals since I got him. Right now I'm looking for a 55g with a stand and a new canister filter for it.

[DavidY]

Sounds good to me! I like the name!