Habitat - Indoor :: Need help!! Any advice welcomed!

[Krzyspam]

Hi! My name is Sam and I'm brand new to this site. I discovered it a few days ago....and I think I may be addicted. Here's my story. My boyfriend, Shawn, has just moved in with me in my apartment. He has two turtles and a pleco. Lilo, (about 9 inches) is a RES, and Stitch, (5 inches) is an Eastern painted turtle. The pleco, Pablo Plecoso, is about 7 inches or so...hard to measure though. The turtles have lived with Pablo for over 3 years with no problems. Stitch (the lil guy) has some issues. He is missing one of his back legs and one of his front feet is deformed. He swims a little slower...so he works harder to catch fish...but otherwise, he acts like a normal feisty little guy. Lilo is the laid back easy going one, while Stitch is the kid of the two. I knew NOTHING about turtles until I found this site. Since then, I got a new stand for the tank, completely scrubbed the tank out, replaced one of the lights with a UVB bulb (now there is one UVA and one UVB), removed all the gravel, as well as all the jagged rocks, added a few large decoration pieces, potted the fake plants in tupperware with large rocks, raised the temperature to 78 degrees, and have started feeding them veggies from the list of recommended foods. This week, we are going to be making an above tank basking area that will hold Lilo's weight and give them more swimming area and we'll add a background to the tank. We just moved them yesterday, and Stitch has spent the last 3 hours basking in his new light. Both turtles have an infection on their shells. I have a medicine that i bathe them in daily and hopefully they will be ok in a few weeks. I've spent hours reading these boards, trying to educate myself but I'm hoping some of you can help me fill in the pieces I've missed. I believe we need a much larger tank but my apartment complex won't allow it. We have to wait about a year, and then will hopefully be able to get a tank that is over 160 gallons. In the meantime, is this cruel to leave them in this tank? I'm hoping they will be ok if I raise the water once I have the basking area built. I feel like they are really happy with the improvements, but I worry its not enough. Are these turtles permanently damaged? They've never had a UVB light, never ate veggies, never had a consistent water temp, etc. I'm worried. Also, their shells are shedding...both of them...and a lot. lots of see through pieces coming off (a few yesterday, and a few look like they are about to pop off today) and Lilo's neck looks like its shedding...is that normal? Please help me! I've fallen for these little guys and I want the best for them. Any advice is highly appreciated!! (Sorry for the long story here!)

Old tank setup....





New setup...



Pablo...




Lilo...





Stitch...



And their buddy Rosco...

[kgielda]

You did a great job! The tank looks so much better- they must be happier!

[TheComputerGremlin]

What a difference you've made! It's quite impressive to see the tank restored. I don't think you mentioned the tank size, but I doubt that an extra year in a little cramped space is going to do much damage. Normally when worried about tank sizes, it's because people have a 6" in a 10 gallon tank, which is just ridiculous. Based on their sizes, a 160 gallon will be quite spacious, but I think they'll manage fine until you can get them set up. Also, be wary of aggression. It may not have presented itself yet, but it can occur at any moment without warning, so just be ready to set up a new setup. Also, the one I think you said was female, so she'll need a nesting area eventually. I'm not sure if they can mate, but I'd guess yes. Shedding is good, the more they bask, the better. Yes, skin will come off of all places, neck, feet, etc. And their diet and better setup will help a lot. Most turtles when they get a better habitat will shed everything, so don't worry too much. And don't help them shed, just let the scutes come off on their own. And hopefully the infection goes away quickly too. We've had people show up on the board who've had their turtle for 5-10 years with a bad setup and the turtle's just fine. (I'm not advocating that it's a good idea, but turtles are pretty hardy.) So don't worry, worry more about getting that infection treated. You are doing a good thing with them!

[Nettle]

Ya, when I moved my turtles from a filthy outdoor pond to a good clean setup, even their neck and limbs were shedding.

Looks like you guys did a great job! ^_^

[Krzyspam]

Thanks to everyone! This site has been so helpful!! btw...the tank they are in now is 80 gallons.

[grey goose]

LOL @ "Pablo Plecoso".
It looks like they will have enough room to last another year in that tank. Can they both bask at the same time if they wanted to? I have two females in a 90 gal and although there is plenty of room, the basking area is starting to get a little tight.
Shell damage should clear up over time with a good setup and diet.
You did a nice job fixing things up, you should be proud.....

[Ktulu]

Only thing is you should get an external canister filter. Fish filters like you have now don't work well enough for turtles . My vet yesterday told me that for aquatic turtles, the filter should be rated at 3-4 times the tank size (so 100gallon/hour filter for a 25-30gallon tank and 80 gallon tanks would need a 300g/h filter). The infection is probably from the extremely filthy old tank. Possibly shell rot? The medication you are using, is it from a vet? I really think yoiu should take them to a vet for a check-up if they were in those conditions for that long. They probably have Metabolic Bone Disease to some degree.

[Krzyspam]

Only thing is you should get an external canister filter. Fish filters like you have now don't work well enough for turtles . My vet yesterday told me that for aquatic turtles, the filter should be rated at 3-4 times the tank size (so 100gallon/hour filter for a 25-30gallon tank and 80 gallon tanks would need a 300g/h filter). The infection is probably from the extremely filthy old tank. Possibly shell rot? The medication you are using, is it from a vet? I really think yoiu should take them to a vet for a check-up if they were in those conditions for that long. They probably have Metabolic Bone Disease to some degree.

Wow! Definately need to look into a better filter system!! The medication is from the vet. My boyfriend brought the turtles in and she gave him some type of medicated soap to scrub their shells with. I can't remember what the diagnoses was though. (This was before my turtle obsession started). Thanks for the info!!

Can they both bask at the same time if they wanted to? I have two females in a 90 gal and although there is plenty of room, the basking area is starting to get a little tight.

Not at all!! If Stitch is basking, there is no hope for Lilo. If the basking area is vacant, Lilo will climb onto it, but seems to just fall off. I think she weighs way too much for the area. We're building a basking area for them that will be much larger and will allow them both to hang out up there together. I'll post pictures as soon as its finished.

[Rottie_mom]

You have done an awesome job fixing up the tank. And your turtles thank you.

How many gallon tank is it?

You might want to get a RENA XP3 canister filter. Good luck with them!!!

[Krzyspam]

You have done an awesome job fixing up the tank. And your turtles thank you.

How many gallon tank is it?

You might want to get a RENA XP3 canister filter. Good luck with them!!!

Thank you! The tank is 80 gallons.

[myahs_mommy]

Nice tank, and your turtles are very cute.

[Bumby's Mom]

Make sure they can't get stuck in that floating log. Is it for the turtles or more for the fish? At their sizes the log is no good for them, it is only for turtles that are 4 inches or under. Tank looks good though! Can't wait to see some more pictures of the finished basking area

[rachel16]

how big is that pleco?

[marisa]

You made a nice change for them.

[Terryo]

wow! Great job. Awww...I saw that little stub on the Painted. At least they are happy in their new home.