Habitat - Indoor :: 2 Turtles. Looking to upgrade to a new aquarium. Advice plz

[Newbieish]

i got 2 turtles. A male and a female(i know, dont know what i was thinking...scared for if they mate)

anyways, I am looking to upgrade their tank to a much bigger version.
Right now it is maybe a 20 gallon and they need a new one asap.

they area approximately 5-6 inches in length and about a yr old i believe. Didnt get them from hatchlings, so not 100% sure of their age.


I have them in the same aquarium and think it is best to keep it that way, unless you guys think it is better to have 2 separate aquariums??


i am totally lost as to : what type of filter to get for that size aquarium?

how do u clean a 100 gallon aquarium when u do a FULL cleaning? i know bout the partial water changes...but since lifting a 20 gallons is nothing, i know a 100gallon will be very difficult

and also, i need some pointers on a basking area....
right now i am using river stones and have it in a way for them to climb up and bask...

A MVB light will be bought as well since i dont have one...i usually put them out in the sun as often as i can...

new to this all so plz...be gentle ont he fact that i dont have a basking light! lol....
especially where i am it is hard to get them for some reason!?!?

so PLZZZZZZ help me out and provide links as to what sites i can get them from......
i'll update this post with what i have in mind and what i got so far...
thanks guys!

[TheComputerGremlin]

Okay, let's start:

100 gallons is the minimum you would need for two turtles at this moment, however, they will eventually need to have around 200 gallons. Yikes, I know!

For 200 gallons, your best filter I believe would be a Fluval FX5 canister filter. If you decide to go with two 100 gallon tanks, a Rena XP4 will work too.

Full cleanings are done only when needed, and your best friend will be a python cleaner hose thingy. I don't have one currently, but it's a big suction hose unit that you can use to both drain and fill your tank.

Basking area, you can get away with a smaller tank if you have an above tank basking area. There are lots of pictures on the forums, and they are easy to build if you are handy. Once your turtle gets around 5-6", you need to consider a home-made basking area anyways, commercial ones don't cut it. It's risky to have rocks as a basking area unless you have stabilized them in the tank. I've seen people drill holes in their rocks and stabilize it with a rod of sorts, even.

MVB's are good, just remember that the fixture has to hang straight down, no angles.

Where are you at that it's hard to get basking bulbs, if I may ask?

Oh, and on the male/female thing, three things are important. 1) Because they are together, your female may lay more clutches than normal, so you will need to be extra diligent about nesting. And 2) it is perfectly acceptable to abort the eggs by cracking them open or boiling them after they are laid. RES are overpopulated and some states even forbid allowing them to reproduce. 3) Watch out for aggression. If your female begins to tire of your male, she may attack him and injure him badly.

[megcornell]

If I were in your situation I would set up two tanks, RES are notorious for aggression and I think you'll encounter the same fighting issues nearly everyone with multiple turtles encounters. Since at the moment your turtles are getting along, you can always "connect" the two tanks by a mutual basking area, and if things get hairy you can simply put one turtle in each tank and buy a second basking area and the lights to go with it. I'd look into the largest tanks you can, whether they are stock tanks or aquariums is up to your preferences and your budget. The very smallest you could get away with are 55 or 60 gallon tanks.
I usually don't recommend 55 gallon tanks because they are so narrow and that may cut down how long your turtle can easily live in it.

As for your more direct questions:
The BEST way to clean large tanks is to invest in a "Python" siphon system. It hooks up to your sink or any faucet and using water pressure it empties the tank or allows you to refill it. I own one and it makes cleaning my tanks so much easier, especially when you have larger tanks that would take hours to clean out via buckets. For scrubbing I simply use an algae brush to scrape off any growths on the tank. You shouldn't use chemicals as they're hard to completely rinse out and can harm the turtles. The only time it's really acceptable is if you're cleaning a used tank and then you can use something like vinegar.

Basking areas can get tricky as your turtle grows. Larger turtles sometimes are too heavy for the floating platforms you see in petstores. When that happens you can reinforce them or make your own. A lot of people are fans of above tank basking areas where they build an addition on top of their tank which allows the turtle to have maximum swimming space. The most important aspects of basking docks are that the turtle can completely dry off and that they cannot escape by climbing out.
Your stacked rocks make a dangerous basking area because they can fall trapping the turtles underwater and drowning them.
An MVB bulb is a great basking bulb but can only be used in larger tanks. Anything under 55 gallons and you'd roast the turtles because the light is too warm.

Finally, the most important thing to keep in mind is how large these turtles get. Females get to be a foot long and males are around 9-10 inches full grown. So, you'll eventually need pretty big tanks. You can save yourself some expensive and time consuming upgrades by buying the largest tanks you can now.

[Spookster]

At 5-6 inches SCL they would be more than 1 year old.

[Newbieish]

thanks a lot for the replies ppls....
i'm not sure what i am going to do....i may have to give away one of them sadly enuff
they been in the same aquarium for the last 4 mths....yeh it sucks

i still have to search some more for the basking bulbs/lamps....
so far i just found the MVB online...so that's an option...there are none that i found in 2 of the more popular pet stores nearby

i dont think that these turtles should be sold in such frequency....i inherited one and was dumb enuff to get a 2nd at the time..lol plz forgive me ppls

didnt know what i was getting myself into by having 2...my bad

2 100gallons is the most logical solution...but as to where i will put it is another question!

feeding them is becoming a task now since all they want are pellets and krill which i fed them b4..but they r on a diet now
one of their shells was showing signs of pyramiding(i found this site after the pyramiding began so i put him on a diet )

tried stuff like Water hyacinth, water lettuce, romaine lettuce mainly along with the krill...not all at the same time of course

and i've recently tried to give them stuff like tomato, watermelon, pumpkin, carrots every now and then but even that they r becoming picky about...

i'm trying here ppls so plz have patience with this rookie

[Newbieish]

one other thing....

i'm going to get a MVB but would need an actual lamp for it
i got a normal desk lampbut i doubt it could take that MVB in it
i'm gonna try to put some pics soon of the turtles...

[Newbieish]

i'm unfortunately playing with the idea of giving teh female away at this point to someone who can manage taking her on....
i've learned from all this...
this site and this forum especially is a HUGE help.
thumbs up to whoever is responsible for it.

[steve]

There is some good advice in the posts above. The easiest solution, provided you have the space, is a 200+gallon tank that you have divided. You'd never have to upgrade again and the filtration and heating will be shared and cleaning chores will be the same.

It is a lot of work, but you'll get plenty of advice here. And after you get started, everything will be much easier.

You also should never physically move a tank with anything in it, especially water, even if it's a 10 gallon tank.

[Newbieish]

interesting...didnt know that one Steve...i've been doing that all the time...hhmmm
thanks for the info.

but i think i do have to unfortunately give away one..i'll look for someone who can handle it....
i do not have space for them...sorry guys

[Newbieish]

well i am finally makin a little headway on this.....

had to really look around but i am getting a 120-140 gallon tank for approx. $250
built with a basking spot out of glass they told me....
gotta give them the ok tom. to go ahead

i aint got the skills to make it myself honestly or the time and patience

but i'm gonna take a page outta u guys book and build the pvc looking table spots in the water for them to rest

[Daniel3507]

nice. where are you getting the tank from if you dont mind me asking?

[sm02]

I know this might sound ugly, but if you have trouble finding something big enough for both RES, you could try a large pond insert from a garden center. They are big, cheap, indestructable, and super-easy to clean.

That's what I would do.

Just my 2 cents.

[Newbieish]

someone is making the tank from scratch.

and i just priced some equipment for the filtration system...hmm

it's 2 brand names i havent seen on here...lemme know u guys opinion

the first is : Tetratec...for about 100gallons of water...think it hangs on the back of the aquarium...one of those...that is like US$110

and the other one is a canister filter....for about 250 US gallons of water...so im thinking that is good enough

not sure if i got the spelling of the brand right. I believe that is was a Ehiem or Eheiem ....
then the price...it runs for approximately US$ 400

they said it works with some kind of "bag" inside the lower part of the filter that has a substrate mix in it that u dont have to worry bout too much in terms of changing.


what ya'll think? that brand any good???
still lookin around....gonna order the tank tom.
get it in 2 weeks and i will attempt to repair a small aquarium i had that had a crack that will have to do for now

i feel bad but right now the 2 turtles r suffering in that small thing i got there...it's sad...

[Newbieish]

one other questions here....


any tips on how to set up the inside...
using sand for sure....maybe some river rocks on top the sand...or is that weight too much for the aquarium???

the aquarium is being built with a platform for the turtles made out of glass somehow...not sure how that will work....
might have to put something on it to make it softer or the MVB light might heat it up....

gotta get ma that MVB light too...
this thing gonna make me broke for 2 mths!
lol

[untsmurf]

Those filters are good, it should do a good job cleaning your tank.

Sand by itself is a good substrate. You can add a handful of rocks just so your turtle can have something to push around, but you don't need a whole layer.