General Care Discussion :: buying a tank

[netsfan549]

I went to a store to buy a tank. The lady said I should,get a 10 gallon tank than in a year get a.d.bigger one. Should I do this? Also said I should get a small filter probably 32 dollars. Where can I buy a cheaper one? What other things should I get? I've two turtles

[sweety10189110]

First off how big are your turtles?

[netsfan549]

Very little

[devilduck]

I'm a fan of do it right the first time. Get the biggest tank you have room for and can afford. Also look into used tanks on craigslist.

[VeipaCray]

If you can't afford a big tank and good filter right now, put the money into the filter. You can get a large Rubbermaid or sterillite plastic bin for now for cheap and upgrade that into a tank later. The filter does all of the work. The better the filter, the less maintenance you will need to do and the healthier your turtles environment will be. $32 won't buy you much and unless you find something used for that price....buying a new filter in the $32 price range is just throwing money away. eBay has generic canister filters from sunsun and aqua top for $40-50 which offer a good value on a small sized filter but be prepared to upgrade as your turtles grow. Many forum members are using a FX5 filter for a single turtle.

With two turtles you very well may need to seperate them into individual habitats in the future should they become aggressive towards one another. This forum advocates 10 gallons of water per inch of shell as a rule of thumb. Adult male RES are 7-9 inches and females are 9-12 inches.

You'll need a UVB light and a basking lamp, an aquarium heater and a basking dock. The main webpage explains much of the required habitat.

[Nighthawk11]

yes because, in a few months youll be like me, wishing i bought a bigger one in the first place!!

[VeipaCray]

yes because, in a few months youll be like me, wishing i bought a bigger one in the first place!!

Exactly. We try to convey this message on the forum but many turtle keepers get their first bit of turtle habitat info from very uninformed petstores. So many people on this forum get a pair of tiny cute turtles a small tank and a cheap filter on the advice of the petstores. A thousand dollars or so later after all the upgrades is what the petstores never tell novice turtle keepers about. I wish the turtles would cost $1000 and just come packaged with a giant aquarium, filter and all of the needed equipment.

[netsfan549]

My next question is, my.turtles aren't eating. They keep hiding underneath dock. I bought fishes for them. I give them pellets too still don't eat it

[VeipaCray]

You can try soaking the pellets in tuna juice... ie the water that canned tuna is packed in. You might also try a different brand of pellets to see if they are more appealing to your turtle. Reptomin or Mazuri pellets are highly regarded.

[netsfan549]

Thanks, I might try new pellets. I've nutrafin basix

[steve]

See if he will be interested in some live guppies or minnows.

[CactusJohn5]

save your money on a tank at the early stages. you can get a 50 gallon ruberrmaid storage container at walmart/target or homedepot for around 20$ You can fill it 1/2 way to start then up it more as they grow. I would spend the money on a GOOD filter.