Habitat - Indoor :: Tank Size

[scott25]

I have a RES thats about a inch to a inch and a half and Im thinking of getting a 10 gallon for him I know that will be too small in the long run but I am not going to get a 75 gallon eventually or some big tank because I already have a fish tank so my question is can I get the ten gallon than eventually get him the 20 gallon. Also what other supplies do I need other than a filter,gravel,heater,basking light,and a thermometer.

[industrial_girl_2000]

NO GRAVEL. They eat it and it can cause death because it fills up their stomach or gets stuck in their intestines.

Make sure to give him an area to get out of the water too, so he can dry off and sit under the warm light. It should be easy to make something out of some larger rocks, like a brick. Or they have the basking docks that you can stick onto the side of the tank with suction cups which work out great for a turtle your size.

I would just get him a minimum of 20 gallon right now so he can be more comfortable & have more room to swim (feel free to fill the tank at least 1/2 way, but make sure that when he gets out of the water to sit on his basking dock that he can't climb out of the tank!). Keep in mind that a little teeny turtle grow very fast & it won't be long before he needs a bigger tank, but it sounds like you are already thinking about that anyway.

Glad that you are here on the board to find out what you need!

Welcome!

[cam722]

I agree, at the very least get a 20 gallon long tank if you can... you'll eventually need to upgrade to a much larger tank but why get a 10.. then a 20.. etc.. just start out at 20 to save from buying yet another setup in a few months. By a year old, your turtle should be about 3 inches which means a 30 gallon tank. Also, ditto on the no gravel.. If you do a search on the forum for gravel, you see a number of posts about turtles who got ill from eating the gravel in their tank. You need a basking dock too.. although I'm sure you know that it wasn't on your list.. Something that he can haul himself totally out of the water and get completely dry, top and bottom of the shell. You need 2 light sources.. one for UVA (can be a regular household bulb) and a UVB bulb.

And Welcome

[Kallistos]

A 20 gallon tank will not be sufficient for very long. You said that you will not eventually get a 75 gallon tank, why is that? The turtle will need a tank that size if you want it to thrive.

[turtledudee]

I agree w/ RESowner, also your just wasting money if you dont start big because first a 10 then 20 then 30, you'll be wasting thousands...

[cam722]

My suggestion of a 20 gallon was.. why bother with a 10.. go with a 20 at the minimum and then save up to buy the largest tank you can.. at least a 75. I would rather see the turtle in a 20 gallon for a year than a 10 for that time or longer. Just my opinion though

[marisa]

Welcome to the forum. Do some reading on the basics for info on the tank size and equipment your RES needs for a healthy habitat.