Other Turtle Discussion :: 20 gallon tank

[myrtle1123]

I'm thinking of moving my turtle into a 20 gallon tank does anyone know the dimentions of it... and will my baby red eared slider like change?

[pumpkinsherbet]

depends on if you get a regular 20 or a 20L. the 20L(ong) is recommended because it has a bigger ''footprint" thus more swimming space.

i don't know the dimensions for a regular 20, but my 20L was 30x12x12 you can get dimensions for other tanks at http://www.redearslider.com/calculator.html

and i can tell you from experience (and what other people told me) your little one will love you if you give them more space and water

[steve]

What are they in now? larger tanks are always better!

www.redearslider.com/calculator.html

[camee1991]

Myrtle- I ditto the above posts...but if you have more than 1 turt (even 1 turt as I do)...you may want to save up for at least a 55 gall. (they grow FAST) and you will need it in the future anyhow...and YES they will love you for it..after a bit (maybe a couple days) Sometimes turts will act wierd and sulk a bit when change happens..but they will return to normal as long as they are healthy!!

( I have 1 res, started with the pet store plastic piece of crapola, then a 10 gal within a couple months, then a 20...then before 2 years a 55 gall.) I learned the hard way!!!

Good Luck!

Camee

[SpotsMama]

I think Camee makes a good point. I went through so many habitats - complete setups for 10 gallons, 20 gallons, 55 gallons and finally.....100 gallons, where I'm stopping! In hindsight it would have been cheaper (and probably better for Spot) if I'd gotten a bigger setup from the start.

[pumpkinsherbet]

yeah my boyfriend got a little upset that i spent the money on the 55 gallon setup when the guy at the petstore had told him that my 20 gallon setup would last them a year. well first of all, the guy at the petstore hadn't seen them biting at each other and fighting over space, so hush up. and second of all, as i explained to my boyfriend, it's cheaper to go with the bigger setup now b/c it saves the money from doing constant upgrades. it all adds up, really.

next i will explain to my boyfriend why having those turtles is actually cheaper than having our cat. seriously, i did this in my head the other day.

-my turtles' 55 gallon habitat cost me about $200 (give or take a few bucks). i did get the tank on special, so we'll just go ahead and say $250. the food/water conditioner cost me about $7 together, and after nearly three months i've used less than a quarter of it up. the other food (veggies) we eat anyway, so no extra cost there, and live feeder fish is a monthly expense of about $0.50-$1.00. in about 6 months i'll have to replace my uvb bulb which will be about $25-$45 depending on the bulb i get.

-the cat on the other hand... my boyfriend spent about $90 on the stuff for the cat: food, toys, litterbox, litter, etc. we're nearly out of catfood now, after less than a month. when i went to buy cuttlebone for my turtles, i stopped by the catfood section to get her more food. come to find out my boyfriend got the $25 food, and this is the small bag. then there's the litter which will have to be restocked about once every 6 weeks, and that's another $16. so in a 6 month period he would've spent $150 on food & $48 on litter which adds up to nearly the same amount. after a year i'll have spent $250-$300, while he would've spent closer to $400.

a major digression, and i do apologise. the point of it is, you have to consider long term as well as short term. setting up the turtles' habitats now may be expensive, but in the long run i'm really not spending that much money.

setting up a bigger habitat is hard on the wallet, yes, but setting up a smaller habitat, then continuously upgrading habitats is a good deal more expensive.

[myrtle1123]

Okay she is in a 10 gallon tank right now... ( she is still a baby) but i heard that garage sales sell tanks cheap but now I've heard what everyone has to say I will be searching for a cheaper 55 gallon tank.

[SpotsMama]

Pumpkinsherbet hit the nail on the head. the setup for a turtle is really expensive (though if you are creative and shop around you can get it for less) but once they are up and running they are really cheap. For the dogs and cats, it's litter, shots, expensive food, and grooming constantly. For the turtle - it's pellets and an occasional cuttlebone! There are a few other things like water conditioner and carbon for the filter and an occasional light bulb but even then it's a lot cheaper than the dog and the cats.

[pumpkinsherbet]

if you buy a used tank, make sure it doesn't have any cracks. also be sure to ask if this is an aquarium tank, terrarium tanks aren't typically built to withstand water weight.

[pumpkinsherbet]

Pumpkinsherbet hit the nail on the head. the setup for a turtle is really expensive (though if you are creative and shop around you can get it for less) but once they are up and running they are really cheap. For the dogs and cats, it's litter, shots, expensive food, and grooming constantly. For the turtle - it's pellets and an occasional cuttlebone! There are a few other things like water conditioner and carbon for the filter and an occasional light bulb but even then it's a lot cheaper than the dog and the cats.

i actually did recognise a fault in the equation - i multiplied the litter by 3 when i was supposed to multiply it by 4 (6 weeks over 6 month period about 4 trips) and forgot to add in the initial $90, so in all actually by that 6 month period the cat's expenses will have exceeded the turtles' expenses.
90+25(6)+16(4)=304 that's an approximate since i'm simply calculating the base expenses, not any vet visits or emergency funds in case she gets a hairball or gets sick. after a year that goes up to $518 and i'll still have spent about $300 on the turtles.

i do this stuff in my head sometimes just to prove i can do it.

[myrtle1123]

[quote="pumpkinsherbet"]if you buy a used tank, make sure it doesn't have any cracks. also be sure to ask if this is an aquarium tank, terrarium tanks aren't typically built to withstand water weight.[/quote]

Yes I was thinking about that and I will have to watch out for cracks because some people wont tell you..

[camee1991]

Myrtle....maybe check out craigslist...or Ebay...or the paper even. ?! I got a good deal at my local pet store for mine and the stand. Its oak and really nice! Still was "expensive" at first but sooo worth it now and would have been alot cheaper A LONG TIME AGO...but I didnt know!

Glad you are looking for a bigger one!!!

Camee

[mkoby]

Definitely try craigslist.org. I found a 60 gallon, lid, stand, filter, airpump and replacement carbon/sponge for the filter for $140! I spent btx $100-150 on the rest of the necessities and decorations but this tank will last a couple of years at least!

I spent over $100 on my complete 10 gallon setup brand new!!!!!!!!

[industrial_girl_2000]

Okay she is in a 10 gallon tank right now... ( she is still a baby) but i heard that garage sales sell tanks cheap but now I've heard what everyone has to say I will be searching for a cheaper 55 gallon tank.

55 gal is a good size for a baby turtle & you will get some good use out of it!

[myrtle1123]

Yes I also need a stand because the thing the tank is on now wont hold a bigger one so I will defenetly be searching ebay and garage sale for a good stand/tank