Photo Gallery :: How big is my tank? (US gal.)

[wezeles]

I would shoot for the 56 column or bigger. I saw your other post and that your limited on space compared to an equivalent 55 gallon your better off again...

Column 30x18x24=56 gallons 540 cubic inches floor space
Standard 48x12x22=55 gallons 576 cubic inches floor space

than minus 6 inches height for basking

Column 30x18x18=42 gallons
Standard 48x12x16=40 gallons

You sacrifice a little floor space for more swimming area, which is what you want as long as it doesn't make the turtle cramped. the most swimming area without squeezing them in.

With my column tank i just put barriers at the top around the basking area in the corner and fill it right to the very top giving them the full 70 gallons...

I tried but couldn't do the same simple fix with my standard long tanks because of the cross bars in the middle still gave them a place to escape from. Although you can rig up an out of tank basking area or border the entire top in on them as many have here before.

This is a cheap way to give your friend a larger home.

[Peva]

Ok, so I can just get a 70 gal(US) tank, and the turtle can live in that one his entire life, right? (I'll try to get a baby.)

[LilTurtSquirt]

[wezeles]

Go as big as you can afford and fit... it's not like these guys grow full size over night but just keep in mind if you don't go big enough now your going to eventually have to buy it again later...

Plenty of people upgrade the tanks and such as their turtle grows but if you can eliminate the future cost by buying plenty big in the first place than you won't have anything to worry about constantly coming up with more money to buy a bigger setup.

And a good canister filter last years don't go cheap on filtration!
I have a magnum 350 filter still running that is well over 10 years old... and the cost for filters and media isn't that much...

Turtles are very cheap to take care of when you consider the cost of food and filters. It's the initial cost of the tank, setup, and filter system that is the biggest expense. After that your spending at most 10-20 dollars a month to take care of your friend...

Keep an eye on craigslist and ask around about used tanks, a lot of times you can snatch them up for free from people who have given up on their aquarium.

Also you might be able to find discount tanks at the pet supply places if they have blemishes on them like scratches on the glass or cracked trim ect. I have a couple tanks i purchased brand new for a 1/3rd the price because of scratches on one side of the tank... which is the side i put the background on so no big deal..lol

Good luck! After a while you will get good at tracking down this stuff for reasonable prices but don't jump into it expecting it to be cheap until you know where to look.

[freshprince2146]

Have you looked into rubbermaid containers??

I have seen 50 gallons at home depot for only 20$

And incase you end up having a female you can always update.I mean its gonna take them a couple of years to hit 5 inches. (many years)

[Peva]

Whats the youngest you can tell thats its a male?

[freshprince2146]

Whats the youngest you can tell thats its a male?

Around 4 inches he should have wolverine claws.

[Peva]

I can buy a 4 inch one, right?

[wezeles]

Actually legally in the pet stores all you are suppose to be able to buy is a 4 inch or bigger turtle.

You can get the smaller size turtles under the coo of it being for "teaching" or some states if your an "experienced collector"

So when you buy one look for a male long nails skinnier tail than the female.

[freshprince2146]

Yea the long nails are a give away.

Most of the time people at pet stores really don"t know what they are talking about.

[Peva]

Well, if i do get a one year old or whatever, how many years would I be able to keep it in a 55gal(US) tank. In other words, how old are males when they are 5 and a half inches, and how old are females when they are 5 and a half inches?

[freshprince2146]

i would say around 2-3 years

[wezeles]

They all grow at different rates some very slow some quick..

My YBS are just now hitting 4 inches at 2 years old and they grew pretty quick. They are most likely a hybrid RES/YBS

A 55 could be enough some males are that small that 55 will do, but your taking the risk of having to buy a new tank either way. I would find and make sure you have a male and get a 70 or bigger tank and you should be ok, just remember your taking a gamble you never know the end size.

There are many other breeds that are smaller than RES. You could look into painted turtles or other aquatic breeds.

Painted turtles usually grow about 4-10 inches max. The males are smaller again but range from 4-7 inches and females are 6-10 depending on species.

Western painted's are the big ones but the other 3 eastern, southern, and midland are pretty small and super friendly. midlands are the smallest but the hardest to find.

[Marcus.85]

You could always get one or a couple of musk or mud turtle, they are about 4 inches/adult size, they require way less space than a RES.

[kathysrottweilers]

it looks like a 20 gallon tall to me