Hi! Introduce yourselves here. :: Hello *-*

[Blendie]

Okay hi~ I am new this this forum and turtles in general and although I'm sure reading through threads and information will help me [I've already been poking around] I'm hoping I could ask some specific questions so I could get some personal answers.

First off, my friends had to move recently, in doing so the only pet they were able to take with them was their dog, they also had a female red eared slider named Blendie, she's a few years old but I'm not sure in specifics, and her shell is about 4.5 inches long. Initially my friend's mother was just going to release her into a nearby canal, there are a lot of sliders there, but I didn't really feel confident in releasing a captive turtle into the wild so I adopted her.

Initially I was told she didn't require much care and she wouldn't grow large if she was kept in a small tank. It seemed odd to me, so I started researching on my own. Of course turtle care wasn't that simple- there is no animal you just chuck into a tank and you're done. And usually I wouldn't so impulsively get a pet I know nothing about but I am confident that effort on my part will give her a better life than she had and would have had out in the wild.

I've only had her for a few days and currently she's in a 10 gallon tank, this is way too small and within the next two weeks I will be moving her into a 55 gallon tank. I'm a teenager, so as you can imagine I don't have a fabulously paying job, which is why I can't move her right away. I did get a small ovation 700 filter thing that I can stick in the water to keep her water clear, personally I think it works fine, however this filter say it works for up to 50 gallons, so I'm thinking I will just buy a second filter and use both or, I'll upgrade the filter as well. She had a proper heating/basking lamp too and a stable bridge thing that she can get out of the water and dry off on as well. I didn't get a heater yet because it's been nice here and is warm in my house and her water temperature is ~74 degrees F, which seems to be alright.

Okay so my questions are basically like- I know a full grown female slider should end up in like a 120 gallon tank by the time she is fully grown, however I can't actually get that size of a tank right off the bat, both because of costs and because I'm sharing my room temporarily and I don't think my roommate will really appreciate that much space being taken up when we're already cramped. Will it be alright to start her with a 55 gallon and work my way up as she grows? It will ultimately be more expensive that way- but I don't really have much of a choice right now.


Another question I have is like- do I need a specific tank stand? Or would something like a dresser of sorts be alright to keep a tank on top of. I know aquariums -do- get heavy, but the dresser I have can successfully hold a television and my brother [who weighs about 180lbs] without budging in the least and being able to use that would definitely give me a larger budget to buy things for Blendie.

Over all she is a cute little girl who is very calm and seems to like when I handle her. I'm also sorry if I sound like a complete noob, I kind of am orz

Now I will go stalk the forums more to see if I can answer my own questions ^^;

[michaelg]

Welcome to the forum!

A 55 gallon tank would be a good place to start, but you are right, she'll need a much larger tank in the not too distant future. Since you are young and money is tight, I would recommend getting the 55 gallon tank and then saving up to your turtle's forever home, like a 120 gallon. You can sell the 55 gallon and make some money. Once you get over 40 gallons, tanks get expensive. If you keep buying tanks that are a little bigger until you reach 120 gallons, you will have spent a lot of money.

As for the weight of the tank, 1 gallon of water weighs 8 pounds. 55 gallons would be 440lbs. You can reduce the amount of water, but even half filled will be over 200 lbs and your turtle would be much happier with an almost full 55 gallon tank. Dressers aren't really designed to handle weight of that magnitude. It may handle it, but it may not. A well made, solid wood dresser probably could handle it, but if it is from Ikea or some other discount furniture outlet it is probably pressed wood and probably not able to handle the weight. However, if you or your brother is handy with a saw, hammer and nails (or screws) you can build a sturdy enough stand from 2x4s and save a lot of money.

You made the right choice not letting your friend's mom release the turtle. That's very admirable.

-Michael

[Blendie]

That's my plan. I wouldn't try and by her tanks every time she would need another 10 gallons, the prices are pretty steep but a single, or second technically, investment doesn't seem terrible to me. I realised pretty quickly that turtles would be expensive, but I think she's worth it and I can cut on spending money I don't need to for a pet.

The dresser I have is solid oak, there are no legs on it, so it stands with a solid bottom. I've had it for years, but I definitely wouldn't have thought of it it were were some kind of Ikea furniture, I don't want to do anything 'wrong' so to speak. The idea of building something is an interesting one, I'll have to suggest it to him and see if he can help me, he'll be helping me make a basking area that sits on top of the tank anyway *-*

Thank you for the welcome and answering my questions, it was very helpful

[VeipaCray]

Hello and welcome to the forum. While not as nice looking as a 55gal aquarium, you can use a large rubbermaid type plastic bin/tub. They are really inexpensive if you don't want to buy a 55gal now and a 120 later.

As for your filter, just because the water looks clear doesn't mean the water is clean. You cannot see ammonia or nitrites.

Here's our thread on filters: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=30145

[steve]

Welcome to the forum! I think our fine members have your questions covered

[penelope]

Welcome, welcome, welcome!!!
This is a forum chock full of questions.
Check out the main site for the basics: http://redearslider.com/sitemap.html
As for, as you say, stalking the forums - try the most important component of this site - the little search field located on the top right of this page. It's remarkable what you can learn by typing in one little key word

Thank you for adopting your baby
and we are always happy to answer questions unique to your little one.