Hi! Introduce yourselves here. :: Hello from Philly

[allison]

Well, I'm Allison (or Alli.) I'm an experienced aquarium owner. I've always owned fish up until now. My love, Hoover, was a foot and a half long goldfish that lived to be aprox 9 or 10 years old. (Way to big to flush down the toilet when he died.) I haven't ran an aquarium in five years, ever since I moved to Philly. I've had a 70 gallon tank sitting around for that long.

On July 4th, I bought a baby red eared slider in a tiny hermit crab type cheap-o plastic container from a dude on the side walk on my way to work in Old City. Where I work at the visitors center for Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. I decided to name the baby turtle George (after George Washington) and give it a nice happy life.

My ex-roommate had a RES when we used to live together and I ended up taking better of it than she did, and learning a lot about turtles. Tho turbo was about a year old when I knew her. I did a lot to help roomie keep her tank clean and healthy.

I've got baby George set up in a 70 gallon tank with a nice new filter, heater, basking rock, light, gravel and a rock. There is a lot more I want and need to get for the tank. For starters I want another turtle. (I already know all of what that entails, i.e. a cool huge 200 gallon tank in a few years.) I have a question thread about crayfish open too.

So I'm pretty much a newbie with baby turtles, but George is warm and eating so.... Let the fun begin.

Cheers,
Alli

[untsmurf]

Hi and welcome! I recommend reading over the caresheet on the main site. It is chalk full of great information that every owner needs to own.

Also, if you're using aquarium gravel (the tiny stuff that comes in all different colors and is used for fish) take it out. Your turtle can and will ingest it and if he gets ahold of a piece that is too big, it can get impacted in his digestive tract which will result in his death. They are also not good for turtles because turtles are very dirty animals and their waste gets trapped in between the rocks where you can't see it, therefor maintaining a clean appearance, all the while messing with the chemical balance of your water.

If you still want rocks in your tank, make sure they are bigger than your turtles head.

[TurtleLover_S&B]

Welcome to Turtle Talk! I agree with untsmurf, the caresheet on this site is really good! Just know one thing about having 2 turtles. Turtles are VERY territorial. Which can lead to fighting. I actually have 2 turtles, and trust me, I've seen their fights. Mine are in the same tank, but they're pretty good most of the time. Anyway, you ABSOLUTELY NEED to take out the gravel! It can end up KILLING your turtle!