Habitat - Indoor :: my huge RES's

[turtlelover95]

OK so I got of the measuring stick and finally measured....Here are the results....
Jimmi (f) 9 inches
Ricki (f) 8 1/2 inches
Billi (m) 6 1/4 inches

So supposedly the girls are only a year older than Billi. (according to when I got them, they were all hatchlings when I got them) Why is he so much smaller than the girls?
Another question...If I do a 'L' shape set up, with a sharing basking area, What size aquariums do I need? I know that there is a tank requirement place, but I don't know about 3 and the L set up?

[N4784N R4613]

Your are going to need at least 300 gallons, so two 150s?

[turtlelover95]

I guess I don't understand why that is?!? I have always read that you need 30 gallons for the first RES and 10 gallons for each additional RES. Why the conflicting information?

[DavidY]

Wow those are some big turtles! Females naturally grow larger than the males, usually maxing out around 10 to 12" while the males max out at around 6 to 8". The general rule of thumb is 10 gallons for each inch of turtle. So with 1 male and 2 females you're looking at a maximum turtle length of 32" which would be 320 gallons.

Yea, I know, that's a lot of gallons and a lot of money. I didn't know that either before I adopted my 3 RES. But considering they were kept in a dish pan full of filth, I figure whatever I can provide is an improvement. But I'm working at making their living space adequate. I started with a 40 gallon breeder tank, now I've added the 90gal with the combined basking area. Next I'm going to build an indoor pond using a preformed 120gal pond which I already bought at Lowes for $69 (really good deal!). I think all those combined should be enough. It's only 250gal total but considering the basking areas will all be above tank or outside of the pond, those gallons will be all swimming area and water. I think the 10gal per inch rule includes the fact that you're only going to fill your tank 2/3rds full for the basking platform and to prevent the turtle from escaping.

[steve]

turtlelover95, there are a lot of "formulas" people use to gauge how much water their turtle needs. None of them are in any way a scientific measure, nor are they guaranteed to make your turtle comfortable without any problems.

We prefer the 10 gallons of per 1 inch of shell here because it is easy to remember and it is more generous that the others. Keep in mind that aquariums have always been expensive and larger enclosures aren't an option for many people, which is why older "formulas" tend to be for smaller accommodations.

You might be able to work with a 200 gallon but it will depend on the turtles' personalities. They still have bit growing to do as well. Keep in mind, no one has ever regretted using a large tank for their turtles. If cost is an issue, you might consider a large stock tank (300 gallon) or a pond. Those are cheaper and wider than equivalent aquariums.

[turtlelover95]

It's the cost and the size. Mostly the size. That's a lot of space. Even with the out of tank basking area?
Thank you so much for all of the advise. I guess I have to do some rearranging.

[marisa]

Just curious as to where you read "30 gallons for the first RES and 10 gallons for each additional RES"? This would be no matter what size the turtles are?

Ideally, 10-gallons of tank per inch of shell length, but depending on the turtles, you might get away with going with 10-gallons of tank per inch for the largest turtle and adding half that amount for each of one or two additional turtles. This would mean about a 180-gallon tank (but bigger would be better).