Habitat - Indoor :: New owner, many questions =)

[minimuffin1983]

Hello, I am a new red slider owner. I was given a red slider yesterday, he (or she) is about a year or so old. I was also given a 25 gal tank with a 20 gal filter. The tank came with a lid and a florescent light on top. I must keep the lid because I have two very curious cats. I just bought a heater for the water, and it is set for 76 degrees.
I made him an area where he can get totally out of the water. I am wondering exactly how to set up the lighting. I think I understand from what I have read that they need the florescent light plus a heat lamp for their lighting? Or is that too much? Any advise would be great! Also you may direct me to a post where these questions are already answered! Thanks!

p.s. His name is Darwin.

[TheComputerGremlin]

Aww, yay for a turtle named Darwin! If he's about a year old, you probably will be able to start telling if he's male or female. Does he have long front nails and a longer tail?

Anyways, lighting is fun. Yes, you need both a UVB bulb and a heat bulb, the heat one can be your run of the mill incandescent bulb, just check what the basking temp is and you'll know whether to increase wattage or distance. I think mine is a 60W and it's like 6 inches from the basking area now and it's around 95, though the further away from it, it gets cooler. The UVB bulb, go to the pet store and look for a 5% compact fluorescent or one that fits in your lid. Then just try to situate them so they are both shining on the basking area. These questions get answered a lot!

[Vtolds]

First of welcome too the site. YOu need a UVB light I have a Repti GLo 5.0 UVB Compact Fluorescent. You also need a Incandescent bulb for heat, you can use a house normal 75 watt house bulb or get a heat lamp at the pet store. You didn't mention a water heater so I will assume you need one. The water needs to be a constant 78 to 80 degrees all the time. Also your filter isnt even close to adequite you need a filter that can handle a 60 gallon tank. My suggestion is too buy a much bigger tank and filter along with everything else I mentioned.

[ashleygamergirl]

grats on ur new pet. how big is s/he? i would love to see pics