Habitat - Indoor :: Tank gallon question

[MaggyCheco]

Hi I have three adult RES (one of them is tiny though) who live in a 20g tank (in addition to a second floor basking area) I know they need more space, but I can't give them too much space both because my room is small and I just bought a fluval 205 that only supports up to 40g xD

So is 40 gallon good enough for two 6 inch turtles and one 4 inch turtle if the whole tank will be filled with water and a basking floor is on top?

I feel bad limiting them so much but when I graduate college and get my own place I will definitely spoil these turtles with an unreasonably enormous tank :]

[Listen97]

The rule of thumb is 10 gal per inch. so with those three turtles you should have 160gal. I personally couldn't afford a larger tank myself and have had two 7in turtles in a full 55gal so I know where your coming from. I now have a much larger tank I'm getting ready for them.

[shedreamsinred]

People tend to go with 5 gallons per inch of shell when there's more than one turtle in the tank, however you may be running into some aggression problems, etc, especially if some are male. So in any case, by the 5 gallon rule, how big are your turtles? Add up their shell length and multiple by 5. That is the minimum for an acceptable space for them. I think it's very good that you have an ATBA so that they can get the full gallon-use out of the tank they do have.

[rsour24]

look into stock tanks for now than, for the price of a 40 gallon tank you can get either a 100 or 150 gallon stock tank, they dont look as nice but are much cheaper, and if you sid you are movin out in a year, why not give them the most space you can for now

[MaggyCheco]

Thanks for the responses . I'm not moving out in a year, more like 4 years o_o architecture school. There's no aggression problems strangely enough xD. They're really friendly with each other. But thanks I didn't know about the 5 gallon rule, so that makes it easier. But stock tanks and 80 gallons is still too big =\ We live in NYC so putting a stock tank in the shared backyard isn't a good Idea..

Arg, sorry I keep going around all your suggestions xD But we're moving soon so we'll hopefully find a place with more bedroom space. I'd put them in the living room (And personally with some fixing up it could look like an awesome decorative thing, but my mom refuses, she think it's ridiculous that I spend so much money on them xD)
So knowing what I should be getting I have some new questions. What if the whole tank is filled with water? Would that count as more space for the turtles with that rule? (I guess doubling the tank I have by two since most people fill their gallons half way?)
Also how many gallons past 40gal do you think a fluval 205 can support?

[jason32835]

Hi Maggy,

I'm new to the turtle care business myself and I've had a lot of the same questions as you. I belive that the 1 inch to 10 gallons of water rule is great, but I also think that RES are adaptive creatures and the rule can be flexable. You live in NYC and probably live in a small apartment, your turtles are New Yorkers and will have to live in a small apartment too.

That being said, I'd go for the 40 gallon, and build an ATBA. I sure think that a full 40g is similar to a half full 80g. Maybe they have less lateral movement, but still should be able to strech their legs.

That will give them 2.5 gallons per inch of shell. I have two 2" turtles in a ten gallon right now, so that is exactly the same ratio and they really seem to have plenty of room at the moment (although I have a 55 gallon that I'm working on for them.)

Also, your Fluval is rated for 40g which means with three turtles I doubt it will keep up in a 40g tank. I'd think you need something rated at least 80g. I've been looking at the PEN PLAX Cascade 1000.. rated for a 100g. It is only 90 bucks on Amazon.

[MaggyCheco]

90 dollars? Awesome. Ok now I don't feel so bad about getting a 40 gallon. I'm keeping the 20gal sized ATBA for the new tank so the whole thing will be filled. I swear they'll have a 2000 gallon tank one day xD
Also I just changed the water yesterday and the water is really cloudy now o_o What can I do? It was like this a few months ago but I fixed it by changing the water again. But that's really annoying to do
I'm thinking about adding a snail.. but I need to find one big enough for the turtles not to eat but small enough to not take up the space..

[Listen97]

With new filters and tanks you have to let the bacteria grow, the cloudiness will go away in a few days.

[MaggyCheco]

The filter and tank are old. I changed the water without changing the media but it's still cloudy

[jason32835]

My guess would be that your filter can't keep up with the amount of poo that your three turtles are making. A bigger tank and filter would be sure to help..

[jwinters]

Ah, space issues. For those of us living with our parents/in college, we feel your pain.

[MaggyCheco]

Indeed, lol my mom think it's insane to want a bigger tank o_o she doesn't know how small it really is. And my dad doesn't even live with us and he thinks it's crazy too xD They even think it's crazy that I'm bringing one of them to the vet. Well as long as I'm making my own little money dog walking to pay for it I don't mind what they think of it . I'd move out but it's impossible to have a job while being an architecture major, absolutely impossible o_o

So which snails do you think won't be eaten? lol I guess one that is big without taking too much space. Which species would you guys recommend?

[Melvira_Fox]

You could put a stock tank inside and decorate it. That's probably what I would do. You can get some that have a lot of gallons but are more deep instead of wide... You could get all crazy with it and paint the outside of it or glue decorative things to it. Plus it would give the turtles some privacy since you're going to be in a confined space.

Any snail will eventually be ate. You can't rely on a turtle to not eat something. lol.

[MaggyCheco]

Lol darn monster turtles. But unfortunately stock tanks aren't possible =\ my room is way too small, even for a thin one. I'll see how thin/tall they can get though and use that as an option lol

[MaggyCheco]

I think I'll try putting a snail in just in case though, since they're cheap. If the turtles do eat it would be harmful?