Habitat - Indoor :: My turtles tank

[emma]

I will be posting pictures of my turtle tank soon but for now i will just list everything that i have in the tank. Tell me what you think about all the stuff and tell me if i should add anything.

I have 4 turtles. 3 RES and 1 mississippi map. they are about 1 inch on each one. Their names are: Laser, Ms.Cool, Tiny, and Runner. I dont know about the names runner and tiny...so if you have any other suggestions for names let me know!! (one RES and one mississippi map)

20 gallon tank- I am going to upgrade really soon! i really want to get a 50 gallon but my mom wont let me!! I was thinking of a rubbermaid 50 gallon.
ReptoFilter- Going to get a better filter really soon!!
Fake weeds
basking dock
UVB lighting
River rocks
small river rocks that are bigger than the turtles heads on the bottom of the tank
ReptoMin baby turtle pellets, and fish food for the fish i have in the tank with the RES
7 minnows
2 tiny goldfish
And i think that is it. I am getting a heater and a thermometer this week sometime...as soon as i can find one!!

Thanks everyone for reading this!!

[untsmurf]

You also need to have a normal light over the basking spot with the UVB to provide the necessary heat.

You really need to get a bigger tank. With all the animals in that tank, you should have at least fifty gallons, but, if you measure your turts, I'm willing to bet they are closer to two inches, so that would up the tank requirement to 90 gallons.

Goldfish are bad for turts to eat so when you get your new tank, leave the goldfish in the old one with the minnows, and just feed the minnows to the turts one-two at a time. Goldfish are high in fat.

Make sure the dock is big enough for all four of them to bask on comfortably.

Since you have four turtles, the bottom of your tank is probably really messy, you should consider removing the rocks altogether. This way 1) no chance of ingestion, 2) more room to swim, and 3) you can monitor the cleanliness of your tank a lot easier.

And last, you didn't mention it, but make sure your tank isn't sitting in front of a window, this will lead to a drastic temp changes and an increased rate of algae growth.

[Safdar]

untsmurf got it

I just wanted to say, do you think you are prepared to take care of the 3 turtles you have in the future, they will become really big and i would guess you would need at least 200g tank for all of them when they become adults
Not mentioning agression that could occur.

You have alot of major upgrades to come and i hope everythings goes well

[emma]

i know!! i am really trying to convince my mom to let me get a bigger tank!! I tell her that the turtles need 10 gallons per inch of shell they have so they should have like a 50 gallon tank right now. I know a rubbermaid that i really want to get for the turtles that is only like 12 dollars. then i can save up for a really cool tank for them when they get older. She wont budge though!! she thinks that she knows all about them and says that they are fine and the tank is huge for them. she also always wants to give the turtles food whenever they are begging!! when will she learn??!?!?!?!

[powerofvoodoo]

Have you tried showing her this site? You could even just print out the turtle care pages of the main site and highlight the areas that need improving for your turtles and leave them around for her to see. My mom has learned not to argue with me anymore because I research everything that I'm determined to do/get (piercings, animals, etc) But I guess I have the advantage of being in college and paying for everything besides PART of my tuition myself.

Also, when I told her that I needed to get a larger cage, she was originally against it, saying that she has enough space. I calmly pointed out that although a dog or a human can live in a small room or cage for their entire lives, that doesn't mean that it's healthy for them because they need the room to get out and run around. She saw my point pretty quickly.

[untsmurf]

Have you tried showing her this site? You could even just print out the turtle care pages of the main site and highlight the areas that need improving for your turtles and leave them around for her to see. My mom has learned not to argue with me anymore because I research everything that I'm determined to do/get (piercings, animals, etc) But I guess I have the advantage of being in college and paying for everything besides PART of my tuition myself.

Also, when I told her that I needed to get a larger cage, she was originally against it, saying that she has enough space. I calmly pointed out that although a dog or a human can live in a small room or cage for their entire lives, that doesn't mean that it's healthy for them because they need the room to get out and run around. She saw my point pretty quickly.

This is a really great way of getting people to understand a turtle's need for space. Also, please tell her to come on here if she has any questions or concerns, or if she simply doesn't believe you... we can educate her j/k. But we seriously will answer all her questions as well. Just make sure she understands that you are taking responsibility for your pets and you are trying to provide them with what they need... it's not a luxury, it's a necessity.

[emma]

ok everyone. thanks for all the great information. I think that i will show her this site:) i have to be with her the whole time because she doesnt even know how to use a computer really