Habitat - Indoor :: Our new 75 gallon setup, and our new life as turtle parents

[KevinG]

Hello all and thank you everyone on here and those responsible for redearslider.com and this forum. This forum has been invaluable to my wife and I and we have learned so much. We look forward to giving our two turtles, Chris and T, the very best environment, diet, and care we can so they live happy healthy lives. This is kind of a continuation of a thread we started in urgent care but no longer really needs to be in urgent care:

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewt ... highlight=

The milky water problem really opened our eyes to the amount of care these turtles need to be happy and healthy. We have taken it upon ourselves to make sure we give these guys the best life we can. We recently purchased a 75 gallon tank and in the process of getting it ready for our turtles. We still have much to learn so I figured it would be nice to have our own post where we can ask questions, post updates, etc. So here it is.

We're starting off with this setup that we just purchased used for $200. 75 gallon glass tank, stand, XP3 and XP2 filters.





We cleaned everything really well. Cleaned everything out of the Rena filters and have all new foam, bio chem zorb, and ceramic rings on the way. We also have digital thermometers, ph, nitrate, nitrite testing kit, stealth 250 watt, Zoo Med MVB 100W PowerSun UV Bulb and other goodies on the way. Big Als Online had great prices and free shipping so we ordered from them. I think we are on the right track to having a good setup for them.

And here are our two turtles. This picture is a couple months old now. T's on the right and is more colorful, more relaxed, and likes to dig. T also stays active more looking around for food, but still gets his fair share of basking time.

Chris (on the left) has gotten about 1/2" longer then T now. I've never seen Chris digging, Chris spends more time basking compared to T, and is more aggressive during feeding. Chis is happy to get out of the way and let Chris go nuts!

[taurusgirl]

nice, looks good

[Lantic]

looks amazing!

[Caphits]

Looks like a fantastic setup.

[BullDog]

Looks good! Sounds like you're on the right track for a long and happy life with your turts ^_^

[KevinG]

Can we feed the turtles too many greens? Or can we feed them as much greens as they will eat? Thanks.

[BullDog]

It is possible to feed them too many greens. If they eat too much, they can have loose stool, or end up throwing up. A good rule of thumb for lettuce is a piece about the size of their shell.

[KevinG]

So we should feed them a "green" the size of their shell once every day?

[marisa]

Experiment. If the amount you're feeding affects the stool and you see pieces of lettuce, etc. floating in the water, cut back. If the amount you give is eaten, the stool isn't loose and they still seem really hungry, give a bit more.

[queenjane]

The babies are sooo cute.

[KevinG]

We have seen what appears to be slightly digested pieces of greens in the tank. And what your saying is that they should eat all of the greens we put in there per day with nothing left over? What is a healthy turtle stool supposed to be like?

Also, I think we might move the turtles over to their new tank (10 gallon now, over to the 75) prior to getting our supplies from Big Als Online. The main concern is not having the 250W heater, but here is Arizona during the day we are more concerned about cooling. I'm fairly certain that any decrease in temperature over night will be minimal and we'll actually test this tonight before we move them over. I'll wake up early in the morning and see what the temps are like in the 75 gallon tank. I think the bioload problem and space being so cramped in the 10 gallon tank is worse then a possible couple degree drop in temperature over night.

Also, we read that the turtles should have some out of water exercise. We live in a townhouse and only have a somewhat smooth concrete patio. Can they walk around on this? We also have a grassy field in the middle of the condos, can we put them down in the grass and have them walk around in it?

[KevinG]

We moved the turtles over to the new tank yesterday. Couldn't wait any longer for the heater and other supplies to arrive. My wife took some video and pictures we'll post up later. The little 10 gallon tank just wasn't cutting it anymore. Turned out the 100W heater is working just fine, I have the thermostat in the house set to 76 degrees for now.

T is a little shell shocked, just like she was when we first got her. I guess she's just getting used to the new environment. She's a little skittish and stays towards the back of the tank most of the time. She isn't basking very much either. I'm fairly confident she'll get used to things and be back to her normal self in no time.

I'm going to work on getting their tank more "interesting" for the turtles. We got some air stones and pump with the tank and I'll put that in there. I might go buy some PVC pipe to through in there for now for them to hide in. I'll probably pick up some fake plants as well to put in there. I want to try and do my best to give them an "entertaining" environment (mentally stimulating). Any suggestions are welcome.

[trudykurz]

You have pretty turts and I'm so glad you are doing everything you can to give them a great home! I am the proud owner of a rescued turtle so I can relate.

Undigested pieces of greens should be netted out if the filter can't catch them. Healthy stool is solid. Not like dog stool solid (sorry to be so gross) but not watery. When I see stool I try to net it out of the tank.

If you take your turts to grassy areas be watchful. They can move really fast! I have a fenced backyard and I keep a very close eye when I let mine out, I follow her everywhere. Be careful about concrete it could hurt the shell. I'm no expert but if you feel comfortable walking on it barefoot, no sharp edges or bumps, the turt should be fine.

Your turts will get used to the new tank quickly. My turt was already 7 inches long when I found her in a 5 gallon tank. She had never had a clean tank, much less a basking area. She adapted really quickly to new conditions! Your turts look small, so from what I've read on this site just be careful about the water level, make sure they have sleeping platforms or other places they can just lift there heads up to get air.

What are you feeding your turts besides greens? Check the nutrition section of this website, it's invaluable. And check out the turtle jello shots recipe. I would have never thought my turtle would eat something like that but she devours them!

Good luck and keep us updated on your progress!