Habitat - Indoor :: Water Depth

[DrexelTanker0712]

I have a 55g reptile tank.

I have 2 RES's (1.5'', 2.0'')

I keep the water at 5-6'' because the natural wood that I have provides the turtles their sunning area at that water height and the little guys have room to swim up and down.

Is there a 'rule of thumb' for water depth and turtle size?
e.g. a 4 inch RES needs a min of 12 in of water depth


(I know the little guys will need a larger tank with deeper water once they are bigger)

[marisa]

There's no real "rule" for what the depth should be at a certain size, but in general, more is better. About the only exception I personally make to this is for really small/newly-hatched hatchlings, which I keep in shallower water for a while. The absolute minimum even then is to have the depth slightly more than the length of the shell so they can right themselves if they tip over.

You can have the water as deep as possible without allowing them to climb out.