Habitat - Indoor :: TANK SIZE

[hrly]

I NEED SOME GUIDANCE HERE. ONE PET STORE SAYS I NEED A 55 GALLON TANK FOR MY RED EAR SLIDER, ANOTHER SAYS A 40 GALLON. CAN SOMEONE TELL ME WHICH SIZE WILL WORK BEST FOR HER. SHE'S GETTING PRETTY BIG NOW. THANKS.
HRLY

[jenaero]

The rule is 10 gallons per inch of shell length. If your turtle is 5 inches long, a minimum of 50 gallons is required. IF your turtle is 10 inches, a minimum of 100 gal.

[Kallistos]

My advice is that you go as large as you can possible afford the first time, you'll save money in the long run since you won't have to upgrade multiple times. If got a 90 gallon you would be set for life in my opinion.

[emma]

you should get over a 100 gallon tank if you can because your turtle is going to get bigger and if you just get a big tank right away, then you wont need to keep making upgrades. AND you wont be spending SO much money with all the upgrades that you get.

[steve]

How big is she? If you are certain your turtle is a female, then you do need to save up for a bigger tank (90-120 gallons) for the future.

[untsmurf]

I second that. You should try and get as big of a tank that you can afford now. Your turtle will eventually need at least 100 gallons with all the trimmings. Getting all that now could save 100s-1000s in the future. But if you can't afford all that right now, then you need to get a tank that is 10 gals per inch of shell. If you have a 4 inch turtle, I would go with a 55 gallon because that gives you room for another inch and a half of growth.

[Opus]

The minimum is 40 gallons............and a 4 inch turtle likemy opus looks WAY too small if I compare him with his future tank.A female turtle need atleast 45+gallons.

[untsmurf]

Remember they live in waters up to 10-20 feet deep in the wild. So, no tank you can buy is going to be too big.

[tennisnut]

In terms of turtle, I have two RES, one 2" and the other 3", and I've had them about two years. How fast are they going to grow? If I do upgrades slowly in increments, how many years do I have between each upgrade? The reason is, if I only have a few months between upgrades, I'm considering getting them a 120-200 gallon tank and being done with it for the rest of my life. =)

Thanks.

[Opus]

Remember they live in waters up to 10-20 feet deep in the wild. So, no tank you can buy is going to be too big.

Well,if you make a above tank basking area and get a good filter and fill the water up too the top then a 40 gallon long is ok.