Habitat - Indoor :: 75 gallon setup

[rrcoolj]

Hey guys, I've recently acquired 2 RES as a "birthday present". Not exactly a good present. not saying RES are bad pets but I wasn't even planning on it. Anyway I've decided to keep both or sell one and keep the other. I was goin to sell both but I just became so attached to them after only seven days! Right now they are both in a ten with a fluval submersible filter and a 60watt bulb which keeps the basking spot at about 90 and the water is about 78. I think these parameters should be ok. I don't have a UVB bulb tho. That's probably a problem . But im working on it.

Ok let me stop yaking. I want to put them in a 75 so hopefully they will have plenty of room. Im buyin a canister for the tank so it'll have good filteration. Will this be suffecient for 1 if not 2 RES? Keep in mind they are still about an 1 1/2 so I can't tell gender. I just want some ideas. OH yeah I was thinking of adding pictus cats or weather loaches as scavengers(they are very messy creatures).

[BullDog]

A 75 gal will be a very good size for them for a good few years. Right now, I have my male in a 75 gal, and it's just right for him. Eventually, you will have to upgrade tanks, but the good news is if you separate them, you can most likely just keep the 75 gal setup for one of them, and only need to buy another, say, 75 gal (depending as you know on size and sex). (if you end up keeping them both, of course).

I don't know what "pictus cats or weather loaches" are, but anything you put in the turtle tank will likely end up as food. Keep that in mind, since you don't want to put anything poisonous or spikey, or expensive in the tank.

They sure are rewarding pets, and really fun to watch. If they get along, then it's also cool to watch them interact.
That's the other thing - if you keep both of them together, you'll have to keep an eye on them for aggression. When they're little, they can't do too much damage, but as they grow, they can cause serious harm to each other, and you'll need to separate them permanently.

[SpotsMama]

In the long run, a 75 gallon tank will be good for a single grown turtle if he turns out to be male. A female will feel somewhat confined in a 75 gallon tank but it would be doable.

[rrcoolj]

I'm hoping it's a male! But my dilema is if I sell one now I won't know if im selling a male or a female. So bacically what im sayin is I have a better chance of getting either gender if I have two, ya know. Should I still get rid of one know or shud I wait umtil about 4 inches whaen they are sexually mature? At that size im sure a petstore might take them.

[ILUV_Rocky]

I saw a 75 gallon tank with stand for 180 is that a good price? anyone?

[RESnTX]

That's a very good price. If it is a used tank you will want to make sure it is in good condition and will hold water before you take it home.

[imderanged]

I just bought a 75 w/ stand. Thats a great price. I think I paid around $330. I've seen just the tank go for over $200!

[SpotsMama]

rrcoolj, you could keep them both in a 75 gallon tank until they mature and you can tell what you've got. They will probably mature between 1 and 2 years (when they get to be around 4" long).

BUT....and this is what you'd have to watch very carefully for....turtles who live together frequently start fighting and one can even kill the other. We've seen a couple of examples of that lately on here. So if you start seeing any signs of aggression they'd have to be separated.

One way to deal with two turtles is to house one of them in a rubbermaid tank or stock tank. You can get nice ones from places like Lowes for under $20. They make very good turtle homes. You still need basking lights, heater and filter of course. But keep in mind if you eventually sell your turtle you could sell the setup too.

You could go ahead and make a stock tank setup now, or you could keep the two of them in the 75 gallon until they mature and hope that they don't get aggressive.

[rrcoolj]

actually Im gonna keep them in a 300 gallon pond. I think they get much more room and "fresh air". thanks for the advice tho!