Habitat - Indoor :: newbie..is my setup ok?

[501turtle]

I have a 57 gallon tank that measures 48in wide, 16in deep, and 17 in tall with it being 3/4 full of water. i have a fluval 405 canister and a fluval 4+ internal intake..the canister has 4 carpartments first upper 2 has the biomax cynlinders the bottom 2 has carbon...the internal filter has a polishing pad ...both fluval filters of course has the filter foams inserted. and also i have 50 gal air pump connected to 2 different air stones along the back.....wondering if the media in filters are ok or what is the best recommended setup as of media goes? and any other recommendations thanx almost forgot its all housing 2 sliders with shells 3 inches long

[sanoske312]

Wow sounds like a great setup so far but
What is your lighting and heating setup like ?

[501turtle]

oh yea ....a 60 watt light bulb and a 18 in zilla 12 watt uvb florescent light over the basking area

[Daniel3507]

sounds like a good set up for now. as for the filter media, really its just personal preference.

[501turtle]

for how long do you think and how will i know....and what might i have to upgrade when the time comes???

[Daniel3507]

when you have to upgrade you will need to move into a bigger tank or get a another tank so they can each have enough room. the general rule for one turtle per tank is roughly 10 gallons per inch of turtle. if you see any signs of aggression though you will need to separate them as soon as you can.

[501turtle]

once they hit 6 to 5 inches.....you think its ok to move out into my pond.....the reason why i got them was for my pond but being so small only 3 inches and predators like birds i figure i should wait...is 5 to 6 inches fine?

[Daniel3507]

that would be a good size to put them in the pond. there are some things you need to do to prepare the pond though and you will of course have to feed them like you would if they were in the tank.

[501turtle]

yea i built my own bio filter for my koi fishes and its a 2000 gallon pond and the bio filter is more than enough for the fishes and turtles but to be on the safe side im building a small 150 to 200 gallon pond right beside it...im cutting into the linear of the big pond and creating a underground pipe that will connect both ponds together...then i will set up a bottom floor pump in the small pond so it will push the water out into the same bio filter of the big pond and on top of that i will stiil use the same filters that i am using now< for an extra kick >on the aquarium for the smaller pond...and off course i will fence the smaller pond so not to let the turtles out .......in winter i will house the turtles back in the same aquarium and use the same filtration i had setup before.........what do you think? please sate your opinion....im a type of person that will seek advice before choosing blindly

[Daniel3507]

im far from a pond expert but it sounds like a good plan. just make sure they get enough sun light and a good place to bask. if you could it wouldnt hurt to make it even bigger. the more room they have the better. when you do fence it in bury part of the fence underground. turtles are surprising escape artists and can dig and climb like crazy. there are some people on here that have some amazing outdoor ponds and can help you out alot.

[501turtle]

cool thanx...