Dirt Or Large Rock For Red Eared Slider.

I'm moving up in my pet journey. I might be getting a red eared slider. (A type of turtle.) A friend cannot take care of it, so I will be taking it. He doesn't have a filter, but he has the turtle, food, and a basic setup in a 10 gallon. I want to get a large tank, but glass is way out of my budget (take out my year's allowance please and thank you.) I found a 50 Gallon bin at Lowes. Even though RES are an aquatic turtle, they do bask in the sun. Could I put a large rock in the middle, or side of the tank for it to bask on? Or would a small Island of dirt be better?

If you don't know the answer to this question, but has other tips/tricks, PLEASE say them. This is my 1st amphibian, and I want to do him justice.

 

Turtles are reptiles, not amphibians.
As for turtle care, a 50 gallon would be tight for once he gets fully grown. I’d go with the dirt island

 

Thanks, obviously I still don't know that. The dirt island sounds good to me as well

 

Right, not amphibian, but an amphibious reptile haha.
I think dirt would make the water dirty....I'd do a rock, personally.

 

I'd go with a rock island. I've had them in the past and they are VERY dirty. Something easy to clean will ideal. Turtles are gross compared to fish haha! Such messy little things. Love them anyways tho!

 

Do NOT use dirt! You will have a tub full of mud, plain and simple. It will look terrible, and there will never be a completely dry spot for the turtle to utilize for basking. A large rock would work, but it would need to be placed in a stable position so that it doesn't wobble and possibly trap or injure the turtle. Rocks take up a lot of volume, translating to less water in the tank, and they also limit the depth of the water. Your best bet is to either construct a ramp and basking spot out of wood, or use one of the commercially-available plastic ones sold for the purpose. This solution will be light in weight, easy to clean, easy to remove for cleaning the tank, and will take up very little space in the tank.

Turtles are extremely messy and dirty feeders. You are well-advised to remove the turtle into a small pail or bucket with a few inches of water, feed him there, leave him long enough for him to have a nice big post-meal poop (usually doesn't take long), and then discard that water and put him back into his home. This will keep your tank a lot cleaner for a lot longer. Even so, plan on frequent water changes.

 

I will now go with the ramp... I think jjohnwm solved the problem!