What prefered size tank for a Red Eared Slider?

HI Guys,

I'm gonna get a new tank for my 3 red eared sliders soon. They've been living in a small box for a few months now and I can't stand seeing them living in there any longer. The reason why they were in the box is because I was waiting until I could get a pond for them but now I can't. So my alternative is a tank. So, what size should I get? I was thinking 4ft long. My 3 red eared sliders are not very big. :helpsmilie: x

 

The bigger, the better. 4 ft long is a probably a decent size for the little guys.

 

Just be aware that reptiles, by and large, have an exponentially higher bioload than do fish of the same size.

We personally wouldn't keep one in smaller than a 75g, but we have a dear friend that has one in, I believe, a 55 gallon and she does 100% waterchanges every week, to my knowledge. (Reptiles are perfectly fine with 100% waterchanges.)

Gunnie has some great information out there on turtles, I think. (She is one of the moderators here.)

 

The nature center I volunteer at keeps two painted turtles in a 29 gallon long. I've always thought that they are in too small of a tank. I'm going to be spending more time out there, and I'm going to see if I can do extra partial water changes during the week.

 

OK, thanks guys!

Another question, do I need to add everything such as filter, light and other stuff just like I do for fish? I was only thinking of putting a UV light for them. The tank would just be their home and I have a small box where I can feed them and add a bit of water. What do you think?

 

The turtles I mentioned just have a tank that's half-full with water and has a rock floating in it.
I've seen, however, people do a gradual buildup of rock or other substrate, so there's water on one end and earth on the other. The water was filtered, and there were plants and everything. It's all a matter of how much you want to put into it.

If you have a filter going, the environment will be more stable and better for the turtles. You likely wouldn't have to do a 100% change every week if the water was cycled. However, they can, as CWC suggested, can live with weekly total water changes.

 

I have tay in a 30, she is a Eastern Paint though, I think that red ears get bigger. they definitely need a UV light, and BIG weekly waterchanges. for 3 I would def get AT LEAST a 55, bigger the better. A 125 gal would probably be the best.

be sure they have a place where they can get dry, and put a UV and heat light over that area.

remember to feed vegitation.

 

Red eared Sliders get up to 13" long. I would recommend nothing less than 125gal tank for one full grown, much less three. They require UV light or they will get shell rot which will kill them. They need vitamin D and calcium, a place to get out of the water to dry off get warm. A heat lamp that keeps this side portion of the tank around 90 degrees is best. You can get them at most pet stores. You need a VERY good filter, weekly water changes, and filter cleanings. I used fluval 404 but I think Eheims are one of the best filters. I would not use anything but a canister filter for them. Snails will help a bit with algae build up etc and make a nice snack for the turtles, feeder fish and crickets are good too. They also need fresh veggies in their diet. I found most of my information about my turtles from the people here

Turtles are ALOT of work and honestly I would not recommend owning them to anyone, but now that you do, good luck getting everything you need. If you have any questions feel free to ask me and I'll do what I can to answer.

 

125 gallons is a bit much for just one. I would say the minimum is 75 gals. for one. An outdoor pond at least 300 gal would be the prefered set-up though.

 

Red eared Sliders get up to 13" long. I would recommend nothing less than 125gal tank for one full grown, much less three. They require UV light or they will get shell rot which will kill them. They need vitamin D and calcium, a place to get out of the water to dry off get warm. A heat lamp that keeps this side portion of the tank around 90 degrees is best. You can get them at most pet stores. You need a VERY good filter, weekly water changes, and filter cleanings. I used fluval 404 but I think Eheims are one of the best filters. I would not use anything but a canister filter for them. Snails will help a bit with algae build up etc and make a nice snack for the turtles, feeder fish and crickets are good too. They also need fresh veggies in their diet. I found most of my information about my turtles from the people here

Turtles are ALOT of work and honestly I would not recommend owning them to anyone, but now that you do, good luck getting everything you need. If you have any questions feel free to ask me and I'll do what I can to answer.

Thanks Laelanna. I appreciate it. I actually adopted my first turtle from an aquarium store. The owner showed me the turtle and asked me whether I could be the new owner of it. I saw 2 turtles in a sink and I took pity on them because they had no where else to go. So I adopted the smallest one while someone else adopted the bigger one. Then I adopted two more that were smaller from my mom's friend who ALSO couldn't take care of them, so now I feel like I'm a turtle adopter!

125 gallons is a bit much for just one. I would say the minimum is 75 gals. for one. An outdoor pond at least 300 gal would be the prefered set-up though.

I wish I had a pond but I don't. If I did, I wouldn't have to spend so much money on a large tank for them and all the accessories...

 

my painted goes in the 500 gall garden pond every summer

 

'If' I remember correctly, it has been 4 years, the recommended space for turtles is 10 gallons per inch due to waste and space. So, if a turtle gets 13" you would want a 130 gallon tank for it. They can do with less, but its a lot more work and more frequent water changes. I love turtles, unfortunately, due to space and time requirement, I had to get rid of mine. I had a southern painted (very friendly sweet turtle), 2 mississippI maps (gorgeous coloring on them), 1 yellow bellied slider, and 2 red bellied slider. Turtles can get very territorial and I had to get rid of my yellow belly due to that. HI'm and one of the red bellies were not getting along. When I got rid of the last of them, I had had 5 of them in a 55 gallon tank. The smallest was about 2-3" and the largest about 7". I could NOT go more than 1 week without a water change and thorough cleaning or the smell would be throughout the entire house. It was terrible but I did not have the space or the money to buy them a bigger tank. We now have a pond in our back yard where my turtles have made their new home.

 

'If' I remember correctly, it has been 4 years, the recommended space for turtles is 10 gallons per inch due to waste and space. So, if a turtle gets 13" you would want a 130 gallon tank for it. They can do with less, but its a lot more work and more frequent water changes. I love turtles, unfortunately, due to space and time requirement, I had to get rid of mine. I had a southern painted (very friendly sweet turtle), 2 mississippI maps (gorgeous coloring on them), 1 yellow bellied slider, and 2 red bellied slider. Turtles can get very territorial and I had to get rid of my yellow belly due to that. HI'm and one of the red bellies were not getting along. When I got rid of the last of them, I had had 5 of them in a 55 gallon tank. The smallest was about 2-3" and the largest about 7". I could NOT go more than 1 week without a water change and thorough cleaning or the smell would be throughout the entire house. It was terrible but I did not have the space or the money to buy them a bigger tank. We now have a pond in our back yard where my turtles have made their new home.

That's great! It's nice to have a pond right in your own back yard. I've always wanted a pond where I can sit by the side and watch my turtles swim. When did you get your pond? Any pictures (if you don't mind)?