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ny.streetballer
Guest
i just got 20 gallon tank wit 5 baby red ear sliders and im wondering wat kind of graval i should put in or if ill need a fliter for them anything useful i should know.
OK, you have 5 turtles in a 20 gallon? Is that a 20 long?
Red ears are messy. They eat messy and poo messy. That 20 gallon with 5 turtles, no matter what filter you put on it, is going to reak in a day. Trust me, I've been there, done that!
ONE baby red ear will be OK in a well cared for 20 gallon LONG for a little while. I moved my red ear into one of those wading pools for kids and she loved it.
Don't do any gravel, it's a lot easier to clean up a bare tank, but you should put a basking rock in the tank where the turtles can get out of the water.
It also helps if you feed them in a separate tank or tub, less mess in the main tank.
Red ears are messy. They eat messy and poo messy. That 20 gallon with 5 turtles, no matter what filter you put on it, is going to reak in a day. Trust me, I've been there, done that!
ONE baby red ear will be OK in a well cared for 20 gallon LONG for a little while. I moved my red ear into one of those wading pools for kids and she loved it.
Don't do any gravel, it's a lot easier to clean up a bare tank, but you should put a basking rock in the tank where the turtles can get out of the water.
It also helps if you feed them in a separate tank or tub, less mess in the main tank.
i agree but the red ear sliders will eventualy grow out i've personaly seen them at a 10 inch carpase length (sorry for spelling)
Hiya NY. Streetballer, welcome aboard.
Plan on doing lots of water changes and yes a filter (oversized) would be good. A bare bottom tank is the easiest to cleanYou can use a couple flowerpots weighted with gravel as a stand for a slab of slate for a basking place if you wish, to stay healthy red ears need to be able to leave the water for a while each day. They will get way to big for that 20G.
Plan on doing lots of water changes and yes a filter (oversized) would be good. A bare bottom tank is the easiest to cleanYou can use a couple flowerpots weighted with gravel as a stand for a slab of slate for a basking place if you wish, to stay healthy red ears need to be able to leave the water for a while each day. They will get way to big for that 20G.
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ny.streetballer
Guest
its a 20 gallon long, and i got them 2 rocks wen i first buyed the tank, but ur right they do make a mess so im just gonna go wit a bare bottom so its easier to clean.
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ny.streetballer
Guest
i had about 2 dozen baby turtles in a 30 breeder for a while. i use whisper filters and they are great filters for turtles. my whisper 5 keeps my 40 breeder crystal clear and there are 2 4.5" turtles and 4 4" turtles in there. it kept it just as clean when the 4.5" snapper was in there as well. with whisepr filters you should be fine. i always use gravel, it is natural for them to dig through it looking for food, so i let them do as they would in the wild since it has never given mine any problems. a big female RES could max out at over a foot. feeding in a separate container can cause enough stress to stop them from eating, and they are going to poop in their regular tank anyways, so i dont see the point in stressing them to feed them just so you dont have to clean their filter quite as often. they are more comfortable in their home, not in some sterile feeding enclosure. i also dont think they should be handled more than absolutely necessary, that means just enough to move them if needed to clean their tank, or check for illnesses, injuries, and that sort of stuff. 20long is a decent start for 5 baby RES, but you should start looking now for a bigger tank so you know what you are getting into, as well as how much you need to save for it. you will also need a proper diet, full spectrum UVB lighting, heat lamp, and a good book. if you have any other questions please ask them, i dont know about everyone else, but i would rather answer 100 overly simple or "stupid" questions than read one post about a sick turtle.