How many Diamondback Terrapins in a 150 and a few other questions.

[greyhoundfan]

I have 3 DBTs and love em’.. they have great personalities. They’re last year’s hatchlings and grew only about ½” so far since I’ve had them. Most turtle forums will advocate that DBT to water ratio should be 1 to 10.. Meaning for every one inch of turtle you should have 10 gallons of water. Your turts could grow and average out at 7” each.. that’s a total of 21”. Apply the ration and you would need 210 gallons of water.

My total inch count for my DBTs is at 8”. I keep them in a 75G tank. I will put them in a 150 when they get bigger. I’ll be short of that ratio though… Turtletimes.com is a good place to check out.

 

[NOLAGT]

Yeah I posted the same question on TT. Someone on there (and I think he breeds them) said in a 5' I could probably do 2 pairs...maybe even 3 pairs depending on how well I keep it clean. In a 4' he said maybe 2 pairs or a trio. I could do all mails or sub a WP in place of the female DBT but he didnt like mixing kinds of turtles but lots do it.

Do yall know anything about the zoomed bulbs that claim uvb/uva rays???

 

[coura]

Oh I'm well aware of how horny male turtles can be. I had male painted turtles that constantly harassed females with courtship displays. Heck I use to have a male EBT that would probably mount a soccer ball if you put it in front of him! But like I mentioned, if females are not present you SOMETIMES can get away with keeping multiple males together. But every species is different just like every turtle personality is different. Sometimes you're lucky, and sometimes your not.

 

[coura]

Yeah I posted the same question on TT. Someone on there (and I think he breeds them) said in a 5' I could probably do 2 pairs...maybe even 3 pairs depending on how well I keep it clean. In a 4' he said maybe 2 pairs or a trio. I could do all mails or sub a WP in place of the female DBT but he didnt like mixing kinds of turtles but lots do it.

Do yall know anything about the zoomed bulbs that claim uvb/uva rays???

Short: all of the normal flurescent 5.0 lamps that is repti sun and iguana ligth, are great lamps and I recomend them. However never use one of thouse new compact ligths they produce to much uv and can cause deep damage on the skin and eyes of the animals. Hard to understend why would they put on the market such a thing

 

[RowingMunkeyCU]

Short: all of the normal flurescent 5.0 lamps that is repti sun and iguana ligth, are great lamps and I recomend them. However never use one of thouse new compact ligths they produce to much uv and can cause deep damage on the skin and eyes of the animals. Hard to understend why would they put on the market such a thing

The 5.0 florescent tubes are no good, they put out next to nothing in terms of UVB. At a bare minimum, the 10.0 is needed, but MVBs (Mercury Vapor Bulbs) are ideal. Expensive, but necessary. MegaRay and T-Rex are the two best brands.

http://www.reptileuv.com/megaray-sb-160-watt-self-ballasted-flood-uvb-lamp.php
http://www.t-rexproducts.com/products/lighting/active-uv-heat/

Check out this site for more info:
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/

 

[NOLAGT]

The 5.0 florescent tubes are no good, they put out next to nothing in terms of UVB. At a bare minimum, the 10.0 is needed, but MVBs (Mercury Vapor Bulbs) are ideal. Expensive, but necessary. MegaRay and T-Rex are the two best brands.

http://www.reptileuv.com/megaray-sb-160-watt-self-ballasted-flood-uvb-lamp.php
http://www.t-rexproducts.com/products/lighting/active-uv-heat/

Check out this site for more info:
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/

Thats the kind I was talking about...the MVB's. I just saw those online yesterday...very cool looking bulb. I hated back in the day having a round dome and a flo strip cluttered on the top.

So the smallest wattage is 100?

 

[coura]

The 5.0 florescent tubes are no good, they put out next to nothing in terms of UVB. At a bare minimum, the 10.0 is needed, but MVBs (Mercury Vapor Bulbs) are ideal. Expensive, but necessary. MegaRay and T-Rex are the two best brands.

http://www.reptileuv.com/megaray-sb-160-watt-self-ballasted-flood-uvb-lamp.php
http://www.t-rexproducts.com/products/lighting/active-uv-heat/

Check out this site for more info:
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/

Dude sorry but 10.0 is complete overkill. That kind of ligth is made for desert animals like bearded dragons, not aquatic turts. Some guys use it but I think its very risky. A 5.0 is what is needed for most turts. I use it all the time with mine and they are better than ever. I from time to time rescue turts that for some reason or another people cant take care of them anymore. One of the top problems in hachlings is soft shell by lack of calcium ,inapropriate diet and lack of uv. By using this lamp I can stop or even cure not to advanced cases in about one and half weeks(but only in hachlings, adults take longer). Advanced cases if they survive, take longer. Its possible to raise a 100% healty turt without the risks of using that kind of lamp

 

[dragogreen]

Short: all of the normal flurescent 5.0 lamps that is repti sun and iguana ligth, are great lamps and I recomend them. However never use one of thouse new compact ligths they produce to much uv and can cause deep damage on the skin and eyes of the animals. Hard to understend why would they put on the market such a thing

hey coura you mentioned about compact lights, these arent good huh? because i wanna use my clip light for my terrapin and cooter but not sure if it is safe for them. And will it work with just any regular clip light that is rated for 60w or less? or is there a specific fixture i should get. Thanks! sorry to thread jack

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752555

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752573#prodTab1

 

[coura]

hey coura you mentioned about compact lights, these arent good huh? because i wanna use my clip light for my terrapin and cooter but not sure if it is safe for them. And will it work with just any regular clip light that is rated for 60w or less? or is there a specific fixture i should get. Thanks! sorry to thread jack

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752555

Here http://www.uvguide.co.uk/index.htm

 

[dragogreen]

great info thanks Coura!!